Eastern District of Virginia

NORFOLK, Va. – Two Venezuelan citizens pleaded guilty today and yesterday to conspiracy to distribute cocaine on board a vessel in international waters.

According to court documents, on May 16, 2023, Juan Milano, 50, and Carlos Marcano, 31, were found with two others by a U.S. Navy ship and its Naval and Coast Guard personnel on board a go-fast boat in international waters while in possession of over 1400 kilograms of cocaine. The go-fast vessel was without nationality, and none of its crew declared their nationality, the flag nationality of the vessel, or claimed to be its master.

Milano is schedule to be sentenced on December 14 and Marcano, who pleaded yesterday, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 13. They each face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment. 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.

Milano and Marcano were prosecuted as part of a joint interagency partnership between the U.S Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, the Department of Justice including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, and select U.S. Attorney offices in the United States and its territories. 

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; Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; William P. Hicks II, Special Agent in Charge, Coast Guard Investigative Service, Chesapeake Region, made the announcement after U.S. District Senior Judge Raymond A. Jackson.

The Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Section of the Department of Justice assisted in this investigation. The Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S), a United States multiservice, multiagency task force, also assisted in this investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin M. Comstock is prosecuting the case.

Congress has declared drug trafficking on vessels in international waters a serious international problem universally condemned and one that presents a specific threat to the security and societal well-being of the United States.

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-85.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – SOC LLC, located in Chantilly, has agreed to pay $259,353.60 to settle False Claims Act (FCA) allegations that canine handlers, employed by SOC under a State Department contract, reported time training canines when, in actuality, training had not taken place or the training did not occur for the time reported to the government.

The settlement arises in connection with a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provision of the FCA by a former SOC canine handler, United States ex rel. Morris v. SOC LLC, et al. Under the Worldwide Protective Service (WPS) II contract awarded to SOC by the U.S. Department of State, SOC supplied explosive sniffing canines and canine handlers at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. The WPS II contract required the canines to receive four hours of explosive proficiency training weekly with their handlers. The settlement resolves allegations that SOC handlers and trainers violated the FCA by falsely reporting the requisite four hours of weekly proficiency training regardless of whether training happened that week or fell short of the four-hour requirement.    

A whistleblower suit, or qui tam action under the False Claims Act, is commenced by an individual, known as a “relator,” filing a complaint under seal in the U.S. District Court, and providing a copy of the complaint and evidence to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The United States then has an opportunity to investigate the claims. The False Claims Act provides whistleblowers with a share of the government’s recovery. The relator here will receive a share of this settlement.

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 U.S. Department of State Office of Inspector General.

The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Starr. 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 at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information from the civil lawsuit can be accessed on PACER by searching for No. 1:21-cv-327.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A German man pleaded guilty yesterday to a mail fraud scheme by which he embezzled more than $4 million from his employer.

According to court documents, between 2010 and 2017, Gerhard Bauer, 73, the CEO and President of a U.S. subsidiary company, embezzled more than $4 million by writing corporate checks to pay various personal expenses. He also created fake invoices to justify the expenses. Of note, he paid over $1,490,000 for the construction of his Virginia farm, winery, and horse ranch. He also paid over $146,000 for private school tuition for his relatives.

Bauer is scheduled to be sentenced on November 7. 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 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 Matthew Stohler, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea.

The Loudoun County Sherriff’s Office assisted in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Shartar and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jack Hanly and Ron Fiorillo 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. 1:20-cr-165.

RICHMOND, Va. – A federal judge convicted a federal inmate yesterday on charges of producing and possessing obscene images of children.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Jesse Fernando Perez, 36, is currently serving a 121-month federal sentence for possession of child pornography at the Federal Correctional Complex in Petersburg, Virginia. While incarcerated, he copied images of children from books and magazines, and then drew on the images to create depictions of the children engaged in sexually explicit activity.

Perez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison when sentenced on December 11. 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 Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young announced his verdict.

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons assisted in this investigation. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael C. Moore and Trial Attorney Angelica Carrasco from the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section 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. 3:23-cr-19.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Los Angeles man was sentenced today to 24 years in prison for his leading role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy.

According to court documents, from approximately fall 2018 through September 2019, Kevin Day, a/k/a “Prince Hauncho,” 34, was at the top of a multi-state, multi-kilogram methamphetamine conspiracy involving a distribution organization that moved over 11 kilograms of dangerous and highly addictive controlled substances from Crips gang sources in California to the Hampton Roads area, where it was distributed to local dealers and users.

Day, a California-based Grape Street Crips gang member, led the California side of the conspiracy in which he shipped high-purity methamphetamine through the United States mail with the help of a U.S. Postal Service worker, Laquisha McFrazier, he recruited Day and his co-conspirators also used couriers to smuggle fentanyl into Hampton Roads on commercial air flights. In attempts to conceal their drug proceeds, members of the conspiracy laundered thousands of dollars by electronically transferring money between themselves.

McFrazier pleaded guilty to her role in the conspiracy and was sentenced to 98 months’ imprisonment. Day’s co-conspirator Xavier Howell was convicted by a federal jury and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

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 Mark G. Solesky, Chief of Chesapeake Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda Cheney and John F. Butler 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. 2:20-cr-11.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Israeli national made his initial appearance in federal court today for charges stemming from smuggling, harboring and employing illegal workers.

According to court documents, Shai Cohen, 39, allegedly organized, led, and worked with others to recruit and facilitate the illegal entry of Israeli citizens into the United States under false pretenses. Cohen and his co-conspirators allegedly 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 are alleged to have then assisted the noncitizens with travel to the United States. Upon arrival, the noncitizens were employed at various kiosks owned and operated by Cohen in malls in Virginia and Maryland. The noncitizens who engaged in illegal employment were allegedly primarily compensated for their work by under-the-table cash payments or the transfer of money to stored value payment cards, rather than a legitimate payroll system. Cohen also allegedly provided housing and transportation for the noncitizens to and from work in the United States.

Cohen was arrested in Israel pursuant to a U.S. request for his extradition. In August 2023, he was extradited to the Eastern District of Virginia.

Cohen is charged with conspiracy to defraud and commit offenses against the United States, bringing aliens to the United States for financial gain, encouraging and inducing aliens to unlawfully come to enter and reside in the United Sates for financial gain, harboring illegal aliens, and money laundering conspiracy. If convicted, Cohen 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; Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Troy W. Springer, Acting Special Agent in Charge, National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Washington Field Office, made the announcement.

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

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the government of Israel to secure the arrest and extradition of Cohen.

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

An indictment charging an Israeli national with leading a visa fraud scheme to facilitate the illegal entry and employment of noncitizens in the United States was unsealed today in the Eastern District of Virginia.

According to court documents, Shai Cohen, 39, allegedly organized, led, and worked with others to recruit and facilitate the illegal entry of Israeli citizens into the United States under false pretenses. Cohen and his co-conspirators allegedly 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 are alleged to have then assisted the noncitizens with travel to the United States. Upon arrival, the noncitizens were employed at various kiosks owned and operated by Cohen in malls in Virginia and Maryland. The noncitizens who engaged in illegal employment were allegedly 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 allegedly provided housing and transportation for the noncitizens to and from work in the United States.

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 is charged with conspiracy to defraud and commit offenses against the United States; bringing aliens to the United States for financial gain; encouraging and inducing aliens to unlawfully come to, enter, and reside in the United Sates for financial gain; harboring illegal aliens; and money laundering conspiracy. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. 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 the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington Field Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer of the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), National Capital Region made the announcement.

The HSI Washington Field Office 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 Ty for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the government of Israel to secure the arrest and extradition of Cohen.

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 Honduran national pleaded guilty today to conspiring to import cocaine into the United States.

According to court documents, from approximately 2008 through June 2014, Mario Urbina, 41, conspired to import cocaine into the United States. Urbina was a lieutenant in the Los Valles international drug trafficking organization based in Honduras, which is a major transit country for South American cocaine. Urbina was personally responsible for coordinating the trafficking of ton quantities of cocaine and the collection of millions of dollars in cocaine proceeds. The Los Valles cartel maintained an arsenal of firearms to protect and further their operation and relied on violence, including kidnapping and murder, as a means of intimidation.

Urbina is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1. He faces a mandatory minimum 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; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; and David Geist, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bibeane Metsch is prosecuting the case.

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. 

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. 1:14-cr-135.

RICHMOND, Va. – A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging a Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) officer with violating the civil rights of an inmate by showing deliberate indifference to the inmate’s serious medical needs, resulting in his death. 

The superseding indictment alleges that on January 10, 2021, BOP Senior Officer Specialist Yolanda Blackwell, 45, of Chester, was on duty and working in her official capacity at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Petersburg. The superseding indictment charges that Blackwell willfully failed to ensure that the inmate, a 47-year-old man identified as W.W., was provided with necessary medical care, even though she knew that W.W. had serious medical needs. W.W. died in federal custody that day.

Two other BOP officials, Lieutenant Shronda Covington and registered nurse Tonya Farley, were previously charged with civil rights and other offenses in connection with the inmate’s death in custody. Another BOP official, Lieutenant Michael Anderson, previously pleaded guilty for his role in the inmate’s death.

If convicted, Blackwell faces a maximum penalty of life 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; Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; and Michael E. Horwitz, Inspector General of the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General, made the announcement.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Garnett and Special Litigation Counsel Kathryn E. Gilbert and Trial Attorney Matthew Tannenbaum of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section 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. 23-cr-68.

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

A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging a federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) officer with violating the civil rights of an inmate by showing deliberate indifference to the inmate’s serious medical needs, resulting in his death. 

The superseding indictment alleges that on Jan. 10, 2021, BOP Senior Officer Specialist Yolanda Blackwell, 45, of Chester, Virginia, was on duty and working in her official capacity at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Petersburg, Virginia. The superseding indictment charges that Blackwell willfully failed to ensure that the inmate, a 47-year-old man identified as W.W., was provided with necessary medical care, even though she knew that W.W. had serious medical needs. W.W. died in federal custody that day. 

Two other BOP officials, Lieutenant Shronda Covington and registered nurse Tonya Farley, were previously charged with civil rights and other offenses in connection with the inmate’s death in custody. Another BOP official, Lieutenant Michael Anderson, previously pleaded guilty for his role in the inmate’s death. 

If convicted, Blackwell faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia and Inspector General Michael E. Horwitz of the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General (DOJ-OIG) made the announcement.

DOJ-OIG 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 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.

Superseding Indictment

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Charles City man yesterday of attempting to obtain a passport using false identifying information.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, O’Ryan Jones, 54, after having been denied a passport in his own name, applied for a passport in the name and using the identifying information of his brother. In preparation for the passport fraud, the defendant also obtained his brother’s birth certificate and a driver’s license in his brother’s name featuring the defendant’s own photograph.

Jones was convicted of false statement in application for a passport and aggravated identity theft, and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison with a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison when sentenced on December 4, 2023. 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 Karen Brown Cleveland, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Washington Field Office for the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), made the announcement after U.S District Judge Roderick C. Young accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Podlesni and Brian Samuels 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. 4:22-cr-09.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.— The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) will join community organizers, neighbors, and law enforcement partners to participate in National Night Out events on August 1, 2023. During this year’s National Night Out, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber and members of the office will attend community events in Fairfax County, Alexandria City, Hampton Roads, and the greater Richmond area. One EDVA employee has even planned a NNO event for her neighborhood.

“National Night Out is a fantastic and fun opportunity both for citizens and law enforcement to meet, interact and build relationships.” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber. “EDVA cares deeply about helping to restore trust between communities and law enforcement, including the Department of Justice. These connections are critical for public safety, as well as the rule of law.” 

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes partnerships and camaraderie between law enforcement and the communities they serve to make our neighborhoods safer places to live. Millions take part in National Night Out across thousands of communities throughout the country on the first Tuesday of August in most areas of the country.

National Night Out was established in 1984 with funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice. The program is administered by the National Association of Town Watch, a nationwide non-profit organization.

Coordinated by local law enforcement and trained volunteers, National Night Out provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances. Neighborhoods host block parties, cookouts, festivals, parades, safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, and more. National Night Out sends a message that neighbors are united and working together to keep their communities and each other safe.

To find a National Night Out event near you, contact your local police department. For more information on National Night Out, visit https://natw.org/.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced today to 248 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, on October 13, 2021, Christian Gage Puente, 29, and his co-conspirator, Carlos Santos-Navarro, 25, a Honduran national, distributed approximately 7.8 kilograms of methamphetamine to Candice Rountree, 43, of Virginia Beach, and Alidavid Williams, 42, of Virginia Beach, at a hotel on Crossways Boulevard in Chesapeake. Later that same day, Virginia Beach Police officers conducted a traffic stop of Rountree’s vehicle in which Williams and Rountree were traveling on Shore Drive in Virginia Beach. During the stop, Williams attempted to flee, resulting in Roundtree’s vehicle rolling backward, pinning a Virginia Beach Police detective between Rountree’s Dodge Ram pickup truck and a police vehicle and seriously injuring his right leg. Detectives with the Virginia Beach Police Department and special agents and task force officers with Homeland Security Investigations discovered the distributed drugs during a search of Rountree’s vehicle following the traffic stop.

The following day, October 14, 2021, when Puente and Santos-Navarro arrived at a hotel in the 2900 block of Shore Drive in Virginia Beach to collect the proceeds from the sale of methamphetamine, they were detained by Virginia Beach Police detectives. Upon observing the approaching officers, Puente tossed a loaded caliber .38 Special revolver into a bush. Puente then fought with the officers while he was being detained. After he was placed in handcuffs, the police discovered approximately $4,725 in cash on Puente’s person. During a search of Santos-Navarro’s person, the police discovered a loaded 9mm pistol. During a search of Puente’s vehicle, the police discovered a shoebox containing approximately 890 grams of methamphetamine and a digital scale.      

Co-defendants Candice Rountree and Alidavid Williams pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and were sentenced to 36 months and 200 months in prison respectively. Co-defendant Carlos Santos-Navarro pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and was sentenced to 180 months.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations; and Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Darryl J. Mitchell 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-15.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced today to 144 months in prison for the violent kidnapping of his child’s mother.

According to court documents, on May 19, 2022, James Maloyd Hunter, II, 32, kidnapped the mother of his child outside of her residence. Hunter was upset because the victim allowed her new boyfriend to be around the child. At approximately 5:35 in the morning, Hunter, with two co-conspirators, went to the victim’s residence in Norfolk. As the victim was leaving for work, Hunter confronted her, placed a firearm against her head, and forced her into his vehicle. Once inside the vehicle, he strangled the victim to stop her from screaming. She was in pain and unable to breathe. Hunter and his co-conspirators fled the scene to a hotel on Military Highway. Before departing the hotel, he zip-tied the victim’s hands together and forced her onto the floor of the back seat so no one could see her as they left the area.

On May 20, 2022, Hunter was located in Hocking County, Ohio. Local police stopped his vehicle and freed the victim. Upon examining her, they found noticeable signs of injury, including marks around her neck consistent with strangulation. Detectives recovered from Hunter’s vehicle a package of zip ties, a roll of duct tape, a hunting style knife, a pair of scissors, and a receipt from Superior Pawn in Norfolk for the purchase one week before of a 9mm Ruger, semiautomatic handgun. A search of Hunter’s phone revealed that he conducted multiple web searches for topics such as “tranquilizer darts for humans,” “directions to Colorado,” “do you need a passport to cross into Canada,” “sleeping sedative,” “how to put oil filter silencer on handgun,” and “homemade suppressor for handheld pistol.”

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ramin Fatehi, Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Mark Talbot, Chief of Norfolk Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia expresses its appreciation to the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office for their significant assistance in this case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Stolle 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-3.

RICHMOND, Va. – American States Utility Services, Inc. (ASUS), located in San Dimas, California, agreed to pay $600,000 to settle allegations that it violated the federal False Claims Act by submitting inflated price estimates to the government.

Between April 2016 and May 2017, ASUS submitted price quotes for 19 water and sewer projects on U.S. military installations in North Carolina to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The United States alleged that each quote contained subcontractor costs that ASUS knew would not be expended, inflating the estimated cost of the project. DLA consequently evaluated the quotes for price reasonableness, which the United States alleged was based on the false premise that the projects would be performed with subcontractor costs. As a result, the government alleged that DLA overpaid more than $300,000 for these projects.

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; the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.

The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McIntosh.

A copy of this press release is located 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 admission of civil liability.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for selling at least 49 firearms unlawfully.

According to court documents, Anthony Gale Turner, 54, was a federally licensed dealer of firearms beginning in 2018. Turner owned and operated his firearms business, G7 Worldwide LLC, out of his residence on Pratt Street in Hampton. The investigation of Turner was launched when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) traced a handgun seized in Canada in 2020 back to the original purchaser. The original purchaser admitted to ATF agents that they completed the federal form required to purchase the firearm and provided Turner with their Virginia driver’s license for the transaction. However, the original purchaser told agents they never paid for the firearm nor ever took possession of it. Instead, Turner transferred the firearm to a prior convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms. Through the course of the investigation, ATF interviewed five other straw purchasers of firearms from G7 Worldwide who independently stated Turner completed firearms transaction with their information by similar means between 2018 and 2021. Over the span of less than two years, 46 out of the 49 firearms that were subjects of charges in Turner’s case were transferred from Turner to two known, prior-convicted felons through the five straw purchasers. Three other firearms were directly purchased by prior convicted felons themselves after informing Turner of their prohibited status. The final firearm was unlawfully sold to a known out-of-state resident in violation of Turner’s duties as a licensed firearms dealer. Eight of the firearms are in law enforcement custody after being seized in connection with criminal activity in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York.

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 Elizabeth Wilson Hanes.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Osyf 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. 4:22-cr-83.

RICHMOND, Va. – A New Jersey man was sentenced yesterday to 40 years in prison for conspiring to participate in a murder in connection with his participation in La Mara Salvatrucha, a violent international gang commonly known as MS-13.

According to court documents, Jose Gimenez-Lobos, aka Terrible, 32, was a member and leader in an MS-13 clique in New Jersey. On the evening of Nov. 23, 2014, MS-13 members gathered at an apartment in Richmond, along with the victim, who was a member of the rival Sureño gang. Under MS-13 rules, members are not allowed to associate with rival gangs and are required to assault or murder rival gang members. When Gimenez-Lobos arrived at the apartment and realized a rival was present, Gimenez-Lobos encouraged the other MS-13 members to confront the victim based on his status as a Sureño gang member. The co-conspirators went into another room in the apartment, conferred, and decided to kill the victim. They assaulted the victim and took his knife, which Gimenez-Lobos used to stab the victim multiple times. Co-defendant Darwin Solorzano-Quintanilla then used a B-B gun to beat the victim brutally about the head. Co-defendant Francisco Lemus-Castillo used his own knife to stab the victim several more times, and the victim died from the stab wounds.

“This case is a clear example of the severe threat organized criminal gangs pose to our communities,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The normalization of petty violence—such as killing another person because of their perceived rival affiliation—is illustrative of how dangerous these organizations can be.”

“Because of the dedicated efforts of the Justice Department and our law enforcement partners, Gimenez-Lobos and his fellow MS-13 gang members will no longer be able to terrorize their communities using fear, violence, and intimidation,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This case demonstrates the Department’s commitment to dismantling this violent criminal organization and pursuing justice for its victims.”

"Those who choose to commit violent acts will be investigated and held accountable,” said Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to vigorously investigate these cases as demonstrated by these sentences."

“Jose Gimenez-Lobos displayed his depravity by conspiring to stab a man to death in cold blood,” said Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. “The severity of his crime is reflected in the prison sentence he received today. HSI Washington, D.C. will continue to relentlessly pursue individuals or groups who perpetrate violence against the residents of our Washington, D.C. and Virginia communities.”

Solorzano-Quintanilla, age 29, of Chesterfield, Virginia, was sentenced to life imprisonment on November 23, 2021. Lemus-Castillo, age 31, of Chesterfield, Virginia, was sentence to life imprisonment on June 26, 2023.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak.

This case was investigated by FBI Richmond’s RAVE Task Force with significant assistance from the City of Richmond Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Miller and Trial Attorney Matthew Hoff of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang 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. 3:22-cr-45.

A New Jersey man was sentenced yesterday to 40 years in prison for conspiring to participate in a murder in connection with his involvement in La Mara Salvatrucha, a violent international gang commonly known as MS-13.

According to court documents, Jose Gimenez-Lobos, aka Terrible, 32, was a member and leader in an MS-13 clique in New Jersey. On the evening of Nov. 23, 2014, MS-13 members gathered at an apartment in Richmond, Virginia, along with the victim, who was a member of the rival Sureño gang. Under MS-13 rules, members are not allowed to associate with rival gangs and are required to assault or murder rival gang members. When Gimenez-Lobos arrived at the apartment and realized a rival was present, Gimenez-Lobos encouraged the other MS-13 members to confront the victim based on his status as a Sureño gang member. The co-conspirators went into another room in the apartment, conferred, and decided to kill the victim. They assaulted the victim and took his knife, which Gimenez-Lobos used to stab the victim multiple times.  Co-defendant Darwin Solorzano-Quintanilla then used a B-B gun to beat the victim brutally about the head. Co-defendant Francisco Lemus-Castillo used his own knife to stab the victim several more times, and the victim died from the stab wounds.

“Because of the dedicated efforts of the Justice Department and our law enforcement partners, Gimenez-Lobos and his fellow MS-13 gang members will no longer be able to terrorize their communities using fear, violence, and intimidation,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This case demonstrates the Department’s commitment to dismantling this violent criminal organization and pursuing justice for its victims.”

“This case is a clear example of the severe threat organized criminal gangs pose to our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The normalization of petty violence – such as killing another person because of their perceived rival affiliation – is illustrative of how dangerous these organizations can be.”

“This sentencing sends a clear message that the FBI is committed to ensuring violent crime investigations remain a priority,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI will continue to work with our partners to combat the violence these gangs cause and bring them to justice.” 

“Those who choose to commit violent acts will be investigated and held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador of the FBI Richmond Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to vigorously investigate these cases as demonstrated by these sentences."

“Jose Gimenez-Lobos displayed his depravity by conspiring to stab a man to death in cold blood,” said Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. “The severity of his crime is reflected in the prison sentence he received today.  HSI Washington, D.C. will continue to relentlessly pursue individuals or groups who perpetrate violence against the residents of our Washington, D.C. and Virginia communities.”

Solorzano-Quintanilla was sentenced to life in prison on Nov. 23, 2021. Lemus-Castillo was sentenced to life in prison on June 26, 2023.

The FBI, FBI Richmond Field Office’s RAVE Task Force, and Department of Homeland Security investigated the case, with significant assistance from the City of Richmond Police Department.

Trial Attorney Matthew Hoff of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Miller for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.

RICHMOND, Va. – Yesterday the final defendant prosecuted as part of an extensive investigation into a dogfighting and drug distribution network was sentenced to 46 months in prison.

According to information in the public record, in 2019, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began investigating several individuals, including Herman Tyrone Washington, 51, of Highland Springs, in connection with a drug investigation. Through court-authorized electronic surveillance of co-conspirator Kenneth Otey’s phone, law enforcement officers analyzed over 400 conversations between the co-conspirators discussing their involvement and participation in dogfighting activities over two months. The ensuing investigation revealed that, between December 2017 and August 2021, the conspirators organized contract matches—an agreed-upon fight negotiated by two parties for dogs of a specific weight and gender to take place on a set date, with an established purse and forfeit— and roll fights—a short fight between two dogs to test the dogs’ fighting abilities, usually for the purpose of sport and entertainment. They also transported dogs in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to participate in dog fights; bred and trained dogs to fight; and at least one of the conspirators killed losing dogs by drowning them in buckets of water. The conspirators used private messaging applications, including Meta and Telegram, to communicate with other people, including to coordinate fights and post videos of fights and training techniques. They collectively sponsored an animal in or attended at least 59 dog fights during the conspiracy.

In November and December 2020, law enforcement executed five residential search warrants and seized 93 dogs that were being used in connection with the dogfighting criminal organization. The Court found the animal fighting venture to involve extraordinary cruelty and to be of exceptional scale.

“The inhumane treatment of animals, especially ones bred to be companions for humans is not only strictly illegal, but deeply cruel,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We have sought significant sentences in this case because the mistreatment of animals is a serious crime born of malicious intent. These dogs deserved better.”

“Dogfighting is not a sport, it’s a brutal crime against animals who rarely escape death unless liberated by law enforcement,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The lengthy sentences faced by Washington and others who conspired in this dogfighting ring illustrate that those who seek to profit from the suffering of animals face significant prison time.”

“Dog-fighting is an extremely violent and abhorrent activity that profits from the abuse and neglect of animals,” said Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador of the FBI Richmond Field Office. “With today’s sentence, these criminals will be served justice for profiting from this abuse,”

“This successful prosecution is the result of a multi-year investigation and a fantastic example of long term, effective cooperation between local, state and federal resources,” said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. “Dog fighting is a serious, cruel offense that often is connected to additional narcotic and gun crimes. I’m proud of my team’s role and hard work that contributed to justice being served.”

Washington pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture and possession of a pitbull-type dog for the purpose of having the animal participate in an animal fighting venture. As a condition of his supervised release, Washington is prohibited from owning or possessing dogs or their reproductive cells.

Washington was the last of seven individuals charged in this conspiracy. Those individuals were collectively sentenced to a total of 534 months imprisonment and each will serve a multi-year period of supervised release. Like Washington, the other defendants are prohibited from owing or possessing dogs during their supervised release.

The following co-conspirators have been convicted and sentenced in this prosecution:

Kenneth L. Otey, Jr., 48, of Richmond, was sentenced to a total term of 300 months imprisonment to be followed by 5 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to two drug offenses, a firearm offense, and conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture.

Connell Samuel Stukes, Sr., 49, of Rembert, South Carolina, was sentenced to a total term of 63 months imprisonment to be followed by 3 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture and possession of a pit bull-type dog for purpose of having the animal participate in an animal fighting venture.

Raymond Johnson, 42, of Richmond, was sentenced to a total term of 37 months imprisonment to be followed by 3 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to a firearm offense and conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture.

Jerome Donte Smith, 35, of Richmond, was sentenced to a total term of 37 months imprisonment to be followed by 3 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture and sponsoring an animal in an animal fighting venture. At the time of his offense conduct, Smith was on supervised release in connection with a prior federal drug conviction.

Antonio Thomas Ruffin, 55, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced to a total term of 36 months imprisonment to be followed by 3 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to transporting a pit bull-type dog for purpose of having the animal participate in an animal fighting venture and possession of an animal for the purpose of having the animal participate in an animal fighting venture.

Royal Washington, 51, of Charles City, was sentenced to a term of 15 months imprisonment to be followed by 3 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Todd Kim, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Richmond Field Office; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the DEA Washington Division; and Jason Miyares, Virginia Attorney General, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne.

Special thanks to United States Marshal Service, FBI Baltimore Field Office, Virginia Animal Fighting Task Force, Richmond Animal Care and Control, the Henrico County Police Division, Sussex Virginia Sheriff’s Office, Baltimore Police Department, Baltimore Animal Services and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen E. Anthony and Trial Attorneys Banumathi Rangarajan and William J. Shapiro of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

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. 3:22-cr-132.

A former journalist pleaded guilty today to transportation and possession of child sexual abuse material.

According to court documents, while visiting South Carolina in February 2020, James Gordon Meek, 53, of Arlington, Virginia, used an online messaging platform on his iPhone to send and receive images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and to discuss his sexual interest in children. Some of the images and videos depicted prepubescent minors and minors under the age of 12, including an infant being raped. Meek brought the iPhone containing the child sexual abuse material back with him when he returned to Virginia.

Meek is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 29. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force is investigating the case. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking. Valuable assistance was provided by the Arlington County Police Department.

Trial Attorney Whitney Kramer of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Bedell 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 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.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Arlington man pleaded guilty today to transportation and possession of child sexual abuse material.

According to court documents, while visiting South Carolina in February 2020, James Gordon Meek, 53, used an online messaging platform on his iPhone to send and receive images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and to discuss his sexual interest in children. Some of the images and videos depicted prepubescent minors and minors under the age of 12, including an infant being raped. Meek brought the iPhone containing the child sexual abuse material back with him when he returned to Virginia. Additionally, Meek possessed multiple electronic devices containing images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Meek is scheduled to be sentenced on September 29. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years imprisonment and a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment for each charge. 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; Kenneth A. Polite, Jr, Assistant Attorney General. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and David Sundberg, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Bedell and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Kramer are prosecuting the case.

This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking. Valuable assistance was provided by the Arlington County Police Department. 

This case was also 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-65.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Alexandria man pleaded guilty today to 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.

Appiah-Osei is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3. He faces a maximum penalty of six 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 Kareem A. Carter, IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington D.C. Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hood 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-113.

A federal grand jury in Richmond, Virginia, returned a seven-count indictment today charging a Virginia couple with forced labor, conspiracy to commit forced labor, alien harboring for financial gain and document servitude along with fraud-related charges – conspiracy to commit bankruptcy fraud and fraudulent transfers in contemplation of bankruptcy – in connection with their operation of a gas station and convenience store in North Chesterfield, Virginia.

According to the court documents, between March 2018 and May 2021, Harmanpreet Singh, 30, and Kulbir Kaur, 42, allegedly forced the victim to provide labor and services at Singh’s store, including working as the cashier, preparing food, cleaning and managing store records. The indictment alleges that the defendants used various coercive means, including confiscating the victim’s immigration documents and subjecting the victim to physical abuse, threats of force and other serious harm and, at times, degrading living conditions, to compel him to work long hours for minimal pay. The indictment further alleges that the defendants harbored the victim after his visa expired for financial gain and committed bankruptcy-related fraud offenses.

The charge of forced labor carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 and mandatory restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia and Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Richmond Field Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

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

Indictment

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach woman pleaded guilty today to fraudulently obtaining unemployment insurance (UI) benefits using personal identifiable information (PII) belonging to both Virginia Department of Corrections inmates and unwitting victims from the Norfolk area and out of state.

According to court documents, from approximately May 2020 through in November 2020, Jenyce Williams, 34, and her co-defendants and co-conspirators conspired to use PII, including names, dates of birth, and social security numbers belonging to others to file hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of UI claims amid the pandemic when numerous businesses were shut down. Williams’ role in the conspiracy was to submit UI applications and complete weekly recertifications using PII provided either by one of her co-conspirators, a Virginia Department of Corrections inmate, or obtained using other sources. For the UI applications to be successful, Williams and a second co-conspirator provided numerous false inputs in required fields on the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) website, including a false mailing address, telephone number, e-mail address, and last employer. Williams and her second co-conspirator repeated false recertifications on a weekly basis to ensure benefits would continue to be paid. For many of the inmate claims, Williams continued weekly recertifications through in or about December 2020 until the VEC cut off known inmate claims. Williams elected for most of the UI benefits to be paid through a preloaded Way2Go debit card, which was mailed to the mailing address listed on the application, which was either Williams’ address, a co-conspirator’s address, or other residences selected to avoid suspicion regarding too many cards going to one address. The false claims filed specifically by Williams for 12 inmates resulted in the approval of approximately $193,332 in UI benefits. As a result of the overall conspiracy, the VEC approved approximately $478,640 in UI benefits on behalf of Virginia Department of Corrections inmates who were not entitled to receive such benefits, in addition to two non-inmates who had former connections to the Virginia Department of Corrections.

Williams also used another source available to members of the conspiracy to obtain PII belonging to individuals out of state who were not incarcerated. Using this PII, Williams filed approximately 15 claims, resulting in the approval of approximately $361,664 in UI benefits. These innocent out-of-state victims did not provide their PII to Williams or any of her co-defendants and had no knowledge of the scheme.

Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3. 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; Joseph V. Cuffari, Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security; Troy W. Springer, Acting Special Agent in Charge, National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Lawrence R. Leonard accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Taylor 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-30.

NORFOLK, Va. – A New York man pleaded guilty today to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

According to court documents, from at least August 2020 through November 2020, Anthony Lynch, 59, who is a registered sex offender in New York, communicated with the out-of-state minor over the telephone and through various social media applications. In those communications, Lynch repeatedly demanded that the minor take explicit videos and photographs of herself for his personal use. When the underage victim did not comply, defendant repeatedly threatened her, writing that the “war has started” and by claiming, among other things, that he would distribute intimate pictures of her over the internet and email the victim’s school with her information and claim that she was performing online sex shows. After a lengthy investigation, including a search warrant executed at his purported residence in Brooklyn, Lynch was located at a relative’s home in Chesapeake, Virginia, and arrested.  

Lynch is scheduled to be sentenced on December 13. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of twenty years and a maximum penalty of life 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 Al Chandler, Chief of Suffolk Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Wilson Hanes.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia expresses its appreciation to the FBI New York Field Office and the San Francisco Police Department for their significant assistance in this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Mozzi 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-8.

RICHMOND, Va. –A federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment today charging a Virginia couple with conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, alien harboring for financial gain, and document servitude, along with fraud-related charges – conspiracy to commit bankruptcy fraud and fraudulent transfers in contemplation of bankruptcy – in connection with their operation of a gas station and convenience store in North Chesterfield.

According to the court filings, between March 2018 and May 2021, Harmanpreet Singh, 30, and Kulbir Kaur, 42, forced the victim, Singh’s cousin, to provide labor and services at Singh’s store, including working as the cashier, preparing food, cleaning and managing store records. The indictment alleges that the defendants used various coercive means, including confiscating the victim’s immigration documents and subjecting the victim to physical abuse, threats of force and other serious harm and, at times, degrading living conditions, to compel him to work extensive hours for minimal pay. The indictment further alleges that the defendants harbored the victim after his visa expired for financial gain and committed bankruptcy-related fraud offenses.

The charge of forced labor carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 and mandatory restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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; and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth and Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

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-92.

An indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

ALEXANDRIA – A man was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in prison for production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents, Vincent Sarikey, 35, formerly of Herndon, enticed a 15-year-old girl to produce CSAM that he then distributed to other offenders over Telegram, a messaging application. In April 2018, he also attempted to entice a self-identified 12-year-old girl in Argentina to produce CSAM. The minor told Sarikey she was 12 and that he would “go to jail” and refused to make the sexually explicit video he requested. Sarikey then distributed two videos of sexually explicit conduct to the minor to try to entice her into producing a sexually explicit video for him.

According to court documents, between October 2015 and July 2017, Sarikey conversed freely with a friend about his sexual interest in children. Sarikey talked about his attempts to meet, groom, and abuse children, including child to whom he had access, as well as blamed his victims for his own criminal conduct. Sarikey’s devices revealed over 20,000 images and 500 videos of CSAM, including 486 known series with identified victims.

Sarikey pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of children and faces additional charges for sexual exploitation of a child in the Southern District of Indiana based on his allegedly sexually abusing a child and using that child to produce CSAM almost 15 years ago.

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

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney McKenzie Hightower and Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura D. Withers prosecuted 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-56.

A Virginia man was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in prison for production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents, Vincent Sarikey, 35, formerly of Herndon, enticed a 15-year-old girl to produce CSAM that he then distributed to other offenders over Telegram, a messaging application. In April 2018, he also attempted to entice a self-identified 12-year-old girl in Argentina to produce CSAM. The minor told Sarikey she was 12 and that he would “go to jail” and refused to make the sexually explicit video he requested. Sarikey then distributed two videos of sexually explicit conduct to the minor to try to entice her into producing a sexually explicit video for him.

According to court documents, between October 2015 and July 2017, Sarike conversed freely with a friend about his sexual interest in children. Sarikey talked about his attempts to meet, groom, and abuse children, including a child to whom he had access, as well as blamed his victims for his own criminal conduct. Sarikey’s devices revealed over 20,000 images and 500 videos of CSAM, including 486 known series with identified victims. 

Sarikey pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of children and faces additional charges for sexual exploitation of a child in the Southern District of Indiana based on his allegedly sexually abusing a child and using that child to produce CSAM almost 15 years ago.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case.

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

RICHMOND, Va. – A former senior manager at the City of Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW), who previously served as the Deputy Director of Operations at DPW, and his wife pleaded guilty today to defrauding the city.

According to court documents, Michael Evins, 67, 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.

Michael Evins is scheduled to be sentenced on November 7. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Samaria Evins is also scheduled to be sentenced on November 7. She faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. Another co-conspirator, Shaun Lindsey, a senior administrative technician at DPW, previously pled guilty in the same scheme on May 9. 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 James Osuna, Inspector General, City of Richmond Office of the Inspector General, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth 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 Nos. 3:23-cr-81 and 3:23-cr-87.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal indictment was unsealed today charging a Prince George’s County, Maryland, man and woman with their involvement in laundering the proceeds of various fraud schemes targeting victims’ retirement and investment accounts.

According to allegations the indictment, 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.

The indictment further alleges that 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 are alleged to have gained access to a victim’s severance payout from his former employer. The indictment states that once 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 couriers that they used. Once the victim’s financial institution added a conspirator’s account to the victim’s account, the conspirators allegedly 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 are alleged to have been used in some cases to purchase salvage cars at auction or to wire money to business entities in Nigeria.

The indictment further alleges that the Abdulraheems attempted to conceal their involvement in laundering proceeds by using shell companies, such as “ISMRAN LLC,” “DAISIM GLOBAL LINK LLC,” “RUKLAT INTERNATIONAL VENTURES,” and “DAISIM INTERNATIONAL” to receive and launder the proceeds of the fraud scheme. 

The defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering, and unlawful monetary transactions. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the money laundering charges, and a maximum of 10 years in prison for the unlawful monetary transactions charges. 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.

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.

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

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Hampton man late Friday afternoon of conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and marijuana.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, from approximately September 2019, until his arrest in April 2022, Orlando Roosevelt Adkins, 45, operated and managed Elite Customs, an automotive repair and custom autobody shop in Hampton, Virginia. During this time, this property was used as a drug-involved premises for a drug trafficking conspiracy. Within this conspiracy, the co-conspirators, including Adkins, distributed and possessed quantities of fentanyl and marijuana. The conspirators would purchase and receive drugs from suppliers in Mexico, Texas, California, and North Carolina, and arrange for the drugs to be transported to Virginia using rental vehicles, couriers, postal services, semi-trailers, trucks, and recreational vehicles. According to witnesses, Adkins facilitated the trafficking scheme by maintaining Elite Customs as a central point of operations for the conspiracy and cultivated illicit business relationships among conspirators.

On June 26, 2023, Adkins pleaded guilty to charges of distribution of marijuana, maintaining a drug-involved premises, and two counts of using a communication facility in furtherance of drug trafficking, but denied involvement in any drug trafficking conspiracy. Adkins was tried last week on the remaining conspiracy charge, during which the federal jury found that Adkins was, in fact, part of a drug conspiracy that involved fentanyl and marijuana.

Adkins was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and marijuana and faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison when sentenced on November 28. 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; Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations; Mark G. Solesky, Chief of Chesapeake Police; Orrin Gallop, Interim Chief of Hampton Police; Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police; and Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Jamar K. Walker accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Osyf and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Engelking prosecuted the case.

This case 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. 4:22-cr-20.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Tempe, Arizona, woman was sentenced today to 5 years in prison for her role in operating multiple darknet pages selling illicit drugs alongside two previously sentenced co-conspirators.

According to court documents, from at least in and around January of 2022 through August 2022, Veronica Dittman, 28, along with co-conspirators Rick Schiffner, 31, and Devin Langer, 30, both based in Phoenix, Arizona, ran the darknet monikers “TrustedTraphouse,” “GoldenTrails,” “PopcornPlug,” and others across at least dozen different darknet markets. On these markets, the co-conspirators advertised various controlled substances, including crystal methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills that the conspirators advertised as oxycodone. During the course of the conspiracy, the conspirators made over 1,300 sales of controlled substances over the darknet using these accounts, distributing at least 800 grams of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, 500 grams of methamphetamine, 16 grams of heroin, and 7 grams of cocaine. The conspirators described the pressed pills containing fentanyl on one marketplace as “Not normal OxyCodone”, informing potential customers “These are MUCH stronger than pharmaceutical OxyCodone… These were NOT made by a pharmacy,” and warning customers to “BE CAREFUL.” Dittman worked primarily with Schiffner to process orders over the darknet and then package and ship them. Dittman also operated her own vendor accounts on the darknet using the monikers “VirtualPeddler” and “Darkette”. By the time of her arrest, she had made at least 74 sales of controlled substances through those accounts, the majority of which were fentanyl.

The darknet, also called the darkweb, is a portion of the Internet that hosts darknet markets, or hidden commercial websites. A darknet market operates as a black market, selling or brokering transactions involving legal products, as well as drugs, weapons, counterfeit currency, stolen credit card details, forged documents, unlicensed pharmaceuticals, steroids, and other illicit goods.

Co-conspirators Schiffner was sentenced on April 14, 2023, to 150 months imprisonment. Co-conspirator Langer was sentenced on April 17, 2023, to 84 months imprisonment.

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; Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); and George A. Scavdis, Special Agent in Charge of the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia expresses its appreciation to the FBI Phoenix Field Office, USPIS Phoenix Division, Homeland Security Investigations Phoenix, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, FBI Las Vegas Field Office, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for their significant assistance in this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Call 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-31.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for possessing a firearm used in the shooting of a child and straw purchasing another firearm used in a second shooting.

According to court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Antonyo Taylor, 27, possessed a tan Smith and Wesson M&P connected to the homicide of a seven-year-old girl in Portsmouth, and separately straw purchased a GIRSAN MC 1911. On December 22, 2020, Taylor told others that he wanted to go shoot at rival gang members. Taylor and others, riding inside a gold Acura TL pulled alongside another vehicle that Taylor incorrectly indicated contained rival gang members. Taylor then fired his tan Smith and Wesson M&P towards the other vehicle. During this shooting, one of the passengers in the second vehicle, a seven-year-old girl, was shot and killed. Separately, on or about September 20, 2020, Taylor straw purchased a GIRSAN MC 1911. A co-conspirator of Taylor purchased the firearm from a legal firearm vendor and, during the purchase, checked the box on the ATF form 4473 indicating that they were the actual buyer of the firearm. The co-conspirator then transferred the firearm to Taylor. According to text messages obtained by law enforcement, Taylor admitted he used this firearm in a separate shooting in October of 2020 in Portsmouth that did not result in injuries.

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, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. Judge John A. Gibney, Jr.

Assistant U.S. Attorney 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-127.

A former police officer pleaded guilty today in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia to violating the civil rights of a minor victim by forcibly sexually assaulting her. 

According to court documents, 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 the Portsmouth Police Department in Portsmouth, Virginia, he encountered Victim 1, a 17-year-old female, during a call for a noise complaint. After another, more senior officer told Victim 1 to drive home, Cox followed Victim 1 to her home in his marked police vehicle. Cox instructed Victim 1 to drive to a parking lot, where he then instructed her to get into his vehicle. Cox then drove Victim 1 to an isolated area. There, he forced Victim 1 to have vaginal sex with him against her will. 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 defendant violated his oath and abused his power to sexually assault a child,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division. “The federal government will not tolerate law enforcement officials who commit acts of sexual assault and abuse, and we will continue to seek justice for the survivors of these heinous crimes.”

“Police officers are entrusted to safeguard and protect our community, especially vulnerable children,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Police officers are not above the law. Those who abuse their position to commit such abhorrent acts must and will be held accountable.”

“Our communities trust police officers to keep their members safe, and the defendant violated that trust when he sexually assaulted a child while on duty,” said FBI Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI is committed to ensuring that law enforcement officers who abuse their authority are held accountable for their crimes.”

Sentencing has been set for Nov. 28. With his guilty plea, Cox faces a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release and registration as a sex offender under the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. In August 2021, Cox pleaded guilty to state level charges of carnal knowledge and abduction and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, 10 years of which was later suspended by the court.

The FBI Norfolk Field Office investigated the case. 

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

NORFOLK, Va. – A former police officer pleaded guilty today in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia to violating the civil rights of a minor victim by forcibly sexually assaulting her. 

According to court documents, 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 the Portsmouth Police Department in Portsmouth, Virginia, he encountered Victim 1, a 17-year-old high school student, during a call for a noise complaint. After another, more senior officer told Victim 1 to drive home, Cox—unbeknownst to the other officer— followed Victim 1 to her home in his marked police vehicle. Cox instructed Victim 1 to drive to a parking lot, where he then instructed her to get into his vehicle. Cox then drove Victim 1 to an isolated area. There, he forced Victim 1 to have vaginal sex with him against her will. 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, including by falsely stating he did not know Victim 1’s true age and by falsely stating that it was Victim 1 who had proposed a sexual act to him.

“Police officers are entrusted to safeguard and protect our community, especially vulnerable children,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Police officers are not above the law. Those who abuse their position to commit such abhorrent acts must and will be held accountable.”

“The defendant violated his oath and abused his power to sexually assault a child,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division. “The federal government will not tolerate law enforcement officials who commit acts of sexual assault and abuse, and we will continue to seek justice for the survivors of these heinous crimes.”

“Our sworn police officers have a duty to uphold the constitution and are entrusted with protecting the safety and quality of life of the communities they serve,” said Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI 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. Cox’s conduct is not reflective of the honor and professionalism with which Portsmouth Police officers perform their duties, and I am grateful for the department’s collaboration in this investigation.”

Sentencing is scheduled for November 28. Under the plea agreement, Cox faces at least 15 years and up to 20 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release and registration as a sex offender under the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. In August 2021, Cox pleaded guilty in Portsmouth Circuit Court to charges of carnal knowledge and abduction and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, 10 years of which was later suspended by the court.

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 are prosecuting the case.

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 U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Wilson Hanes accepted the plea.

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. – A federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) lieutenant pleaded guilty yesterday to violating the civil rights of an inmate by showing deliberate indifference to the inmate’s serious medical needs, resulting in his death.

According to court documents, on January 9 and 10, 2021, Michael Anderson, 52, was working in his official capacity as a BOP correctional officer, with a rank of lieutenant, at the Federal Correctional Institution at Petersburg. In that capacity, Anderson 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. Anderson 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.

“Despite Anderson’s knowledge of the victim’s medical condition and his knowledge of BOP policies, he failed to provide potentially life-saving medical care to an inmate in need,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “People have a constitutional right to basic care while incarcerated.”

“Correctional supervisors are responsible for the care and custody of inmates entrusted to their care, particularly those with serious medical needs,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable those correctional officers who deliberately disregard inmates’ serious medical needs.”

“Anderson’s appalling indifference and disregard for his responsibility to provide a humane environment for inmates 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 Washington Field Office. “Incarcerated individuals should never be denied medical care, and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General will continue to aggressively investigate anyone who does so.”

Sentencing is scheduled for November 28, 2023. Anderson faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. Any sentence will be determined by a federal district judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 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; 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 U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young accepted the plea.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Garnett for the Eastern District of Virginia and Special Litigation Counsel Kathryn E. Gilbert and Trial Attorney Matthew Tannenbaum of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section 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. 3:23-cr-80.

A former securities attorney was sentenced today to six years in prison and ordered to pay $1.385 million in restitution to victims for his role in a conspiracy to defraud over 1,000 investors in a penny-stock scheme.

According to court documents, from at least November 2016 through October 2018, Phillip W. Offill, 64, of Dallas, and others conspired to misappropriate millions of shares of a publicly traded company, MCPI, using aliases and fake paperwork. The co-conspirators then fraudulently marketed MCPI shares to the public through call centers that made materially false statements to potential investors, including false claims that efforts were underway to list the stock on a national exchange. Employees at call centers also omitted material information, including the fact that the co-conspirators were paying large commissions to the callers to peddle the stock to victim investors. Offill and his co-conspirators also pumped up demand by manipulating the market so that MCPI stock appeared to be trading more actively than it actually was, and by causing the publication of false press releases regarding millions of dollars in funding that the co-conspirators knew would never come. As a result of the scheme, victim investors lost over $1.3 million.

“This serial offender defrauded over 1,000 investors, including many who entrusted him with their retirement funds and life savings,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s sentence and restitution demonstrate the Justice Department’s commitment to protecting victims from financial predators, securing the integrity of our public markets, and obtaining restitution for victims of fraud.”

Offill was previously employed as an attorney for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for over 14 years. After leaving the SEC, in 2010, he was convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for participating in multimillion-dollar pump-and-dump stock manipulation schemes. In April 2010, Offill was sentenced to eight years in prison and three years of supervised release. While on supervised release for his 2010 conviction, Offill committed the current offense involving MCPI stock.

“This case is unique because of the defendant’s greed and disregard for the rule of law, even after serving a federal prison sentence for fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “While still on supervised release from his last offense, Mr. Offill and his co-conspirators used their stock market expertise to swindle unsuspecting average investors in order to enrich themselves. I’m grateful to our attorneys and investigative agents who identified and put an end to this flagrantly exploitative scheme.”

As part of a civil case that the SEC brought in 2011, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan entered a final judgment against Offill that permanently barred him from participating in penny stock offerings. As part of another SEC case, in 2012, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas entered another permanent bar against him. Notwithstanding these bans, Offill committed the current offense.

“The FBI and its partners work relentlessly to ensure that those who violate fair market practices face justice,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division. “The manipulation of investors seen in this case will not be tolerated, and we will continue to collaborate to put conspiracies like this one to an end.”

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Andrew Tyler and Amanda Fretto Lingwood of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Pedersen for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case. Former Trial Attorney Blake C. Goebel provided significant contributions to this prosecution.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former securities attorney was sentenced today to 72 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to defraud over 1,000 investors in a penny-stock scheme. 

“This case is unique because of the defendant’s greed and disregard for the rule of law, even after serving a federal prison sentence for fraud,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “While still on supervised release from his last offense, Mr. Offill and his co-conspirators used their stock market expertise to swindle unsuspecting average investors in order to enrich themselves. I’m grateful to our attorneys and investigative agents who identified and put an end to this flagrantly exploitative scheme.”

“This serial offender defrauded over 1,000 investors, including many who entrusted him with their retirement funds and life savings,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s sentence and restitution demonstrate the Justice Department’s commitment to protecting victims from financial predators, securing the integrity of our public markets, and obtaining restitution for victims of fraud.”

“Phillip Offill engaged in a fraudulent criminal scheme to inflate stock prices through false information, causing victims to lose over $1.3 million of their hard-earned money,” said David Sundberg, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Pump-and-dump schemes, such as this one, deteriorate the integrity of the market. The FBI will work to hold accountable those who choose to break the law and swindle unsuspecting victims.”

According to court documents, from at least November 2016 through October 2018, Phillip W. Offill, Jr., 64, of Dallas, Texas; Justin Wallace Herman, 52, of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania; and others conspired to misappropriate millions of shares of a publicly traded company, MCPI, that held mining claims in Arizona and Idaho. The defendants then fraudulently marketed the shares for sale through third parties, including call centers, who made materially false statements to potential investors, while manipulating the market so that the stock falsely appeared to be trading more actively than it actually was. Offill coordinated the co-conspirators, created and submitted fraudulent documents to gatekeepers such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and knowingly caused two materially false press releases to be issued to pump up demand for MCPI stock. As a result of the scheme, victim investors lost approximately $1.3 million.

Offill was previously employed as an attorney for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for over 14 years. After leaving the SEC, in 2010, he was convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for participating in multimillion-dollar pump-and-dump stock manipulation schemes. In April 2010, Offill was sentenced to eight years in prison and three years of supervised release. While on supervised release for his 2010 conviction, Offill committed the current offense involving MCPI stock.

As part of a prior civil case brought by the SEC, in 2011, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan entered a final judgment against Offill that permanently barred him from participating in an offering of penny stock. As part of another SEC case, in 2012, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas entered a final judgment against Offill that permanently barred him from participating in an offering of penny stock. Notwithstanding these bans, Offill committed the current offense.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Emily Odom, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly R. Pedersen of the Eastern District of Virginia, and Trial Attorneys Andrew Tyler and Amanda Fretto Lingwood of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section at the Justice Department, are prosecuting the case. Former Trial Attorney Blake C. Goebel provided significant contributions to this 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 No. 1:22-cr-152.

A federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) lieutenant pleaded guilty today to violating the civil rights of an inmate by showing deliberate indifference to the inmate’s serious medical needs, resulting in his death. 

According to court documents, on Jan. 9 and 10, 2021, Michael Anderson, 52, was working in his official capacity as a BOP correctional officer, with a rank of lieutenant, at the Federal Correctional Institution at Petersburg, Virginia. In that capacity, Anderson 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. Anderson 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.

“Correctional supervisors are responsible for the care and custody of inmates entrusted to their care, particularly those with serious medical needs,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable those correctional officers who deliberately disregard inmates’ serious medical needs.”

“Despite Anderson’s knowledge of the victim’s medical condition and his knowledge of BOP policies, he failed to provide potentially life-saving medical care to an inmate in need,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “People have a constitutional right to basic care while incarcerated.”

“Anderson’s appalling indifference and disregard for his responsibility to provide a humane environment for inmates 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 Washington Field Office. “Incarcerated individuals should never be denied medical care, and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General will continue to aggressively investigate anyone who does so.”

Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 28. Anderson faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. Any sentence will be determined by a federal district judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Clarke, U.S. Attorney Aber and Special Agent in Charge Cunningham made the announcement.

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 are prosecuting the case.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Chester woman was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, and wire fraud, all stemming from her operation of a Richmond metro-area health care services company.

According to court documents, between 2014 and 2021, Sharon Johnson, 58, owned and operated “Sharon Y. Johnson & Associates” (SYJA). Johnson’s company purportedly provided Medicaid-reimbursed services that included both Service Facilitator services—supervising a Medicaid recipient’s personal care plan and provider—and personal care services—home health care aid services designed to allow a recipient to remain at home, rather than entering a nursing home or group home. Johnson signed up numerous of her Service Facilitator clients, often without their awareness or informed consent, to receive personal care services from her company. Johnson utilized her personal residence in Chester—a single-story, three-bedroom, 1,326-square foot structure—as an unlicensed group home, housing up to a half-dozen Medicaid recipients, in addition to Johnson and another SYJA employee, at any given time.

Between 2014 and 2021, Johnson fraudulently billed Medicaid for personal care services purportedly provided to at least 14 of her patients, knowingly submitting timesheets to Medicaid that falsely claimed that certain SYJA aides had provided services, when, in fact, those purported SYJA employees had not provided home health care services to the patients in question. To execute this fraud scheme, Johnson and her co-conspirators created online patient portal accounts in the names of her patients, and thereafter assumed those patients’ identities when “approving” and routing billing requests for SYJA home health care services that had not, in fact, been provided.

Separately, Johnson also executed a scheme to defraud the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) of pension payments paid by the VRS to one of Johnson’s unlicensed group home residents. To obtain control over her patient’s financial affairs, Johnson submitted fraudulent documents to the VRS including a “Medical Power of Attorney” form, and, after her patient’s death, changed the direct deposit location of her now-deceased patient’s VRS pension payments to Johnson’s own bank account. VRS thereafter paid at least 8 monthly pension payments into Johnson’s bank account before belatedly confirming the patient’s death. Johnson, knowing she was not entitled to those VRS funds, spent those payments for her own purposes.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas A. Garnett and Shea Gibbons 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. 3:22-cr-16.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – OMNI Business Systems, Inc., located in Alexandria, has agreed to pay $80,944.00 to settle a civil fraud case alleging that OMNI violated the Trade Agreements Act and the False Claims Act by fraudulently misrepresenting the country of origin for certain products on federal supply schedules.

The settlement arises in connection with a lawsuit filed by an OMNI competitor under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act: United States ex rel. Vogel v. OMNI Business Systems, Inc., et al. The settlement resolves allegations that OMNI violated the False Claims Act by fraudulently misrepresenting the country of origin for over a dozen toner products manufactured by HP, Inc., and offering them for sale, as Trade Agreements Act (TAA) compliant, through a General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract and an Air Force Blanket Purchase Agreement. Despite Omni being told to remove the non-TAA compliant items, the settlement resolves allegations that the products remained available for purchase—and sales were made of the items—through GSA and the Air Force.     

A whistleblower suit, or qui tam action under the False Claims Act, is commenced by an individual, known as a “relator,” filing a complaint under seal in the U.S. District Court, and providing a copy of the complaint and other evidence to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The United States then has an opportunity to investigate the claims. The False Claims Act provides whistleblowers with a share of the government’s recovery. The relator here will receive a share of the False Claims Act settlement.

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, the GSA Office of Inspector General, and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Starr. 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.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Jamaican national was sentenced today to over six years in prison for conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

According to court documents, from January through December 2019, Caswell Richards, 56, regularly supplied kilograms of cocaine to distributors in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Over the course of the conspiracy, Richards distributed at least 15 kilograms of cocaine to his co-conspirators. He distributed cocaine in Maryland through a middleman, Hopeton Fletcher, 53, of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Richards insulated himself from law enforcement detection by arranging transactions with Fletcher, who would then communicate directly with cocaine distributor Simeon Orekoya, 50, of Washington, D.C.. Orekoya, who was supplied with cocaine by numerous individuals in addition to Richards, distributed cocaine in the Eastern District of Virginia, as well as other locations throughout the D.C. metropolitan area from January 2017 through December 2019. 

Orekoya was sentenced on June 15, 2021, to 195 months of imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and firearms trafficking. Fletcher was sentenced on April 19 to 42 months of imprisonment for his role in the conspiracy.    

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 Sarah Linden, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Criminal and Cyber Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Hahn and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bibeane Metsch prosecuted the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest level criminal organization 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. 1:23-cr-18.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Chesapeake man pleaded guilty today to sex trafficking a minor.

According to court documents, in September 2022, Denzel Akeem Loftin, 32, began chatting with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 17-year-old girl living in Pennsylvania. Loftin said he was a pimp and proposed that the girl come to Virginia to work for him. The next month, he posted advertisements for her on online sex trafficking sites. Then, in October 2022, the FBI learned of a 14-year-old missing child from Colorado who had been located in sex trafficking advertisements in the Hampton Roads area. Law enforcement set up a “date” for commercial sex with the 14-year-old and another juvenile. Loftin was observed with the girl and two other female individuals immediately before the appointment. One of the other individuals was identified as a missing 17-year-old from Missouri. A review of seized electronic devices revealed that Loftin not only sex-trafficked the minor but himself engaged in a sex act with the 17-year-old.

Loftin is scheduled to be sentenced on November 2, 2023. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and maximum penalty of life 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.

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-44.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute para-flourofentanyl mixed with Xylazine, a combination known as the Zombie drug, as well as being a felon in possession of a firearm.   

According to court documents, Ali L. Scott, Jr., 32, was distributing controlled substances in Portsmouth. On November 10, 2022, Portsmouth Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms executed arrest warrants on Scott while he was a passenger in a vehicle. The police discovered a firearm near him and a backpack with 23.76 grams of a mixture containing para-flurofentanyl and Xylazine. Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” “tranq dope” or “zombie drug,” is a horse tranquilizer used by the veterinary industry. Mixing it into fentanyl increases overdose deaths and severe medical complications — including terrible flesh wounds causing rotting of the skin and leading to amputation.  Xylazine also makes it much harder to revive people after fentanyl overdoses, and the chemical adds another layer of intense addiction and cravings.

Scott is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1, 2023. He faces a maximum penalty of 35 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; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; Stephen Jenkins, Chief of Portsmouth Police; and Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Comstock 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-76.

NORFOLK, Va. – The Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) have issued a call for victims of a man charged with child exploitation to come forward.

A criminal complaint filed on June 5, 2023, charged Lieutenant Commander (Select) Michael Andrew Widroff, a Naval Officer previously assigned as the psychologist for the USS GERALD R. FORD (CVN-78) in Norfolk, with attempting to produce child pornography, attempting to coerce or entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, and attempting to transfer obscene matter to a minor. Widroff is alleged to have used the social media platform Snapchat to conduct this activity using the username “mikenavyguy78” and display name “M Sailorguy.”

Prior to serving on the USS GERALD R. FORD, Widroff worked or studied at the following institutions:

• Women’s League Home for Mentally Disabled Boys in Brooklyn, New York, from 2009 to 2016;
• City University of New York from approximately 2008 through 2011;
• Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, from approximately 2011 through 2017;
• Officer Training Command in Newport, Rhode Island, from August 2016 through September 2016;
• Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, from September 2016 through December 2017; and
• Naval Branch Health Clinic in Groton, Connecticut, from December 2017 through June 2021. 

Anyone who believes they have information relating to this case or are a victim of this individual, are encouraged contact NCIS via the NCIS Tips app or at www.ncis.navy.mil. Based on the information provided, respondents may be contacted by NCIS and asked to provide additional information.

If convicted, Widroff faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum penalty of life 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.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Victoria Liu 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-mj-107.

A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

RICHMOND, Va. – U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber announced six federal arrests today as a result of a years-long investigation into a large-scale drug organization operating in the greater Fredericksburg and Baltimore area. This operation required significant coordination between local, state, and federal law enforcement.

The suspects face federal charges of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances to include cocaine, fentanyl, fentanyl analogue, heroin, and synthetic cathinone, commonly known as “Molly” or “Boot.” If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case was investigated by FBI Richmond’s Fredericksburg Regional Narcotics Task Force with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Virginia State Police, Fredericksburg Police Department, Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, King George Sheriff’s Office, Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, FBI Baltimore, Charles County, Maryland Sheriff’s Office, and Madison County Sheriff’s Office.

This investigation is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

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 Case No. 3:23-cr-73.

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

NORFOLK, Va. – A former Navy Chief Petty Officer was sentenced today to 17 years in prison for attempted coercion and enticement, attempted sex trafficking of a minor, obstruction of justice, and false statement to law enforcement officer.

According to court documents, Daniel Alan Puff, 38, from Virginia Beach, negotiated to receive a sex act from a 13-year-old female, believing he was speaking to her mother. In fact, he was communicating with an undercover law enforcement agent (UC). The investigation began on March 29, 2022, when Puff contacted the UC and agreed to pay $60 in exchange for a sex act from what he believed was a 13-year-old female. On March 30, 2022, the UC directed Puff to the meeting location in Chesapeake. Puff arrived at the agreed-upon meeting location in Chesapeake and surveilled the area to check for the presence of law enforcement. Puff then approved the UC, gave $60 to the UC, and stated the sex act he wished to engage in with the child. He was then arrested and taken into custody. While handcuffed in the back of a police vehicle, he deleted the text application from his phone and falsely claimed to a law enforcement agent that he was attempting to text someone. 

Puff was found guilty of four counts by a jury on January 26, 2023.

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 Megan Montoya and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Victoria Liu 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. 2:22-cr-44.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted a D.C. man yesterday for engaging in a conspiracy to traffic 500 grams or more of cocaine. 

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Roldin Martinez Diaz, 32, had a multiple-year agreement to distribute cocaine that ended upon his arrest in August 2022. This conspiracy included co-defendant Delvin Funez Perdomo, a drug distributor in Northern Virginia, and others.  Funez Perdomo pleaded guilty to this conspiracy on January 23, 2023, before Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton. Evidence introduced at trial further demonstrated that Martinez Diaz negotiated and later distributed nearly half a kilogram of cocaine during two controlled purchases.

Martinez Diaz faces a mandatory minimum of 60 months and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison when sentenced on September 15, 2023. 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, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Jason Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted the verdict.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Hahn and Assistant U.S. Attorney Maya D. Song are prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

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-219.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to 5 years in prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

According to court documents, on July 12, 2022, a Richmond Police Department officer saw a car driving on the wrong side of the road. Octavius Bentley, 37, got out of the car, removed a firearm from his waistband and placed it on the driver’s seat, and hopped the fence. The officer recovered the loaded gun from the car and found part of Bentley’s ankle monitoring equipment in the passenger’s seat. Six months before, Bentley had been released from prison after serving 18 years for a violent rape. Bentley had been placed on location monitoring as a condition of his state probation. In the trunk of the car, officers found over 6 ounces of marijuana, baggies, a digital scale, a drug ledger, and a cell phone.

Officers could not locate Bentley on July 12. Within days, he fled to Vermont, and, in August, was arrested on a federal warrant for flight to avoid prosecution.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; Shannon Saylor, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Rick Edwards, Acting Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Hannah M. Lauck.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Wright and Kenneth Simon 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. 3:22-cr-157.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to 13 years in prison for brandishing a firearm while robbing a gas station convenience store in Henrico County.

According to court documents, on January 17, 2019, Chaikim Reynolds, 22, entered a gas station convenience store in Henrico County to rob it. His co-conspirator, Darrell Pittman, 24, of Hampton, was armed with a semi-automatic handgun and trained it on the clerk while Reynolds gave commands to the clerk and removed U.S. currency from the cash register.

Reynolds was identified by a member of the Hampton Police Department, who saw him in an area-wide request to identify. Less than a week after the robbery, officers attempted to stop the vehicle Reynolds was driving, with Pittman and two firearms inside, but he fled. After running two red lights, he crashed into another vehicle, killing that car’s passenger. One of the loaded firearms recovered from the vehicle was identified as the one used in the robbery. 

On December 2, 2022, Reynolds was found guilty of interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence by a jury. At sentencing, the Court found that Reynolds lied and obstructed justice when he testified in his own defense, including about his knowledge of the 36th Street gang that was a rival to the 44–Newsome gang to which Pittman belonged and to which Reynolds was alleged to belong. In case 4:17-cr-52, defendant Eric Nixon was previously convicted of shooting Pittman in the head in connection with his 36th Street Bang Squad activity.

After pleading guilty to three armed robberies, on June 9, 2020, Pittman was sentenced to 21 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; Eric D. English, Chief of Henrico County Police Division; Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police; Mark G. Solesky, Chief of Chesapeake Police; and Orin Gallop, Interim Chief of Hampton Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes.

Significant assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie D. Podlesni and D. Mack Coleman are prosecuting the case. Former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy E. Cross previously provided valuable assistance in the investigation of 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. 4:22-cr-39.