Eastern District of Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond woman was sentenced today to 63 months in prison for orchestrating a six-year scheme to defraud the United States Department of Education and the Commonwealth of Virginia of at least $230,000 in student financial aid funds. 

According to court documents, from 2006 through 2017, Kiesha Pope, 48, was the Director of Financial Aid at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (“Reynolds”), a public community college servicing the greater Richmond area. From 2011 through 2017, Pope was involved in a scheme to defraud the Department of Education, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Reynolds of educational funds. Pope used her financial aid office access to manufacture or boost financial aid eligibility for individuals, often her family members, who were not in fact eligible for financial aid. Thereafter, Pope directed at least four such co-conspirators to send her the majority of these financial aid funds. Pope spent financial aid funds on her personal expenses, such as a vacation on Disney Cruise Line, retail shopping, and expenses for her daughter.

To execute the scheme, Pope fraudulently overrode Reynolds' internal automated controls to manually place her co-conspirators in a status that guaranteed their continued receipt of financial aid funds. For instance, Pope used her access to the Reynolds financial aid systems to procure financial aid for her son from 2011 through 2017, knowing very well that her son was not attending Reynolds. In another instance, Pope procured financial aid for her ex-fiancé while that individual - a purported student at Reynolds - was actually serving a term of incarceration.

When confronted in September 2017 by Reynolds leadership about her relationship with various academically ineligible students, Pope lied to the official, denying that she had a relationship with her co-conspirators. To conceal the lie, Pope thereafter falsified supporting justification to substantiate the high financial aid amounts she had facilitated for her co-conspirators. In one instance, Pope forged medical documents reflecting that her goddaughter was failing to meet academic eligibility due to a breast cancer diagnosis, knowing full well that her goddaughter did not, in fact, have breast cancer.

In October 2017, Reynolds leadership again confronted Pope about her relationship with various academically ineligible students that Reynolds had realized were receiving high amounts of financial aid. In that conversation, Pope again lied, claiming not to know these students—despite the fact that those students were, in fact, Pope's son, goddaughter, and cousin. When pressed for supporting documentation that would justify Pope’s financial aid structuring, Pope abruptly resigned from Reynolds.

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; Michael C. Westfall, State Inspector General for the Commonwealth of Virginia; and Terry Harris, Special Agent in Charge of the Eastern Region of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak.  

The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanks J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College for its extensive and diligent cooperation with and assistance to the investigation.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-9.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute it and possessing a firearm with a fifty-round drum magazine in furtherance of drug trafficking.

According to court documents, on Aug. 10, 2021, Nakia Lamont Platt, 29, was found unconscious behind the wheel of a vehicle parked at a gas station pump. Norfolk Police Department officers responding to a call for service observed a bag of cocaine on Platt’s lap. On the floorboard, near Platt’s feet, they also found a loaded Glock semi-automatic pistol.

Platt was classified at sentencing as a career offender based on his prior convictions in state court for attempted robbery, possession of a firearm by a felon, and multiple drug felonies. 

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ramin Fatehi, Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney; and Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham M. Stolle and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin M. Comstock prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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. 2:21-cr-127.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Stockbridge, Georgia, woman pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring with others to submit millions of dollars in fraudulent disaster-related loan applications in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

According to court documents, Nikki Mitchum, 44, participated in a conspiracy to obtain disaster-related loan benefits in the form of Small Business Administration (SBA) sponsored Economic Injury Disaster loans (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. These programs, initiated and expanded under the Cares Act, are designed to provide support for small businesses for expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nikki Mitchum and her co-conspirators, including Malik Mitchum, 26, and Jenna Mitchum, 25, of Hampton, submitted fraudulent claims for government benefits in the name of businesses that they falsely represented were struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Between March 2020 and May 2021, 12 fraudulent applications for pandemic-related loan benefits were submitted using Nikki Mitchum’s information that contained false statements and misrepresentations about their income, employment, and claimed business entities. Nikki Mitchum is further linked to four other fraudulent loan applications by the IP address used to submit the applications. Finally, Nikki Mitchum is connected with 17 fraudulent loan applications submitted by other co-conspirators who paid kickbacks in an approximate amount of $204,000 to the companies owned and operated by Nikki Mitchum.

Malik and Jenna Mitchum previously pleaded guilty and were linked to more than $5.1 million in intended loss and caused more than $1.4 million in actual loss to the United States and participating financial institutions. Nikki Mitchum has agreed to pay more than $1.3 million in restitution to the United States for actual losses from her role in the conspiracy and is linked with intended fraud loss of more than $4 million.

Nikki Mitchum pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 7. She faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Malik and Jenna Mitchum pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution. They both face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Malik and Jenna Mitchum are scheduled to be sentenced on July 29. 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 Lawrence R. Leonard accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Mack Coleman 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. 4:21-cr-85 and 4:22-cr-47.

A Port Clinton, Ohio, woman was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for production and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

According to court documents, in 2020, Ashley Kolhoff, 22, produced sexually explicit images of the minor victim and posted them to a website dedicated to facilitating child exploitation. Over the course of multiple days, Kolhoff distributed the images of the victim to nine other members of the website while she engaged in a series of graphic conversations discussing the users’ desire to sexually abuse the victim.

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 Special Agent in Charge Raymond Villanueva of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

Trial Attorney Whitney Kramer of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Schlessinger for the Eastern District of Virginia 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 epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the 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.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Port Clinton, Ohio, woman was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for production and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

According to court documents, in 2020, Ashley Kolhoff, 22, produced sexually explicit images of the minor victim and posted them to a website dedicated to facilitating child exploitation. Over the course of multiple days, Kolhoff distributed the images of the victim to nine other members of the website while she engaged in a series of graphic conversations discussing the users’ desire to sexually abuse the victim.

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 Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Kramer and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Schlessinger 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

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No.  1:21-cr-158.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Fairfax man was sentenced today to 52 months for conspiring to distribute between 15 and 45 kilograms of pills containing methamphetamine via the darknet.

According to court documents, from about May 2019 through December 2019, Tyler Pham, 39, conspired to distribute peach tablets advertised as Adderall, but in fact containing methamphetamine, nationwide through the U.S. mail. Pham used the moniker “addy4cheap” on darknet markets, the Empire Market and Cryptonia. Between August 2019 and December 2019, law enforcement agents conducted 20 controlled purchases from “addy4cheap” on both markets for a total of 767 peach tablets received, weighing approximately 268 grams total.

On Dec. 9, 2019, search warrants were executed at Pham and his co-conspirators’ residences, including the homes of Lien Kim Thi Phan, 37, Fairfax, and Hon Lam Luk, 35, Chantilly. In the home of Phan and Pham, agents found 95 peach tablets, and in Luk’s residence, investigators found over 6,000 peach tablets weighing approximately 2.2 kilograms, all of which resembled those advertised on “addy4cheap” and those received by law enforcement through controlled purchases.

As of Dec. 10, 2019, “addy4cheap” had completed 3,665 sales on the Empire Market and received 2,568 reviews. Based on these reviews, “addy4cheap” had received approximately $482,572.10 in sales for an approximate 44,872 pills sold. As of Nov. 7, 2019, “addy4cheap” had fulfilled 140 transactions on Cryptonia. 

Pham’s six co-conspirators- Phan and Duong Nguyen, 29, of Springfield; Son Nguyen, 36, of Annandale; Dat Nguyen, 37 of Alexandria; Trieu Hoang, 39, of Springfield; along with Luk- all previously entered guilty pleas in connection with the conspiracy and were sentenced to over 13 years in prison combined. 

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division; George Scavdis, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Metro Washington Field Office; Tira Hayward, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Kevin Davis, Fairfax County Chief of Police; and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bibeane Metsch and Jay V. Prabhu are prosecuting the case.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Hi-Tech Opioid Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents, FBI analysts, and task force partners, including special agents and inspectors of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, DEA, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and detectives from local assisting police agencies. The task force is charged with identifying and investigating the most egregious Dark Web marketplaces, and the vendors operating on the marketplaces who are engaged in the illegal acquisition and distribution of controlled substances, to include fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other opioids.

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. 1:21-cr-66, and related cases 1:20-cr-24, 1:20-cr-29, 1:20-cr-32, 1:20-cr-155, 1:20-cr-265; 1:20-cr- 266.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The United States Attorney’s Office announced a settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with the owners of Carrington Place of the Tappahannock (CPOT), which is located in Tappahannock. CPOT’s owners also have an interest in 12 other nursing facilities, and the remedial terms of the settlement agreement apply to each of these nursing facilities.

The settlement agreement resolves allegations that CPOT had denied admission to an individual who is deaf because she would need sign language interpreting services while at CPOT. The ADA prohibits covered entities from excluding individuals with disabilities from their services because they require auxiliary aid or services, such as a sign language interpreter. In addition to making significant changes to the policies and procedures at their nursing facilities, the owners of CPOT also agreed to pay $40,000 to the resident who it denied admission and a $50,000 civil penalty.

To resolve this complaint, the nursing facilities’ owners agreed to adopt new ADA policies at all 13 of the nursing facilities in which they have an interest: (1) Essex Rehabilitation & Care Center, LLC d/b/a Carrington Place at Tappahannock; (2) Essex Rehabilitation & Care Center, LLC d/b/a Tappahannock Post Acute Care; (3) LA First Street, LLC d/b/a Springhill Post Acute & Memory Care; (4) LA Westfork, LLC d/b/a White Oak Post Acute Care; (5) LA Old Hammond HWY, LLC d/b/a Pines Retirement Center of Baton Rouge; (6) LA Park Manor, LLC d/b/a Lafrenier Assisted Living and Memory Care; (7) Cplace Zachary ALF, LLC d/b/a Oakwood Village; (8) East Lake Rehab & Care Center, LLC d/b/a Trinity Regional Rehab Center; (9) Cplace of St. Pete, LLC d/b/a St. Pete Post Acute Care; (10) Birdmont Health Care, LLC d/b/a Carrington Place at Wytheville; (11) Botetourt health Care, LLC d/b/a Botetourt Post Acute Care; (12) Norfolk Area Senior Care, LLC d/b/a Chesapeake Post Acute Care; and (13) Cambridge Sierra Holdings, LLC d/b/a Reche Canyon Regional Rehab Center.

These policies will make the facilities’ services accessible to individuals with communication disabilities, including those who require the services of a sign language interpreter; require designation of ADA Administrators, who will be responsible for ensuring each facility’s compliance with the ADA; require the facilities to enter into agreements with sign language interpreting service providers to provide services to individuals who need them; and provide training for the facilities’ personnel on the ADA’s effective communication requirements.

The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Gordon, who is the Civil Rights Enforcement Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The civil claims settled by this ADA agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.

The Department of Justice has a number of publications available to assist entities in complying with the ADA, including Effective Communication and a Business Brief on Communicating with People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Hospital Settings. For more information on the ADA and to access these publications, visit http://www.ada.gov or call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD).

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 McLean man was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy that involved the submission of at least 63 fraudulent loan applications to obtain COVID-19 pandemic relief funds to which he and his co-defendants were not entitled.

According to court documents, between April and December of 2020, Foad “David” Darakhshan, 47, conspired with his girlfriend, Haleh Farshi, 44, of Ashburn, and his brothers and their friends to submit falsified loan applications in order to obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans through banks and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) through the Small Business Administration. The defendants used multiple shell entities they controlled to apply for PPPs and EIDLs and falsified IRS tax forms submitted to lenders. They engaged in a group WhatsApp chat devoted to executing the fraud scheme, openly discussing falsifying documents and inflating the numbers of employees, company revenues, and payroll figures in order to induce lenders to make the loans.

Altogether, the defendants wrongfully obtained over $3 million in loan proceeds. They submitted at least 63 loan applications, of which 17 were approved, the remainder being denied. Foad Darakhshan received over $1.5 million of the overall proceeds of the scheme. The group used the proceeds to invest in the stock market, fund a home construction project, travel to Cancun, purchase a vehicle, and pay for other personal expenses.

The U.S. government recovered over $1 million of the total scheme proceeds through seizure warrants, and Foad Darakhshan is ordered to pay full restitution.

Haleh Farshi; Farough Darakhshan, 39, of Great Falls; Fouzi Darakhshan, 36, of Falls Church; Shoughi Darakhshan, 30, of McLean; and Marcus Gharib, 29, of Tysons, all previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy. They are scheduled to be sentenced between July and September.

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 Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge for the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell L. Carlberg prosecuted the case with assistance from the Asset Recovery Unit.

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. 1:21-cr-267.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for falsely applying for loans intended to grant COVID-19 relief to small businesses.

According to court documents, in August 2020 and January and February 2021, Marlon McKnight, 44, falsely applied for four loans administered by the Small Business Administration. He applied for three Economic Injury Disaster Loans and one Paycheck Protection Program loan using false information, including false business names, income, and employee information, as well as a false tax return. McKnight sought over $100,000 in loans and obtained approximately $35,000. McKnight used the $35,000 obtained to pay his personal expenses, contrary to the purposes for these loans. McKnight submitted certain false applications from a halfway house and others after just being released from the Bureau of Prisons.

McKnight had been incarcerated because this instance of fraud came directly on the heels of a previous federal fraud scheme wherein McKnight, his wife, and several others victimized banks and stole individual identities. McKnight had been sentenced to 30 months for that scheme and ordered to pay nearly $100,000 in restitution. In addition to the 27-month sentence, McKnight was sentenced to an additional four months of consecutive incarceration for his violation of supervised release from his prior case.

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 Tira Hayward, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Samuels prosecuted the case.

This case was investigated under the leadership and coordination of the Newport News Financial Crimes Task Force.

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. 4:21-cr-71.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man and self-avowed member of the Bloods Gang was sentenced today to six and a half years in prison for possession of a firearm after being convicted of discharging a firearm in a public space on two separate occasions.

According to court documents, Alexander O’Neal Jackson, 36, was arrested on September 25, 2021, after he shot a firearm six times into a loaded parking lot at the St. Luke’s Apartment Complex on September 23. One of his bullets struck the vehicle transporting a mother and her minor son. Another bullet struck the apartment sliding door of another woman while she and her three children were inside. When arrested, Jackson was found in possession of a Taurus PT709, 9mm semiautomatic pistol.

An expert firearm and toolmark examiner conducted microscopic comparisons of test-fired cartridge cases fired from the pistol with the cartridge cases recovered from the apartment complex. The analysis confirmed that the cartridges were fired from the defendant’s pistol.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Washington Field Division; and Colonel Eric D. English, Chief of Police for Henrico County Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Simon prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-142.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Chesapeake man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for conspiracy to make false statements in connection with 45 firearm transactions.

“Less than two weeks ago, the President signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which among other things increases the penalties for firearm traffickers and introduces new laws to address the proliferation of illegal firearms. Congress and the American people have spoken: we will not tolerate firearm traffickers, straw purchasers, and felons in possession of guns,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Those who traffic illegal firearms, like this defendant, are fueling the fires of gun violence, and with our law enforcement partners we will continue to relentlessly pursue those who seek to profit from these crimes.”

“Today’s announcement sends a clear message of accountability because we know all too well that purchasing firearms for people other than yourself can yield deadly consequences. We at ATF continue to work diligently to ensure that people who violate established firearm related laws and commit acts of violence like those involved in this investigation will not be tolerated. I am proud that our agents worked collaboratively with the United States Attorney’s Office to ensure justice was served,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Charlie J. Patterson. “The ATF Washington Field Division will continue to collaborate with our partners to ensure citizens are protected against those who violate federal firearm laws which ultimately may negatively affect our communities.”

According to court documents, from June 2019 through June 2020, Kevin Staton, Jr., 24, engaged in the business of buying and selling 45 firearms without a license. To buy the firearms he trafficked, Staton made false official statements on ATF forms. Staton claimed he was the actual buyer of the firearms, but, in truth, he was purchasing the firearms for other individuals or with the intent to quickly resell them. Staton would coordinate with co-conspirators to identify firearms for purchase through online firearm marketplaces.

When Staton, a two-time All-American college football player, was interviewed by ATF agents, he told them that “Guns are like money.”

One of the firearms Staton was convicted of trafficking was recovered seven months after his purchase in Philadelphia and was connected to a homicide on March 21, 2020; a shooting involving multiple victims on May 28, 2020; and a shooting into a residence on May 30, 2020. Other firearms Staton trafficked were recovered throughout the country in connection with other homicides and shootings, and in the possession of convicted felons.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ramin Fatehi, Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney; and Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham M. Stolle prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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. 2:21-cr-141.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Five members of the transnational street gang La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, were convicted late yesterday by a federal jury for their roles in the kidnapping and murder of two adolescent boys in 2016.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, MS-13 gang members Elmer Zelaya Martinez, Ronald Herrera Contreras, Henry Zelaya Martinez, Pablo Velasco Barrera, and Duglas Ramirez Ferrera, along with their co-conspirators, targeted E.E.E.M., a 17-year-old resident of Falls Church, who they erroneously suspected was a member of the rival 18th Street gang. On the night of August 28, 2016, the gang lured E.E.E.M. to Holmes Run Stream Valley Park in Fairfax County under the pretense that there was going to be a gang meeting there. Instead, in a wooded area of the park, gang members restrained, attacked, and killed E.E.E.M., stabbing and chopping him more than 100 times with knives, a machete, and a pickaxe. Afterwards, the gang broke one of E.E.E.M.’s legs so that his body would fit into the pre-dug hole that was nearby.

Court records and evidence presented at trial also established that the same gang members, along with their co-conspirators, targeted S.A.A.T., a 14-year-old resident of Alexandria, who they erroneously suspected was a police informant. On the evening of September 26, 2016, the gang told S.A.A.T. that there was going to be a gang meeting later that night and encouraged him to attend. Not long thereafter, S.A.A.T. went outside in his pajamas, telling his mother he was just taking out the trash. Eventually, several gang members picked up S.A.A.T. and drove him to the same park where they had killed E.E.E.M. The gang members restrained, attacked, and killed S.A.A.T., stabbing and chopping him with knives, machetes, and a pickaxe. They also filmed the murder with a cell phone so that they could prove to gang leaders in the United States and in El Salvador that they deserved to be promoted in rank. Once S.A.A.T. was dead, the gang broke his legs and tied him up with his own pajama pants so that he would fit into the shallow grave that was dug for him that night.

To date, a total of 17 defendants have been charged in this case. Of those, five defendants went to trial and were convicted of all charges. Nine defendants pleaded guilty prior to trial. See the table below for additional information on the defendants who were convicted at trial.

Name

Age

Country of Origin

Convictions

Sentencing Info

Elmer Zelaya Martinez

31

El Salvador

Conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder in aid of racketeering activity; conspiracy to kidnap; murder in aid of racketeering activity; kidnapping resulting in death

Faces mandatory life

Ronald Herrera Contreras

24

El Salvador

Conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder in aid of racketeering activity; conspiracy to kidnap; murder in aid of racketeering activity; kidnapping resulting in death

Faces mandatory life

Henry Zelaya Martinez

28

El Salvador

Conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder in aid of racketeering activity; conspiracy to kidnap; murder in aid of racketeering activity; kidnapping resulting in death

Faces mandatory life

Pablo Velasco Barrera

24

El Salvador

Conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder in aid of racketeering activity; conspiracy to kidnap; murder in aid of racketeering activity; kidnapping resulting in death

Faces mandatory life

Duglas Ramirez Ferrera

25

El Salvador

Conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder in aid of racketeering activity; conspiracy to kidnap; murder in aid of racketeering activity; kidnapping resulting in death

Faces mandatory life

 

Each of the defendants convicted today faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison for murder in aid of racketeering activity and for kidnapping resulting in death, in addition to the sentences they receive for conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder in aid of racketeering activity and conspiracy to kidnap, the maximum sentences for which are ten years and life, respectively. 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 Kevin Davis, Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston, Jr. accepted the verdict.

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

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

The case was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

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. 1:18-cr-123.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Woodbridge man pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

According to court documents, between the end of November and beginning of December 2021, Keyshone Stephan Hogan, 24, worked with a co-conspirator to distribute counterfeit pressed pills containing fentanyl from a hotel room in Manassas. On December 2, 2021, Hogan was arrested after he and his co-conspirator exited the hotel and entered Hogan’s car in the hotel parking lot. At the time of his arrest, Hogan was concealing a loaded Glock handgun in his waistband. Law enforcement recovered over 250 counterfeit Percocet pills containing fentanyl from Hogan’s driver side door and several boxes of ammunition from the trunk of the vehicle.

A search of the hotel room, registered under Hogan’s name, revealed over 14,000 counterfeit Percocet pills containing over 1,500 grams of fentanyl in 14 plastic zipper bags. Two loaded mini Draco AK47 pistols and one loaded micro Draco AK47 pistol were in the hotel room. After his arrest and during processing at the local jail, Hogan was found to be hiding an additional 50 counterfeit Percocet pills containing fentanyl in his pants.

Hogan is scheduled to be sentenced on October 5. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and 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; Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; and Peter Newsham, Chief of Prince William County Police, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachael C. Tucker 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. 1:22-cr-104.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced yesterday to 27 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse material in his home.

According to court documents, on or about March 20, 2021, Jason Woolwine, 44, produced a video of himself sexually abusing a four-year-old victim. Woolwine’s exploits were discovered during the child pornography investigation of John Stanley Zelinsky. Zelinsky, 70, of Newport News, confessed to FBI agents that he and Woolwine were romantically involved, shared their sexual fantasies about children over instant messaging application services, and showed federal agents the video he received from Woolwine with the toddler.

The FBI immediately began its investigation into Woolwine and confirmed the information from Zelinsky. Despite Woolwine’s use of anti-forensic evidence destruction software, forensic examination was able to retrieve images of child pornography from Woolwine’s cellular phone, to include the self-produced video with the young boy inside Woolwine’s home.

Zelinsky pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and received a sentence of 7 years’ imprisonment on April 26. On November 5, 2021, Woolwine pleaded guilty to production of child pornography. Woolwine received a sentence of 27 years for his crime.

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 Raymond A. Jackson.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Osyf 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 epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice’s 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.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Norfolk Child Exploitation Task Force (NCETF). The NCETF is composed of FBI agents and detectives from the Chesapeake Police Department, Hampton Police Division, and Newport News Police Department. Assistance in this matter was also provided by federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children. Tips regarding child exploitation can be provided to the task force at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:21-cr-46.

Note: View the Government of Brazil's announcement here.

The Justice Department announced today the seizure of six websites as part of ongoing efforts by the Department of Justice and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to combat copyright infringement.

According to court records, unsealed today, the United States obtained court authorization to seize six domain names pending forfeiture. Four of those domains – “Corourbanos.com,” “Corourbano.com,” “Pautamp3.com,” and “SIMP3.com” – were registered with a U.S.-based registry, while two domains – “flowactivo.co” and “Mp3Teca.ws” – were registered through a U.S.-based domain registrar. According to court documents, law enforcement identified these six domains as being used to distribute copyrighted material without the authorization of the copyright holders. A law enforcement investigation confirmed that copyright-protected music content was present and available for streaming or downloading on each of these six websites from the Eastern District of Virginia.

The seizure of these six domains by the government will prevent third parties from streaming and downloading copyright-protected content from these sites. Individuals visiting those sites now will see a message indicating that the site has been seized by the federal government, and visitors will be redirected to another site for additional information.

The seizure of the domain names was announced by 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 Acting Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of HSI Washington, D.C.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura D. Withers in these matters.

Operation 404.4 is the result of collaborative efforts between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia; the Government of Brazil Ministry of Justice and Public Security Cyber Laboratory; numerous Brazilian State police forces; HSI Washington, D.C.; HSI Attaché Brasilia, Brazil; the Department of Justice’s International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Advisor and Agent in São Paulo, the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT); the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center; the UK Intellectual Property Office; and the City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Front Royal woman pleaded guilty today to being the ringleader of a decade-long oxycodone distribution network, sourcing high-dosage oxycodone pills from a doctor in Arlington.

According to court documents, Candie Marie Calix, 40, nominally worked as an office manager for a physician in Arlington, referred to in court records as Doctor-1. Between 2012 and 2022, Doctor-1 prescribed Calix nearly 40,000 oxycodone 30-mg pills and more than 9,000 oxycodone 15-mg pills. Doctor-1 also prescribed similar quantities of oxycodone 30-mg and 15-mg pills to Calix’s relatives, including her mother, grandparents, great-grandmother, brother, and husband. These quantities were far in excess of therapeutic doses, and Calix personally distributed or directed others to distribute most of the pills that Doctor-1 prescribed to Calix and her family members.

Calix functioned as the gatekeeper to Doctor-1; she recruited individuals she knew from around Front Royal to be “patients” of Doctor-1 and obtain large quantities of oxycodone. These “patients,” in turn, typically kicked back the oxycodone 30-mg pills they were prescribed to Calix to redistribute, and kept the oxycodone 15-mg pills for their own use. Calix recruited at least 12 individuals to be “patients” of Doctor-1.

Calix and her co-conspirators used coded language to refer to the pills they distributed, for example, referring to oxycodone 30-mg pills as “tickets,” “blueberries,” or “muffins.” The co-conspirators typically sold oxycodone 30-mg pills at a cost of $25 per pill, and over the course of the conspiracy, generated at least $5,000 per month in profits.

Two of Calix’s co-conspirators, Kendall Sovereign, 56, and Jessica Talbott, 35, both of Front Royal, also pleaded guilty to their involvement in the conspiracy. Sovereign and Talbott are both scheduled to be sentenced on September 21.

Calix is scheduled to be sentenced on September 28. She 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 Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Rumbaugh is prosecuting the case.

The case was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principle mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

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-115.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced today the seizure of six websites as part of ongoing efforts by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Department of Justice to combat copyright infringement.

According to court records, the United States obtained court authorization to seize six domain names pending forfeiture. Four of those domains – Corourbanos.com, Corourbano.com, Pautamp3.com, and SIMP3.com – were registered with a U.S.-based registry, while two domains – flowactivo.co and Mp3Teca.ws – were registered through a U.S.-based domain registrar. According to court documents, law enforcement identified these six domains as being used to distribute copyrighted material without the authorization of the copyright holders. A law enforcement investigation confirmed that copyright-protected music content was present and available for streaming or downloading on each of these six websites from the Eastern District of Virginia.

The seizure of these six domains by the government will prevent third parties from streaming and downloading copyright-protected content from these sites. Individuals visiting those sites now will see a message indicating that the site has been seized by the federal government, and visitors will be redirected to another site for additional information.

The seizure of the domain names was announced by Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Derek W. Gordon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura D. Withers in these matters.

Operation 404.4 is the result of collaborative efforts between the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern for the District of Virginia; the Government of Brazil Ministry of Justice and Public Security Cyber Laboratory; numerous Brazilian State police forces; HSI Washington DC; HSI Attaché Brasilia, Brazil; the Department of Justice’s International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Advisor and Agent in São Paulo, the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training; the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center; the UK Intellectual Property Office; and the City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit.

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. 1:22-SW-330 and 1:22-SW-331.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A jury convicted seven MS-13 gang members and associates on charges of sex trafficking a minor under the age of 14 and other child sexual exploitation offenses.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, in August 2018, the 13-year-old victim ran away from a youth home in northern Virginia. Shortly after running away, the victim was introduced to members of MS-13. Members of the gang told her they would be her family and protect her if she joined the gang. Gang members then beat the victim 26 times with a baseball bat as part of a gang initiation. Gang members then sex trafficked her in Virginia and Maryland using the currency of cash and drugs. In one instance while in Virginia, men lined up to have sex with the victim in a wooded area behind two of the defendants’ apartment complex. She was also harbored in various apartments in Northern Virginia where men paid her and her handlers cash for sex.

The victim was later beaten again with a bat 26 times as a form of gang punishment. Shortly after the second bat beating, the victim was transported to Maryland, where she was sold to numerous gang members and other customers in exchange for cash and drugs, including cocaine. Law enforcement recovered photographs and videos of the victim being sexually exploited, along with numerous social media messages regarding the trafficking and sexual exploitation of her. 

Below is a list of individuals convicted and their charges:

Name, Age

Hometown

Charges of Conviction

Moises Zeyala-Veliz, 26

Woodbridge, VA

Sex trafficking a minor under the age of 14; Conspiracy to sex traffic a minor under the age of 14; Conspiracy to transport a minor across state lines for purposes of illegal sexual activity 

Jose Eliezar Molina-Veliz, 22

Woodbridge, VA

Sex trafficking a minor under the age of 14; Conspiracy to sex traffic a minor under the age of 14; Conspiracy to transport a minor across state lines for purposes of illegal sexual activity 

Santos Ernesto Gutierrez Castro, 22

Woodbridge, VA

Sex trafficking a minor under the age of 14; Conspiracy to sex traffic a minor under the age of 14; Conspiracy to transport a minor across state lines for purposes of illegal sexual activity 

Luis Alberto Gonzales, 33

Greenbelt, MD

Sex trafficking a minor under the age of 14 and via force, fraud, and coercion; Conspiracy to sex traffic a minor under the age of 14; Conspiracy to transport a minor across state lines for purposes of illegal sexual activity

Reina Elizabeth Hernandez, 50

Hyattsville, MD

Sex trafficking a minor under the age of 14

Gilberto Morales, 34

Hyattsville, MD

Sex trafficking a minor under the age of 14; Conspiracy to sex traffic a minor under the age of 14

Jonathan Rafael Zeyala-Veliz,

26

Hyattsville, MD

Sex trafficking a minor under the age of 14; Conspiracy to sex traffic a minor under the age of 14; Conspiracy to transport a minor across state lines for purposes of illegal sexual activity

 

Each defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ incarceration with a maximum penalty of life in prison. Their sentencing dates are currently set for November 10. 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; Kevin Davis, Fairfax County Chief of Police; and Peter Newsham, Chief of Prince William County Police, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maureen Cain, Seth Schlessinger, and Zoe Bedell 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. Significant assistance was provided by the FBI Baltimore Field Office.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-196.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal judge convicted an Illinois man yesterday on charges of escaping from the Bureau of Prisons and failing to register and update a sex offender registration.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Francis David Sherman, Sr., aka "Robert Copeland Shields", 65, was convicted of rape in Peoria County, Illinois, in 1981. He was also convicted of deviate sexual assault in Douglas County, Missouri, in 1998. Both convictions required the defendant to register in a sex offender registry every 90 days for the course of his life. In 2010, he was convicted in the Western District of Virginia of interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle and access device fraud. He received a sentence of 144 months in the Bureau of Prisons. In 2020, he was transferred to the James River Residential Reentry Center in Newport News. On or about October 27, 2020, he signed out of the Bureau of Prisons facility to go to work and never returned. On July 7, 2021, he was arrested in Escambia County, Florida, by members of a fugitive task force with Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. He last registered as a sex offender in Virginia on August 3, 2020. Under federal law, a sex offender must register and keep the registration current where the offender resides. He failed to register as a sex offender in Florida and update his registration in Virginia. The Virginia Department of State Police maintains the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry.

Sherman was convicted of escape from custody and failure to register and update a sex offender registration and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison when sentenced on October 20. 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 Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of Virginia State Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young accepted the verdict.

Special thanks to the U.S. Marshal Service and Escambia County Sherriff’s Office for their assistance in this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa McKeel and Devon Heath 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 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 http://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. 4:21-cr-51.

NORFOLK, Va. – Hidenwood Pharmacy, Inc., located in Newport News, and its owner, Anne Hutchens, of Seaport, have agreed to pay $125,000 to settle civil penalty claims stemming from alleged record-keeping violations associated with controlled substances.

The government alleged that the Hidenwood Pharmacy failed to comply with various recordkeeping requirements under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) mandated for Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registrants who handle controlled substances. The alleged violations included the failure to validate DEA registrations, resulting in prescriptions being dispensed under invalid or incorrect DEA numbers; failure to maintain records of distributions with the required information; failure to maintain a current self-certification in violation of the Combat Methamphetamine Act of 2005 and to provide documentation of employee self-certifications; failure to display the warning notice regarding pseudoephedrine purchases on the electronic signature device; and failure to maintain a system to detect orders of unusual size or frequency.

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

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

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

The civil claims settled by this 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.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a sergeant with the Newport News Police Department with three counts of the sexual exploitation of a child.

According to allegations in the indictment, Michael Nicholas Covey, 39, of Newport News, used a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purposes of producing a visual depiction of such conduct.

According to allegations in the criminal complaint filed last week, in a separate investigation, child sexual assault images were found on a convicted sex offenders’ electronic devices in Cincinnati, Ohio. Those images were submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in Alexandria. During the analysis of the images, NCMEC determined that the images may have been produced in Newport News. NCMEC forwarded the information to the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (SOVA ICAC) who, in turn, contacted the FBI. Agents with the FBI were able to identify the child depicted in the images. Further investigation led the agents to the defendant, Michael Nicholas Covey. He was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on Friday, June 10.

Covey is charged with the sexual exploitation of a child. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa McKeel and Peter G. Osyf 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-48.

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

NORFOLK, Va. – A General Services Administration (GSA) Contracting Official pleaded guilty today to accepting bribes.

According to court documents, beginning in approximately December of 2015 and continuing through August 2019, Charles W. Jones, 59, of Staunton, accepted bribes from government contractors in return for awarding federal contracts to Contractors USA and SDC Contracting LLC. Jones was employed as a Supervisory Construction Control Representative with the GSA in Richmond. He had responsibility for the management and oversight of construction and renovation projects at certain federal buildings throughout the Norfolk, Richmond, and Alexandria areas, including federal courthouses. Jones received bribes totally $411,192.00 from the President of Contractors USA Inc., in exchange for awarding them federal construction projects. In October of 2019, Jones received a cash payment from the President of SDC Contracting LLC in exchange for awarding a contract valued at approximately $1,369,501.00

The Presidents of Contractors USA, Inc., and SDC Contracting LLC have previously pleaded guilty in the U.S. Federal District Court in Norfolk to related charges.

Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on November 9. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Eric D. Radwick, Special Agent in Charge of the GSA Office of Inspector General Mid-Atlantic Division; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Christopher Dillard, Special Agent in Charge for the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS).; and Greg Gross, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Economic Crimes Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Heck 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. 2:22-cr-66.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Manassas man pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to distribute counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl and possessing a firearm during drug trafficking.

According to court documents, from in or around May 2020 through December 2021, Justice Edward Ansah, 26, conspired with others to distribute counterfeit, pressed pills containing fentanyl. During the conspiracy, the defendant sold hundreds of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills to customers in northern Virginia. At the time of his arrest in December of 2021, Ansah was carrying a privately manufactured 9mm firearm devoid of a serial number or other unique identifier, aka “ghost gun”. A search of Ansah’s two residences in Manassas revealed over 6,700 grams of fentanyl, over 1450 grams of cocaine, and tens of thousands of grams of marijuana and THC products. The search also resulted in the discovery of two additional privately manufactured firearms devoid of serial numbers, two pistols, one rifle, various ammunition, and over $28,000 in cash. Ansah had previously been convicted of a felony offense in Virginia and was thus prohibited from possessing firearms at the time of this offense.

Ansah is scheduled to be sentenced on September 14. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Washington Field Division; and Peter Newsham, Chief of Prince William County Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachael C. Tucker 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. 1:22-cr-88.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A United States citizen pleaded guilty today in the Eastern District of Virginia to organizing and leading an all-female military battalion in Syria on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

According to court documents, Allison Fluke-Ekren, aka “Allison Ekren,” aka “Umm Mohammed al-Amriki,” and aka “Umm Mohammed,” 42, a former resident of Kansas, traveled overseas and, from in or about September 2011 through in or about May 2019, engaged in terrorism-related activities in multiple countries, including Syria, Libya, and Iraq. Fluke-Ekren ultimately served as the leader and organizer of an ISIS military battalion, known as the Khatiba Nusaybah, where she trained women on the use of automatic firing AK-47 assault rifles, grenades, and suicide belts. Over 100 women and young girls, including as young as 10 or 11-years-old, received military training from Fluke-Ekren in Syria on behalf of ISIS.

In or around 2008, Fluke-Ekren departed the United States and moved to Egypt with her second husband, a now-deceased former member of the terrorist organization Ansar al-Sharia. Fluke-Ekren resided in Egypt until in or around 2011, at which point she moved to Libya. Near the end of 2011, Fluke-Ekren resided with her second husband, among others, in Benghazi, Libya. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. Special Mission and CIA Annex in Benghazi, Fluke-Ekren’s second husband claimed that he removed at least one box of documents and at least one electronic device from the U.S. compound in Benghazi. He brought the items to the residence where he resided with Fluke-Ekren and others at that time. Fluke-Ekren assisted her second husband with reviewing and summarizing the contents of the stolen U.S. government documents. The stolen documents and electronic device, along with the summaries that Fluke-Ekren helped prepare, were provided to the leadership of Ansar al-Sharia in Benghazi.

In or around late 2012, Fluke-Ekren, her second husband, and others traveled from Libya to Turkey. Shortly thereafter, they traveled from Turkey to Syria. After approximately six weeks, Fluke-Ekren returned to Turkey while her second husband remained in Syria. Fluke-Ekren’s second husband ascended through the ranks of ISIS and ultimately became the “emir” (leader) of ISIS snipers in Syria. In or around mid-2014, Fluke-Ekren and others were smuggled back into Syria. While residing in Syria, Fluke-Ekren told a witness about her desire to conduct an attack in the United States. To conduct the attack, Fluke-Ekren explained that she could go to a shopping mall in the United States, park a vehicle full of explosives in the basement or parking garage level of the structure, and detonate the explosives in the vehicle with a cell phone triggering device. Fluke-Ekren also spoke about learning how to make bombs and explosives. Fluke-Ekren further said that she considered any attack that did not kill a large number of individuals to be a waste of resources. Fluke-Ekren would hear about external attacks taking place in countries outside the United States and would comment that she wished the attack had occurred on United States soil instead.

In 2014, ISIS officials sent a female member of ISIS, who traveled from Central America, to Ablah, Syria, where she resided in an adjoining residence to Fluke-Ekren for approximately 18 days. This witness visited Fluke-Ekren at her residence in Syria on multiple occasions. During those visits, Fluke-Ekren discussed ideas for an attack involving the use of explosives on the campus of a U.S.-based college in the Midwest. 

In or around 2015, Fluke-Ekren, her second husband, and others moved from Syria to Mosul, Iraq, where they temporarily resided inside an ISIS-controlled compound within the University of Mosul. When Fluke-Ekren arrived in Mosul, she met with ISIS personnel who were in charge of homes for widowed women whose husbands died while fighting for ISIS. Fluke-Ekren assisted the ISIS personnel by providing ideas for how the homes should function and operate.

In or around mid-2016, Fluke-Ekren led and organized an effort to establish a Women’s Center in Raqqa, Syria. Fluke-Ekren obtained authorization from the “Wali,” the ISIS-appointed mayor of Raqqa, in order to establish the Center. There, Fluke-Ekren and others provided medical services, educational services about the Islamic State, child care, and various training to women and young girls. As the Center’s leader, Fluke-Ekren also provided and assisted other female ISIS members in providing training to numerous women and young girls on the use of automatic firing AK-47 assault rifles, grenades, and explosive suicide belts.

In or around late 2016, the ISIS “Wali” of Raqqa approved the creation of the “Khatiba Nusaybah” – a military battalion to be comprised solely of female ISIS members. The Khatiba Nusaybah began operations on behalf of the terrorist organization in or around February 2017. Fluke-Ekren’s main objective as the leader and organizer of the Khatiba Nusaybah battalion was to teach female ISIS members how to defend themselves against ISIS’s enemies, including helping male fighters defend ISIS-controlled Raqqa. Fluke-Ekren sought to motivate her trainees by explaining how female fighters can ensure the Islamic State is kept alive by “helping ISIS expand and to remain” through the use of weapons, including automatic firing AK-47 assault rifles, grenades, and suicide belts packed with explosives. In addition, witnesses with first-hand knowledge stated that the Khatiba Nusaybah also provided certain members with instruction on physical training ­including martial arts, medical training, VBIED driving courses, ISIS religious classes, and how to pack and prep a “go bag” with rifles and other military supplies.

In 2018, Fluke-Ekren informed another witness that she had instructed an individual in Syria to send a message to one of her family members stating that Fluke-Ekren was dead so that the U.S. government would not attempt to locate her. Fluke-Ekren informed this same witness that it was important to kill the “kuffar” (disbelievers) and die as martyrs on behalf of ISIS in Syria. Fluke-Ekren was located outside the United States since on or about January 8, 2011, until she was transferred in custody to the Eastern District of Virginia on January 28.     

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; and Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea.

Fluke-Ekren pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 25. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

First Assistant United States Attorney Raj Parekh and Assistant United States Attorney John Gibbs from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case, with assistance from the National Security Division.

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-92.

A U.S. citizen pleaded guilty today in the Eastern District of Virginia to organizing and leading an all-female military battalion in Syria on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

According to court documents, Allison Fluke-Ekren, aka Allison Ekren, aka Umm Mohammed al-Amriki and aka Umm Mohammed, 42, a former resident of Kansas, traveled overseas and from in or about September 2011 through in or about May 2019, engaged in terrorism-related activities in multiple countries, including Syria, Libya and Iraq. Fluke-Ekren ultimately served as the leader and organizer of an ISIS military battalion, known as the Khatiba Nusaybah, where she trained women on the use of automatic firing AK-47 assault rifles, grenades and suicide belts. Over 100 women and young girls, including as young as 10 or 11-years-old, received military training from Fluke-Ekren in Syria on behalf of ISIS.

In or around 2008, Fluke-Ekren departed the United States and moved to Egypt with her second husband, a now-deceased former member of the terrorist organization Ansar al-Sharia. Fluke-Ekren resided in Egypt until in or around 2011, at which point she moved to Libya. Near the end of 2011, Fluke-Ekren resided with her second husband, among others, in Benghazi, Libya. In the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack on the U.S. Special Mission and CIA Annex in Benghazi, Fluke-Ekren’s second husband claimed that he removed at least one box of documents and at least one electronic device from the U.S. compound in Benghazi. He brought the items to the residence where he resided with Fluke-Ekren and others at that time. Fluke-Ekren assisted her second husband with reviewing and summarizing the contents of the stolen U.S. government documents. The stolen documents and electronic device, along with the summaries that Fluke-Ekren helped prepare, were provided to the leadership of Ansar al-Sharia in Benghazi.

In or around late 2012, Fluke-Ekren, her second husband and others traveled from Libya to Turkey. Shortly thereafter, they traveled from Turkey to Syria. After approximately six weeks, Fluke-Ekren returned to Turkey while her second husband remained in Syria. Fluke-Ekren’s second husband ascended through the ranks of ISIS and ultimately became the “emir” (leader) of ISIS snipers in Syria. In or around mid-2014, Fluke-Ekren and others were smuggled back into Syria. While residing in Syria, Fluke-Ekren told a witness about her desire to conduct an attack in the United States. To conduct the attack, Fluke-Ekren explained that she could go to a shopping mall in the United States, park a vehicle full of explosives in the basement or parking garage level of the structure, and detonate the explosives in the vehicle with a cell phone triggering device. Fluke-Ekren also spoke about learning how to make bombs and explosives. Fluke-Ekren further said that she considered any attack that did not kill a large number of individuals to be a waste of resources. Fluke-Ekren would hear about external attacks taking place in countries outside the United States and would comment that she wished the attack had occurred on U.S. soil instead.

In 2014, ISIS officials sent a female member of ISIS, who traveled from Central America, to Ablah, Syria, where she resided in an adjoining residence to Fluke-Ekren for approximately 18 days. This witness visited Fluke-Ekren at her residence in Syria on multiple occasions. During those visits, Fluke-Ekren discussed ideas for an attack involving the use of explosives on the campus of a U.S.-based college in the Midwest. 

In or around 2015, Fluke-Ekren, her second husband, and others moved from Syria to Mosul, Iraq, where they temporarily resided inside an ISIS-controlled compound within the University of Mosul. When Fluke-Ekren arrived in Mosul, she met with ISIS personnel who were in charge of homes for widowed women whose husbands died while fighting for ISIS. Fluke-Ekren assisted the ISIS personnel by providing ideas for how the homes should function and operate.

In or around mid-2016, Fluke-Ekren led and organized an effort to establish a Women’s Center in Raqqa, Syria. Fluke-Ekren obtained authorization from the “Wali”, the ISIS-appointed mayor of Raqqa, in order to establish the center. There, Fluke-Ekren and others provided medical services, educational services about the Islamic State, childcare, and various training to women and young girls. As the center’s leader, Fluke-Ekren also provided and assisted other female ISIS members in providing training to numerous women and young girls on the use of automatic firing AK-47 assault rifles, grenades and explosive suicide belts.

In or around late 2016, the ISIS “Wali” of Raqqa approved the creation of the “Khatiba Nusaybah” – a military battalion to be comprised solely of female ISIS members. The Khatiba Nusaybah began operations on behalf of the terrorist organization in or around February 2017. Fluke-Ekren’s main objective as the leader and organizer of the Khatiba Nusaybah battalion was to teach female ISIS members how to defend themselves against ISIS’s enemies, including helping male fighters defend ISIS-controlled Raqqa. Fluke-Ekren sought to motivate her trainees by explaining how female fighters can ensure the Islamic State is kept alive by “helping ISIS expand and to remain” through the use of weapons, including automatic firing AK-47 assault rifles, grenades, and suicide belts packed with explosives. In addition, witnesses with first-hand knowledge stated that the Khatiba Nusaybah also provided certain members with instruction on physical training ­including martial arts, medical training, VBIED driving courses, ISIS religious classes, and how to pack and prep a “go bag” with rifles and other military supplies.

In 2018, Fluke-Ekren informed another witness that she had instructed an individual in Syria to send a message to one of her family members stating that Fluke-Ekren was dead so that the U.S. government would not attempt to locate her. Fluke-Ekren informed this same witness that it was important to kill the “kuffar” (disbelievers) and die as martyrs on behalf of ISIS in Syria. Fluke-Ekren was located outside the United States since on or about Jan.  8, 2011, until she was transferred in custody to the Eastern District of Virginia on Jan. 28.     

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea.

Fluke-Ekren pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 25. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Gibbs for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case, with assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The former owner and operator of seven political action committees (PACs) pleaded guilty today to making a false statement in connection with PAC expenses reported to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

According to court documents, Tyler D. Whitney, 33, of Austin, Texas, formed and operated the PACs beginning in mid-2012. Whitney also owned and operated Amagi Strategies, a consulting corporation, and Amagi Imports, an affiliated business. Between 2012 and 2018, Whitney operated each of the PACs by creating and managing a PAC-related website; purchasing e-mail lists of potential contributors; utilizing vendors that provided blast e-mail services to send mass emails to potential contributors; used urgent language in e-mail solicitations to potential donors for to solicit contributions; and representing to potential donors that contributions would be used to support or oppose a particular candidate or cause via “voter outreach” and “advertising.”

During this time, Whitney spent a small portion of the donated funds to benefit the political candidates or causes the PACs represented they were going to support or oppose. He also transferred a large portion of the donated funds from the PACs to his consulting company, Amagi Strategies, or withdrew the money as cash. Whitney used funds in bank accounts for Amagi Strategies to either pay himself, pay for personal expenses, or pay for services ­ such as website management, e-mail list purchases or rentals, and blast e-mail services­ to raise additional funds via e-mail solicitations. Whitney filed and caused to be filed FEC reports that, among other things, were false as to amounts, dates, and descriptions of expenditures and disbursements by the PACs, including payments made to Amagi Imports.

For instance, in July 2016, Whitney transferred $10,000 from one of his PACs to Amagi Strategies. On the same day, Whitney transferred $9,000 from Amagi Strategies to Amagi Imports and then $8,787.73 from Amagi Imports to an international shipping company. Whitney’s PAC did not report this $10,000 payment on its FEC reports for 2016 and 2017. However, in January 2018, Whitney caused the PAC’s treasurer to file an amended FEC quarterly report for the PAC that falsely disclosed the $10,000 payment as “PAC Management Fees.”

Whitney pleaded guilty to making a false statement. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 26 and faces up to five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly R. Pedersen and Senior Litigation Counsel Edward P. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity 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. 1:22-cr-73.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man pleaded guilty yesterday to possessing a firearm after previously being convicted in Norfolk Circuit Court in 2017 of multiple felonies: malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and abduction.

According to court documents, Curtis Hathaway, 27, was involved in a shooting on I-264 in Norfolk on November 17, 2020, which resulted in the death of another driver. The decedent’s car approached Hathaway’s from the rear. The decedent began to shoot at Hathaway, striking his vehicle and Hathaway in the leg. Hathaway returned fire from the driver’s seat while driving down the interstate. The decedent was shot in the head and died.

After the shooting, the police located Hathaway at his sister’s residence in Virginia Beach. When the police arrived, they saw that Hathaway had a bullet wound in his leg and his car had multiple bullet holes and contained several spent cartridge casings. Hathaway attempted to flee from the police but was caught and detained. Police found a firearm in the bushes outside his sister’s residence. An analysis through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) linked the firearm located in the bushes to the discharged casings in Hathaway’s car, and a subsequent forensic analysis confirmed they had been fired by the weapon. Hathaway also had gunshot primer residue on his hands, indicating he recently discharged a firearm. Also, in July 2021, Hathaway was caught by police with another semi-automatic handgun.

Hathaway is scheduled to be sentenced on October 21. He faces a maximum 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; Ramin Fatehi, Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney; Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Washington Field Division; Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of Virginia State Police; Mike Goldsmith, Interim Chief of Norfolk Police; and Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Lawrence R. Leonard accepted the plea.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Stolle and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Bosse 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. 2:22-cr-24.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A McLean man was sentenced today to 3 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to defraud more than 1,300 victims out of $1.6 million in connection with a call center scam.

According to court documents, Bruhaspaty Prasad, 33, conspired with several other individuals primarily based in India at a call center to carry out a tech support scheme that primarily affected elderly victims. The defendant’s co-conspirators contacted the victims through unsolicited telephone calls and pop-up notifications on their computers claiming, in part, that the victims needed assistance to remove malware from their computers. In other instances, the call center employees pretended to be associated with companies like Amazon and Microsoft and falsely led the victims to believe that there were issues with their online accounts. The victims were duped into signing contracts for technical support services that were never rendered. Once the victims agreed to pay for services, they were frequently contacted again for additional services and charged additional fees.

Prasad, as the primary U.S.-based conspirator, was responsible for creating several businesses that purported to offer technical support to clients. During the life of the conspiracy, Prasad opened three businesses in the Commonwealth of Virginia, all of which received the fraudulently obtained proceeds of the scheme. Prasad was the sole signatory on the bank accounts for the entities he created. He was also responsible for transferring a significant portion of the fraud proceeds to his co-conspirators in India. Prasad continued operating these businesses and obtaining victims’ funds even after personally receiving several complaints and negative online reviews. Rather than closing the business entirely, Prasad continued to open businesses to allow the fraud scheme to proceed. 

From April 2016 through September 2021, more than 1,300 individuals were defrauded. The victims suffered losses totaling more than $1.6 million. 

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.

Amazon provided law enforcement with substantial assistance during the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jamar K. Walker and Kaitlin Cooke prosecuted the case. 

Combatting elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors is a key priority of the Department of Justice. Elder abuse is an intentional or negligent act by any person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to an older adult. It is a term used to describe five subtypes of elder abuse: physical abuse, financial fraud, scams and exploitation, caregiver neglect and abandonment, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse. Elder abuse is a serious crime against some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens, affecting at least 10 percent of older Americans every year. Together with our federal, state, local and tribal partners, the Department of Justice is steadfastly committed to combatting all forms of elder abuse and financial exploitation through enforcement actions, training and resources, research, victim services, and public awareness. This holistic and robust response demonstrates the Department’s unwavering dedication to fighting for justice for older Americans.

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-40.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Midlothian woman pleaded guilty today to conspiring to embezzle funds from the trust account of the law firm where she worked.

According to court documents, from at least September 2, 2015, through December 5, 2017, Lindsey Epps Passmore, 38, was a paralegal at a Richmond area law firm that specialized in real estate law. That firm held loan proceeds in an escrow account for a private lender to Passmore’s co-defendant, Joshua Brian Romano, 39, of Chesterfield, who was involved with the purchase, rehabilitation, and sale of homes around Richmond. The loan proceeds were earmarked for Romano to use them only for the purchase of purchase and rehabilitation of specific properties, and only with the lender’s express approval for each disbursement. In order to cover this up, Passmore sent the lender emails that falsely reported the balances held in escrow for these properties.

Passmore disbursed a total of $1,206,953.27 of the lender’s funds held in escrow for Romano’s projects without receiving the lender’s approval or by misleading the lender about how the funds were to be used. The funds were then allegedly used by Romano for purposes outside the scope of the agreements with the lender.   

Passmore is scheduled to be sentenced on August 18. She 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.

Romano is scheduled to face a trial by jury on October 17, 2022. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael C. Moore is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-26.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Falls Church man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit wire fraud, bank fraud and to make false statements on loan applications in connection with COVID-relief loans.

According to court documents, Fouzi Darakhshan, 36, conspired with his brothers and their friends to submit falsified loan applications in order to obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans through banks and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) through the Small Business Administration. Altogether, the defendants wrongfully obtained over $3 million in loan proceeds. They submitted at least 63 loan applications, of which 17 were approved.

The defendants used multiple shell entities they controlled to apply for PPPs and EIDLs and falsified IRS tax forms submitted to lenders. They engaged in a group WhatsApp chat devoted to executing the fraud scheme, openly discussing falsifying documents and inflating the numbers of employees, company revenues, and payroll figures in order to induce lenders to make the loans.

Foad Darakhshan, 46, of McLean; Haleh Farshi, 44, of Ashburn; Farough Darakhshan, 39, of Great Falls; Shoughi Darakhshan, 30, of McLean; and Marcus Gharib, 29, of Tysons all previously pleaded guilty for their involvement in the conspiracy.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced beginning in July and concluding in September. They face up to 5 years in prison, full restitution, and forfeiture. 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 Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge for the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted today’s plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell L. Carlberg 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. 1:22-cr-22.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man pleaded guilty today to defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of over $1 million in funds intended for small businesses affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

According to court documents, from April 2020 to April 2021, Moe Ayemen Mathews, 51, with the assistance of his co-conspirator, submitted at least 38 fraudulent PPP loan applications to financial institutions for businesses the conspirators claimed to own and operate. In their first draw PPP applications, the conspirators falsely certified that the information and supporting documentation provided was true and accurate when, in fact, the applications contained false statements, false certifications, and fabricated tax documents. For instance, the conspirators repeatedly inflated or fabricated the average monthly payroll and number of employees working for their purported businesses, and they submitted fabricated tax documents to substantiate the false information provided in their PPP applications. Once their fraudulent applications were approved, the conspirators did not use the funds in accordance with the program’s requirements.

Additionally, after their first draw PPP applications were approved and funded, the conspirators submitted fraudulent second draw PPP applications predicated on their fraudulently-obtained first draw PPP loans. When submitting the second draw PPP applications for their purported businesses, the conspirators concealed the fact that they had intentionally and knowingly submitted false and misleading first draw PPP applications. Once these second-draw applications were approved, the conspirators used the loan proceeds contrary to the program’s requirements.  

Mathews is scheduled to be sentenced on October 7. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; Hannibal “Mike” Ware, Inspector General of the Small Business Administration (SBA); and Jay N. Lerner, Inspector General of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), made the announcement after Senior U.S. Districy Judge Henry E. Hudson accepted the plea.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia expresses its appreciation to the Virginia State Corporation Commission for their assistance with this investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kashan Pathan is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-44.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Petersburg man was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for trafficking over two (2) kilograms of a potent fentanyl analogue known as parafluorofentanyl while in possession of four semiautomatic weapons, including one equipped with an extended magazine.

According to court documents, Troy Deon Allen, 31, sold fentanyl and parafluorofentanyl to a confidential source three times between June 14, 2021, and August 19, 2021. Parafluorofentanyl is a fentanyl analogue that is similar to fentanyl but is much stronger. Investigators from ATF and Prince George County Police Department obtained and executed a search warrant at Allen’s residence in North Dinwiddie. After entering the residence, they found Allen in the bathroom attempting to flush parafluorofentanyl down the toilet.

During the search of Allen’s residence, law enforcement recovered over two kilograms of para-fluorofentanyl, 128 grams of acetyl fentanyl, 53 grams of methamphetamine, and 14 pounds of marijuana. They also recovered Allen’s cellular telephone, over $20,000, and four loaded semi-automatic firearms — a Glock, Model 45, 9mm; a Glock, Model 42, .380 caliber; an Alex Pro Firearm, Model APF-15, multi-caliber, semi-automatic pistol; and a Smith & Wesson, Model M&P Shield EZ, 9mm, semi-automatic.  Allen was a previously convicted felon and prohibited from possessing any firearms.

At Allen’s sentencing, the Court received evidence obtained from Allen’s cellular telephone under a search warrant. Among that evidence were messages discussing drug trafficking and buying and exchanging firearms with a juvenile. Several messages also discussed Allen’s knowledge and potential involvement in a July 4, 2021, homicide at a park in Hopewell where an 18-year old was killed during a shootout.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Washington Field Division, and Colonel W. Keith Early, Chief of Police for Prince George County Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne.

Assistant U.S. Attorney 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. 3:21-cr-143.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Tampa, Florida, man pleaded guilty today to distributing fentanyl on the darknet.

According to court documents, from August 2021 to February 2022, Akshay Ram Kancharla, 26, ran the darknet moniker OnlyTheFinest on darknet marketsToRRez and Dark0de Reborn. He advertised and sold nationwide pressed Oxycodone containing fentanyl, pressed Xanax, pressed Adderall, and THC resin. On ToRRez market, Kancharla sold over $73,096 in controlled substances and completed over 264 transactions by December 21, 2021, which included sales of 7,375 pressed Oxycodone pills. On Dark0de Reborn, which Kancharla joined after ToRRez market went down, he sold over $39,793 in controlled substances, which included rated orders for 3,975 pressed Oxycodone pills sold.

The darknet, also called TOR network or darkweb, is a portion of the Internet that hosts darkmarkets, or hidden commercial websites. A darkmarket 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.

Between October 2021 and February 2022, law enforcement made controlled purchases from OnlyTheFinest, which included 710 pressed Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl shipped to the Eastern District of Virginia. On February 17, 2022, a search warrant was executed at the defendant’s residence. Therein, agents found marijuana as well as a large quantity of pressed Oxycodone pills weighing approximately 2.38 kilograms resembling those obtained through controlled purchases that tested positive for fentanyl and pressed Xanax bars weighing approximately 437.5 grams. Law enforcement also seized $30,140 in U.S. currency and agents observed the defendant’s cryptocurrency Ethereum wallet on his laptop that contain approximately 2.444 in Bitcoin.

Kancharla is scheduled to be sentenced on August 4. 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 Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff accepted the plea.

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

This investigation was conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Hi-Tech Opioid Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents and task force partners, including special agents and officers of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, DEA, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and detectives from local assisting police agencies. The task force is charged with identifying and investigating the most egregious Dark Web marketplaces, and the vendors operating on the marketplaces who are engaged in the illegal acquisition and distribution of controlled substances, to include fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other opioids.

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-75.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Chesterfield man pleaded guilty today to failing to pay over to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) payroll taxes that were deducted from his employees’ paychecks.

According to court documents, from at least 2014 to 2018, David Corey Warren, 47, failed to pay over to the IRS payroll taxes from three different companies owned by his family. Warren served as the Director of Operations for Transitional Adult Residential Center, Transitional Home Care, and Elkridge Gathering Center, companies providing group homes, home care nurses, and daycare center services for mentally disabled adults in Chesterfield and Richmond. As Director of Operations, Warren was responsible for withholding the required Medicare, Social Security, and federal income taxes from his employees’ wages, and paying that amount over to the IRS. Warren also had an obligation to file Form 941s, the Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return, but failed to file accurate returns with respect to each of those businesses.

Warren used a third-party payroll company for various payroll services, including the preparation of Forms 941. Despite receiving accurate Forms 941 from the payroll company, Warren consistently evaded his responsibilities to the IRS by deliberately and significantly underreporting the true value of the employment taxes due by filing Forms 941s that were different than those prepared by the payroll company, not paying over any employment taxes in some quarters, paying over only some of the employment taxes due in some quarters, or failing to report the employment taxes via Form 941 altogether in other quarters.

Over the course of four years, Warren failed to pay over $1.3 million in taxes to the IRS.

Rather than paying the amounts his businesses owed to the IRS, Warren used those withheld monies to fund his and his family’s personal living expenses, which included travel to the Caribbean, golf club memberships, private basketball lessons, luxury clothing, and accessories. 

Warren is scheduled to be sentenced on October 13. He faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Darrell J. Waldon, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after U.S. District Judge David J. Novak accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carla Jordan-Detamore and Thomas A. Garnett 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. 3:22-cr-059.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Chesterfield County man was sentenced today to 30 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for producing child pornography.

According to court documents, beginning in December 2015 and continuing over several years, Joshua Clayton Brady, 36, made sexually explicit videos with multiple female victims between the ages of 14 and 16 using the internet application Skype. Brady met these victims on various dating websites, falsely representing himself as a member of one of two wealthy families in the United Kingdom and the United States. Brady sometimes threatened to expose the victims’ activities on those websites to their parents to coerce their participation in the sexual activity. Several years after recording one victim, Brady reapproached that victim when she was a college freshman. Brady then induced the victim to wire him money and allow him to use the victim’s credit cards by threatening to release the videos he had made previously. Brady engaged in similar conduct with adult women he had met on-line.  

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jason Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael C. Moore and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel E. Fishel prosecuted 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.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-17.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Latifa Brooks, a resident of McLean, has agreed to pay $107,347 to settle a civil fraud case alleging that she fraudulently applied for and received two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and subsequently fraudulently obtained forgiveness on both loans. 

On March 31, 2022, the United States filed a Complaint against Brooks under the False Claims Act (FCA) and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA). According to the allegations in the Complaint, in April 2021, Brooks obtained two PPP loans, totaling $42,601, based on her asserted status as an independent contractor and the sole proprietor of Superb Movers, Inc. The United States alleged Brooks listed false gross income amounts and submitted fake tax returns in support of the PPP applications. In September 2021, Brooks obtained forgiveness for both PPP loans through allegedly falsely certifying compliance with all PPP rules and requirements.

As a part of this resolution, Brooks agreed to repay $47,772 for the loan forgiveness amounts and processing fees that the Government paid because of Brooks’ allegedly false claims and statements, and an additional $59,575 to settle the United States’ claims for treble damages under the FCA and civil penalties under the FCA and alternatively the FIRREA. The Complaint filed by the United States is a result of EDVA’s ongoing effort to use data analysis to proactively identify fraudulently obtained PPP loans.

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 Small Business Administration.

The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Hochul and Krista Anderson.

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

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

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

Related court documents and information from the civil lawsuit are available on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:22-cv-00359. 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 Lorton man was sentenced today to 22 years in prison for distributing fentanyl that resulted in the death of a young woman.

According to court documents, Julian Velasquez, 36, distributed counterfeit Xanax containing fentanyl to E.M., which caused E.M.’s death by accidental fentanyl intoxication. On August 8, 2020, E.M. flew from California to visit Velasquez and was staying with Velasquez at his residence. Sometime during the late evening hours of August 8, 2020, or the morning of August 9, 2020, E.M. took a pressed Xanax pill laced with fentanyl provided by Velasquez. On August 9, 2020, Velasquez found E.M. unresponsive but he did not call 911 or seek medical assistance for E.M. Velasquez instead called his friend and drug customer, Enoel Comsti, 27, of Vienna, to assist in removing evidence of drug use and drug distribution from the crime scene at Velasquez’s residence.

Prior to Comsti’s arrival, Velasquez sold heroin to another drug customer at his residence. Velasquez collected evidence of drug use and distribution, to include drug paraphernalia and narcotics, from his residence and Comsti drove him to a storage unit so that Velasquez could conceal the evidence from authorities prior to reporting the overdose death of E.M. Comsti’s vehicle became inoperable prior to arrival at the storage unit, and Velasquez continued on foot to the storage unit prior to returning to his residence without Comsti. Velasquez distributed heroin to Comsti in exchange for Comsti’s assistance in removing and concealing evidence of the drug overdose from the residence. After Velasquez returned to his residence, he called 911 to request medical assistance for E.M. During the 911 call, Velasquez made false statements to emergency medical services regarding E.M.’s current condition, what had transpired, and Velasquez denied the possibility of E.M. suffering from a drug overdose. Emergency medical services arrived at Velasquez’s residence and found E.M. deceased in Velasquez’s bedroom.

In addition to admitting to causing E.M.’s death, Velasquez also admitted to distributing narcotics to several other individuals who, after using the drugs distributed by Velasquez, suffered drug overdoses. Those additional overdoses included several non-fatal overdoses, as well as the fatal overdoses of M.S. in 2017 and K.M. in 2018. All of the other overdoses occurred prior to the distribution of fentanyl to E.M. that caused her fatal overdose.

Comsti pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting tampering with evidence and was sentenced to 21 months in prison.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Bredemeier and Bibeane Metsch 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. 1:21-cr-287 and Case No. 1:21-cr-243.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach woman was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for defrauding elderly victims across the United States of several hundred thousand dollars in a lottery and sweepstakes scheme.

According to court documents, Terry Lynn Miller, 62, signed a cease-and-desist order with the United States Postal Service in June 2019, in which she agreed to stop participating in fraudulent lottery and sweepstakes schemes. In those schemes, victims would be falsely told they had won millions of dollars but needed to first pay thousands of dollars in taxes and fees to receive their winnings. After signing the order, Miller immediately resumed her participation in the scheme and continued until she was arrested in May 2021. Miller would deposit the money the victims sent her into her personal bank accounts, and then convert it and funnel it to her co-conspirators. Miller also forged victim signatures on fraudulent checks and mailed locked briefcases to victims. The victims were told the briefcases contained their winnings and that they would receive the combination to the lock when they paid their taxes and fees. However, Miller had packed the briefcases with Hampton Roads newspapers and magazines. In sum, about ten victims were defrauded of over $220,000. Some victims lost their life savings.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Greg L. Torbenson, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney.

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

Combatting elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors is a key priority of the Department of Justice. Elder abuse is an intentional or negligent act by any person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to an older adult. It is a term used to describe five subtypes of elder abuse: physical abuse, financial fraud, scams and exploitation, caregiver neglect and abandonment, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse. Elder abuse is a serious crime against some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens, affecting at least 10 percent of older Americans every year. Together with our federal, state, local and tribal partners, the Department of Justice is steadfastly committed to combatting all forms of elder abuse and financial exploitation through enforcement actions, training and resources, research, victim services, and public awareness. This holistic and robust response demonstrates the Department’s unwavering dedication to fighting for justice for older Americans.

If you think you or someone you know might be a victim of a lottery mailing scheme, you can file a report with the United States Postal Inspection Service at https://www.uspis.gov/report. Requests to transfer or accept funds from a private individual as a prerequisite to receiving winnings are indicators of a possible fraud scheme. For more information on how to identify a potential lottery scheme, visit  https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/fake-prize-sweepstakes-lottery-scams

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. 2:21-cr-56.

Cape Henry Associates (Cape Henry), located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, has agreed to pay $425,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by failing to inform contracting officers of the company’s organizational conflicts of interest (OCI) in connection with the award and performance of task orders on government contracts. Cape Henry performs manpower analysis, personnel analysis and training services for the U.S. Armed Forces.

The Justice Department alleged that Cape Henry failed to disclose that one of the company’s officers had an ownership interest in KOVA Global, a company to which Cape Henry awarded subcontracts to provide warehouse services in connection with two sole source task orders issued by the Army and General Services Administration (GSA).

“It is critical that companies disclose potential conflicts of interest to protect the integrity of the federal procurement process,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will hold accountable those who knowingly conceal relevant information that may affect the award or performance of a government contract.” 

“The failure of government contractors to disclose organizational conflicts of interest harms government procurement, creates unfairness, and can cost the taxpayers money,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The Justice Department also alleged that Cape Henry failed to disclose relevant information about a conflict of interest arising from advisory & assistance services (A&AS) performed in 2015 by Q.E.D. Systems Inc. (Q.E.D.), a Cape Henry subcontractor. In connection with a multi-year delivery order under a Navy SeaPort-e contract, Cape Henry would submit project-specific proposals to a Navy program management office that was responsible for determining the scope and funding for each project. At the same time that Cape Henry was submitting proposals to the Navy, Cape Henry was also funding the direct labor of a Q.E.D. employee through a subcontract. This Q.E.D. employee was providing A&AS services to the Navy program office and making recommendations that could potentially affect Cape Henry’s funding and treatment in connection with these project proposals. Cape Henry failed to disclose this conflict of interest to the contracting officer as required by the OCI clause in Cape Henry’s contract with the Navy.   

“The Department of Defense requires its contractors to divulge any potential conflicts of interest to maintain the integrity of the military’s procurement process,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the NCIS Economic Crimes Field Office. “NCIS and our federal law enforcement partners remain committed to ensuring the good stewardship of taxpayer dollars by fully investigating all allegations of procurement fraud.”

“This settlement highlights the resolve of Army CID and our law enforcement partners to hold government contractors accountable for their actions. The ability to protect and defend the assets of the United States Army is always our top priority,” said Special Agent in Charge L. Scott Moreland of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division's (Army CID) Major Procurement Fraud Field Office.

“GSA OIG special agents are committed to working with DOJ and investigative partners to ensure that taxpayer dollars are properly spent and protected," said Special Agent in Charge Eric D. Radwick of the GSA Office of Inspector General, Mid-Atlantic Division.

“This settlement agreement demonstrates the commitment of the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and our law enforcement partners to vigorously pursue those who attempt to exert improper influence over the federal government contracting process and to protect American taxpayer dollars,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher W. Dillard of the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, DCIS.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia with assistance from the DCIS, the Army CID, the GSA Office of Inspector General, the Defense Contract Audit Agency, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

The matter was handled by Trial Attorney Jason M. Crawford of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Clare Wuerker for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The claims resolved by the settlement agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Cape Henry Associates (Cape Henry), located in Virginia Beach, has agreed to pay $425,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by failing to inform contracting officers of the company’s organizational conflicts of interest in connection with the award and performance of task orders on government contracts.

Cape Henry performs manpower analysis, personnel analysis, and training services for the United States Armed Forces. The allegations involved that Cape Henry failed to disclose that one of the company’s officers had an ownership interest in KOVA Global, a company to which Cape Henry awarded subcontracts to provide warehouse services in connection with two sole source task orders issued by the Army and General Services Administration (GSA).

The Justice Department also alleged that Cape Henry failed to disclose relevant information about a conflict of interest arising from advisory & assistance services (A&AS) performed in 2015 by Q.E.D. Systems, Inc. (Q.E.D.), a Cape Henry subcontractor.  In connection with a multi-year delivery order under a Navy SeaPort-e contract, Cape Henry would submit project-specific proposals to a Navy program management office that was responsible for determining the scope and funding for each project. At the same time that Cape Henry was submitting proposals to the Navy, Cape Henry was also funding the direct labor of a Q.E.D. employee through a subcontract. This Q.E.D. employee was providing A&AS services to the Navy program office and making recommendations that could potentially affect Cape Henry’s funding and treatment in connection with these project proposals.  Cape Henry failed to disclose this conflict of interest to the contracting officer as required by the OCI clause in Cape Henry’s contract with the Navy.  

“The failure of government contractors to disclose organizational conflicts of interest harms government procurement, creates unfairness, and can cost the taxpayers money,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber.

“It is critical that companies disclose potential conflicts of interest to protect the integrity of the federal procurement process,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will hold accountable those who knowingly conceal relevant information that may affect the award or performance of a government contract.”

“The Department of Defense requires its contractors to divulge any potential conflicts of interest to maintain the integrity of the military’s procurement process,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the NCIS Economic Crimes Field Office. “NCIS and our federal law enforcement partners remain committed to ensuring the good stewardship of taxpayer dollars by fully investigating all allegations of procurement fraud.”

“This settlement highlights the resolve of Army CID and our law enforcement partners to hold government contractors accountable for their actions. The ability to protect and defend the assets of the United States Army is always our top priority,” said Special Agent in Charge L. Scott Moreland of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division's (Army CID) Major Procurement Fraud Field Office.

“GSA OIG special agents are committed to working with DOJ and investigative partners to ensure that taxpayer dollars are properly spent and protected," said Special Agent in Charge Eric D. Radwick of the GSA Office of Inspector General, Mid-Atlantic Division.

“This settlement agreement demonstrates the commitment of the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and our law enforcement partners to vigorously pursue those who attempt to exert improper influence over the federal government contracting process and to protect American taxpayer dollars,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher W. Dillard of the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, DCIS.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, and Fraud Section, and with assistance from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Army Criminal Investigation Division, the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General, the Defense Contract Audit Agency, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clare Wuerker and Trial Attorney Jason M. Crawford of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

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

 

The claims resolved by the settlement agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.

NORFOLK, Va. – A former elected Sheriff of the City of Norfolk was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for defrauding the citizens of Norfolk through bribery schemes. Last August, a jury convicted the former Sheriff of all 11 felonies charged against him. 

According to court documents, Robert McCabe, 63, engaged in illicit quid pro quo relationships with vendors while he served as the Sheriff of the City of Norfolk. Evidence presented at trial showed that from 1994 through 2016, vendors provided McCabe with cash, travel, entertainment, gift cards, catering, personal gifts, and campaign contributions, in exchange for official actions that favored the vendors and their contracts with the Norfolk City Jail. These favorable actions included changing the terms of the contracts to favor certain companies, granting extensions and renewals, and providing inside bidding information.

Gerard Boyle, 64, of Franklin, Tennessee was the Chief Executive Officer of Correct Care Solutions (CSS), a company that he founded and which contracted with the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office to provide medical services to the inmates at the Norfolk City Jail. Between about January 2004 and December 2016, Boyle provided McCabe with cash, travel, a loan, entertainment, gift cards, personal gifts and campaign contributions. In exchange, McCabe performed official acts in favor of CCS, which was able to obtain medical services contracts worth more than $3 million per year with the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office. In one instance, McCabe met with Boyle at a hotel in Philadelphia where Boyle gave McCabe $6,000 in cash. On October 7, 2021, Boyle pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit honest services mail fraud by paying bribes to secure medical services contracts for the Norfolk City Jail

McCabe engaged in a similar illicit quid pro quo relationship with the Chief Executive Officer of a Louisiana-based company that provided food services management to the Norfolk City Jail. In exchange, the company regularly provided free catering at McCabe’s home, for his annual golf tournaments, and for other political events. The company’s former CEO also gave McCabe free trips – including a trip to the 2004 BCS National Championship game in Louisiana – and a ride in a glass-bottomed helicopter in San Francisco. 

Despite receiving a multitude of gifts from vendors, McCabe concealed these bribes by never disclosing any of these items in his required campaign disclosures.

On February 25, Boyle was sentenced to three years in prison, ordered to forfeit $2,700,000, and to pay a $35,000 fine.

McCabe was sentenced today to 12 years in prison. The advisory guideline range for the charges for which he was convicted was a term of life imprisonment capped at 220 years.

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 Darrell J. Waldon, Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Investigations Unit of the Internal Revenue Service, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa E. O’Boyle, Randy C. Stoker, and Anthony Mozzi 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. 2:19-cr-171.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Midlothian woman pleaded guilty today to defrauding the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Program, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, using victims’ personal identifying information that she obtained from her state government employment. 

According to court documents, in the first of three fraud schemes, from May 2020 to August 2021, Sadie Mitchell, 30, with the assistance of her co-conspirator, executed a scheme to defraud the Virginia Employment Commission by filing at least 20 fraudulent unemployment applications using the personal identifying information of inmates. Among the false information included in these applications were false physical addresses, false last employers, and a false certification that the inmates were ready, willing, and able to work in the event employment became available. The conspirators further defrauded the Virginia Employment Commission by filing at least 30 fraudulent applications in the names of other individuals whose personal identifying information was obtained, in part, by Mitchell querying a government database she had access to as an employee of the Virginia Motor Vehicle Dealer Board. Through this fraud scheme, the conspirators obtained approximately $1 million in PUA and Unemployment Insurance benefits.

Additionally, from June 2020 to June 2021, Mitchell devised and executed a scheme to defraud the PPP and EIDL programs. The defendant submitted 5 PPP applications to a financial institution, each containing false statements, false representations, or false certifications. For instance, these applications contained false and fabricated gross figures and false certifications that the businesses were in operation on February 15, 2020. The defendant further executed a scheme to defraud the EIDL program, which was intended to give forgivable loans to small businesses. Mitchell submitted several fraudulent EIDL applications to the Small Business Administration for businesses that had no customers, employees, or business activity, and in those applications, she made false statements, representations, and false certifications.

Mitchell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 23. 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; Greg L. Torbenson, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division; Troy Springer, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington, DC Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Joseph V. Cuffari, Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark R. Colombell accepted the plea.

Significant assistance was provided by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicle, Virginia Employment Commission and the Virginia Department of Corrections. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kashan K. Pathan and Carla Jordan-Detamore 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. 3:22-cr-44.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Fairfax County man pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, throughout 2020, Babak Safavi, 59, used false names and the internet to acquire and assemble an armory of assault weapons, including at least one with no serial number, while being a convicted felon. Safavi acquired firearms, ammunition, silencers that could be affixed to firearms, suppressor tubes and adapters to manufacture his own firearms suppressors, AR-15 accessories, gun-building kits and other firearm components. 

On March 15, during a court-authorized search at Safavi’s residence, law enforcement recovered an AM-15 rifle; an AR style rifle with no serial number; a Stag Arms Stag 15 rifle; a Smith and Wesson M&P 9 Pro; over 2000 rounds of ammunition; 3 silencers; and other firearm components. All four firearms had threaded barrels, meaning they were able to receive a silencer, and the handgun had an illegal silencer attached. The magazines for the weapons were loaded.

Safavi is scheduled to be sentenced on September 1. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; Kevin Davis, Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Patricia T. Giles accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Walutes 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. 1:22-cr-76.

RICHMOND, Va. – A federal jury convicted a New York man yesterday on three counts of mailing threatening letters to a federal law enforcement officer with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and to a federal prosecutor.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, in 2021, Brock Beeman, 29, sent at least four threatening letters from prison to governmental employees associated with a separate criminal prosecution of the defendant in Norfolk. These letters included detailed threats to kill, torture, and/or maim various individuals, including a United States District Judge, United States Probation Officer, Assistant United States Attorneys, Special Agents with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, United States Marshals, and other individuals associated with the defendant’s Norfolk criminal prosecution, as well as their friends and family members. These letters further included bomb threats for various locations, including federal courthouses, a military installation, and law enforcement offices.

Beeman faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each of his three counts when sentenced on August 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 Shannon Saylor, Acting United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angela Mastandrea-Miller and Avi Panth 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. 3:21-cr-095.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A California man pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and to conspiring with others in a scheme to prepare false tax returns seeking millions of dollars of tax refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and to defraud the Paycheck Protection (PPP) loan program by filing over 80 PPP loan applications seeking over $100 million.

According to court documents, Quin Ngoc Rudin, 45, a convicted felon, was the Secretary, Director and Chief Financial Officer of Mana Tax Services, which purported to be a tax preparation business in the Los Angeles area. Rudin engaged in a conspiracy to commit two sets of fraud schemes using Mana Tax.

First, from May of 2019 through his arrest in December of 2021, Rudin and his co-conspirators prepared and filed with the IRS a series of false and fraudulent income tax returns on behalf of at least nine professional athletes that reported fabricated business and personal losses in order to get large refunds to which they were not entitled. Rudin and the co-conspirators represented to the professional athletes that Rudin was knowledgeable and experienced in the preparation of tax returns. Rudin represented that Mana Tax could obtain large refunds for the athletes and that he had specialized knowledge that their prior CPAs and tax professionals did not have. Not only did Rudin assist in the preparation of original tax returns for his professional athlete clients, but he also filed amended tax returns for past years to correct what he falsely characterized as “errors” made by the athletes’ previous accountants. Mana Tax then charged the athletes a fee of 30% of whatever amount of tax refunds the IRS issued. As a result of Rudin’s scheme to defraud the United States, the IRS paid refunds to the athletes totaling millions of dollars.

For his second scheme, from April of 2020 through December of 2021, Rudin and his co-conspirators assisted small businesses in applying for PPP loans, a federal loans initiative designed to help businesses pay their employees and meet their expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic, in exchange for a 30% fee. Additionally, Rudin and his co-conspirators prepared fraudulent PPP loans for business entities that the co-conspirators controlled. In order to obtain the fraudulent PPP loans, Rudin and his co-conspirators grossly inflated the number of employees and monthly payroll costs claimed on the applications. Some of the businesses were not eligible for any PPP loan funds at all because they did not have any payroll expenses. Rudin and his co-conspirators obtained millions of dollars in fraudulently obtained PPP loans.

The conspirators also submitted fabricated tax returns in support of the PPP loan applications. Some of the business owners never saw their loan applications before Mana Tax filed them. To conceal the 30% fee obtained from the business owners, Rudin and his co-conspirators directed the businesses to pay the fee with cashier’s checks and to note falsely on the memo lines of the checks that the funds were related to payroll. 

The total actual losses for the tax fraud and PPP loan fraud are between $25 million and $65 million.

Rudin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to commit wire fraud, as well as to one count of wire fraud.  Rudin is scheduled to be sentenced on August 17. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for wire fraud and 5 years in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States and to commit wire fraud. 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; Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division; Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Darrell J. Waldon, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly M. Shartar and Kimberly R. Pedersen, and Assistant Chief of the Justice Department’s Tax Division David Zisserson of the prosecuted the case.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California provided assistance with this investigation.

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-46.

RICHMOND, Va. – A federal jury today convicted three members of a Midlothian, Virginia household on charges pertaining to forced labor. Zahida Aman, 80, was convicted of conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, and document servitude. Mohammed Rehan Chaudhri, 48, was convicted of conspiracy to commit forced labor and forced labor. Mohammad Nauman Chaudhri, 54, was convicted of conspiracy to commit forced labor.

“The defendants exploited someone who should have been a loved family member to force her to work in their home for over 14 years,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Forced labor, the modern-day equivalent of slavery, has no place in our country or district, and we will stop at nothing to prosecute those that commit these or similar crimes. Let this conviction serve as a light to survivors impacted by labor trafficking and as a deterrent to those conspiring to commit heinous labor trafficking crimes.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, in 2002, the victim married Aman’s son and the brother of defendants Nauman and Rehan Chaudhri. Thereafter, she lived in the home of the defendants. Over the next 12 years, the three defendants forced her to perform domestic services. To coerce that labor, the defendants verbally assaulted and physically abused the victim over a period of 12 years. In addition, though the victim, a native of Pakistan, had temporary immigration status in the United States, defendant Aman took the victim’s immigration documents. Thereafter, defendants threatened the victim with deportation should she not obey their demands. The defendants also threatened to separate the victim from her children to coerce her labor.

“The defendants exploited the victim’s trust and inflicted cruel and inhumane physical and mental abuse on her, all so they could keep her working in their home as their domestic servant,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke. “Human trafficking is a disgraceful and unacceptable crime, and this verdict should send the very clear message that the Justice Department will investigate and vigorously prosecute these cases to hold human traffickers accountable and bring justice to their victims.”

“The FBI is committed to working with our partners to protect the civil rights of all persons, investigate and prosecute allegations of abuse, and assist the victims of these crimes throughout the process,” said Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Richmond Field Office.  “The strength and perseverance of this victim and the investigative team should be commended; and we encourage any community member who knows of or suspects this type of abuse is occurring to report it to authorities immediately.”

Aman and Mohammed Rehan Chaudhri face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Mohammad Nauman Chaudhri faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney accepted the verdict. Homeland Security Investigations also participated in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shea Gibbons, Stephen Miller, and Heather H. Mansfield are prosecuting the case, along with Trial Attorney Leah L. Branch of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

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. 3:19-cr-85.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – In honor of National Police Week, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber will recognize the service and sacrifice of federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement. This year, the week is observed Wednesday, May 11 through Tuesday, May 17, 2022.

“I am grateful for the dedication of our law enforcement officers, who serve under increasingly challenging and dangerous conditions,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “National Police Week is a time to express our gratitude while honoring their sacrifice. I hope that this week is a chance for everyone to reflect on the many positive contributions of law enforcement agencies to our communities and seek out a partnership of trust and collaboration with them.”

“This week, we gather to pay tribute to the law enforcement officers who sacrificed their lives in service to our country,” said Attorney General Garland. “We remember the courage with which they worked and lived. And we recommit ourselves to the mission to which they dedicated their lives. On behalf of a grateful Justice Department and a grateful nation, I extend my sincerest thanks and gratitude to the entire law enforcement community.”

In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices. Peace Officers Memorial Day, which every year falls on May 15, specifically honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. Based on data submitted to and analyzed by the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), 472 law enforcement officers died nationwide in the line of duty in 2021. Of that number, 319 succumbed to COVID-19.

Here in the Eastern District of Virginia, Frederick Henry “Butch” Cameron Jr. of the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office died on January 12, 2021, from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 while on duty at the Fairfax County Judicial Center. EDVA also remembers Police Officer George Gonzalez of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, who was killed in the line of duty on August 3, 2021.

Additionally, according to 2021 statistics reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the Law Enforcement Officer Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, 73 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2021 were killed as a result of felonious acts, whereas 56 died in accidents.  Deaths resulting from felonious acts increased in 2021, rising more than 58 percent from the previous year. In 2021, unprovoked attacks were the cause of 24 deaths significantly outpacing all other line of duty deaths resulting from felony acts and reaching the highest annual total in over 30 years of reporting.  Additional LEOKA statistics can be found on FBI’s Crime Data Explorer website for the LEOKA program. 

The names of the 619 fallen officers added this year to the wall at the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial will be read on Friday, May 13, 2022, during a Candlelight Vigil in Washington, D.C., starting at 8:00 PM EDT. Those who wish to view the vigil live online, can watch on the NLEOMF YouTube channel found at https://www.youtube.com/TheNLEOMF. The schedule of National Police Week events is available on NLEOMF’s website.

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

Reference to any specific organization or service(s) offered by an organization is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Department of Justice.

RICHMOND, Va. – An Emporia man pleaded guilty today to embezzlement and theft of labor union assets.

According to court documents, from April 2013 through April 2019, Anthony Jordan, 55, worked as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, Division 26. Throughout the scheme, Jordan used his position and employment at Division 26 in order to steal money at the expense of the labor union. While serving as Division 26’s Secretary-Treasurer, a salaried position, Jordan embezzled funds from the union by writing unauthorized checks to himself from Division 26’s checking account, and by making unauthorized direct debits, ATM withdrawals, and cash back transactions from Division 26’s checking account.

In total, Jordan embezzled $30,519.76 from the union. He used the union’s funds to pay for personal expenses, such as for veterinary services, utilities, cell phone service, internet and cable, groceries, personal tax returns, convenience store transactions, and more.

Jordan is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8. He faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and potential financial penalties. 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 made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson accepted the plea.

The Department of Labor, Office of Labor Management, investigated this case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-049.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted four defendants on numerous charges relating to a murder, a violent gang enterprise, and a drug trafficking conspiracy operating in Virginia, California, and several other states.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Peter Le, 24, of Dunn Loring, Young Yoo, 26, of Centreville, Joseph Lamborn, 28, of California, and Tony Le, 28, also of California, were members of a violent Northern Virginia Street gang called the Reccless Tigers, which was affiliated with a California gang called the West Side Asian Boyz. The gang, which originated in Centerville in 2011, distributed thousands of pounds of marijuana as well as other THC products, cocaine, ecstasy, and prescription drugs. Many of the gang’s customers were middle and high school students in Northern Virginia and college students at a number of Virginia universities.

According to court records, victim Brandon White, owed Yoo approximately $10,000 for marijuana he had obtained from Yoo. In August 2018, White was severely beaten by a Reccless Tigers gang member, David Nguyen, because of this debt. Nguyen was arrested by Fairfax County Police and charged with robbery and malicious wounding. The gang was aware that White had been subpoenaed to testify against Nguyen at a preliminary hearing and attempted to pay him if he would refuse to testify. White was threatened that he would be killed if he testified. White refused the gang's offer, and he testified against Nguyen on Nov. 19, 2018.

On Jan. 31, 2019, and continuing into the early morning hours of February 1, 2019, White was abducted at a shopping mall in Fairfax County and then killed two hours later in a wooded area of Richmond by Peter Le, Yoo, and Lamborn.

The evidence at trial indicated that the gang also engaged in persistent pattern of intimidation and retaliation against individuals who did not pay their drug debts and anyone who were believed to have cooperated with law enforcement. Homes in Fairfax, Stafford, and Prince William counties were attacked with Molotov cocktails and vandalized on numerous occasions, forcing homeowners in some instances to move. 

Peter Le was convicted of conspiracy to engage in racketeering, narcotics trafficking and related narcotics offenses, kidnapping, murder, and money laundering. Lamborn was convicted of conspiracy to engage in racketeering, narcotics trafficking, kidnapping, and murder. Yoo was convicted of conspiracy to engage in racketeering, narcotics trafficking, kidnapping, and murder. Tony Le was convicted of conspiracy to engage in racketeering and narcotics trafficking.

Peter Le, Young Yoo, and Joseph Lamborn face mandatory life sentences when sentenced on September 9. Tony Le faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment when he is sentenced of September 9.

As demonstrated in the table below, 24 other persons have been charged in connection with the investigation of the Reccless Tigers. Sixteen defendants have pleaded guilty to federal charges and have been sentenced. Nine defendants, five who pleaded guilty earlier in addition to the four convicted today, are pending sentencing. Three defendants are fugitives.

Name

Conviction(s)

Result

Peter Le*

Conspiracy to participate in the affairs of an

enterprise engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity; Violent crimes in aid of racketeering murder; Conspiracy to engage in kidnapping; Kidnapping resulting in death; Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Killing while engaged in drug trafficking; Maintaining a drug-involved premises; Distribution of marijuana and cocaine; Use, carry, and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime; Money laundering.

Faces mandatory life imprisonment on September 9, 2022

Young Yoo*

Conspiracy to participate in the affairs of an

enterprise engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity; Violent crimes in aid of racketeering murder; Conspiracy to engage in kidnapping; Kidnapping resulting in death; Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, Killing while engaged in drug trafficking.

Faces mandatory life imprisonment on September 9, 2022

Joseph Duk-Hyun Lamborn*

Conspiracy to participate in the affairs of an

enterprise engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity; Violent crimes in aid of racketeering murder; Conspiracy to engage in kidnapping; Kidnapping resulting in death; Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Killing while engaged in drug trafficking; Firearms murder.

Faces mandatory life imprisonment on September 9, 2022

Tony Minh Le*

Conspiracy to participate in the affairs of an

enterprise engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity; Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

Faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life on September 9, 2022

Kevin Aagesen

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Conspiracy to commit kidnapping in aid of racketeering activity.

Sentenced to 188 months

Sascha Amadeus Carlisle

Conspiracy to participate in the affairs of an

enterprise engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity; Conspiracy to engage in kidnapping; Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

Faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years on July 29, 2022

Abdullah Abdow Sayf

Conspiracy to commit kidnapping in aid of racketeering activity; Use and carry of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

Sentenced to 180 months

Fahad Abdulkadir

Conspiracy to commit kidnapping in aid of racketeering activity; Possession with the intent to distribute 50 kilograms or less of marijuana; Use and carry of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

Sentenced to 192 months

David Thai Hoang Nguyen

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Sentenced to 171 months

Kyu Wa Hong

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Sentenced to 216 months

Sang Thanh Huynh

Conspiracy to participate in the affairs of an

enterprise engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity; Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Money laundering; Felon in possession of a firearm.

Scheduled to be sentenced on July 22, 2022

Soung Park

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Sentenced to 132 months

Tasneef Amhed Chowdhury

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Sentenced to 121 months

Joshua Andrew Miliaresis

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years at a future sentencing hearing

Tyler Thang Le

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Sentenced to 135 months

Dane Nicholas Hughes

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years at a future sentencing hearing

Bradley Sullivan

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years at a future sentencing hearing

Richard Pak

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Distribution of cocaine; Use and carry of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

Faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years at a future sentencing hearing

Spencer Pak

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Distribution of cocaine; Use and carry of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

Sentenced to 120 months

Tyler Pranompi Sonesamay

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Sentenced to 120 months

Khalil Yasin

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Sentenced to 97 months

Anthony Nguyen Thanh Le

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of cocaine

 

Sentenced to 92 months

Angel Hoang Le

Maintaining a drug-involved premises

Sentenced to 42 months

Zu Hun Chang

Possession with the intent to distribute cocaine

Sentenced to 42 months

Brandon Sobotta

Distribution of cocaine

Sentenced to time served (about 7 months)

* convicted today

This was a multi-jurisdictional OCDETF case involving the FBI Washington Field Office, ATF, HSI, IRS, U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Fairfax County Police Department, Prince William County Police Department, City of Richmond Police, Montgomery County (MD) Police, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Falls Church Police, City of Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, Fairfax County Fire Marshal, Prince William County Fire Marshal, Stafford County Fire Marshal, City of Monterey Park (CA) Police, Garden Grove (CA) Police, Anaheim (CA) Police; Trinity County (CA) Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, DEA San Francisco Division – Reading Office, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, California Department of Food & Agriculture, California Department of Consumer Affairs Bureau of Cannabis Control, U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of California – Sacramento Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office Central District of California – Santa Ana and Riverside Offices, and the FBI’s Field Offices in Richmond, Los Angeles, and Sacramento.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys James L. Trump, Carina A. Cuellar, and Ryan Bredemeier 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. 1:19-cr-57.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man and woman were sentenced to more than 23 years in prison combined for possessing with intent to distribute 14,000 tablets of fentanyl and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, Marcus Hughes, 32, along with his co-conspirator Deshowna Corprew, 30, were pulled over for a traffic stop after exiting the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. The police discovered in their vehicle 14,000 tablets of fentanyl, one kilogram of cocaine, and a loaded .40 caliber handgun. They were returning from Rhode Island where they had picked up the drugs from the source of supply. There were also two small children in the vehicle, ages 4 and 7.

Hughes was sentenced to 20 years in prison on April 29. Corprew was sentenced today to 44 months in prison.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith.

Virginia Beach Police Department provided significant contributions to this case. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Muhr 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. 2:21-cr-90.