Eastern District of Virginia

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal judge convicted a Reston businessman yesterday on a series of fraud charges relating to a bankruptcy case in which he discharged over $6 million in personal debt.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on July 13, 2017, President and CEO of Metropolitan Aviation, Alan Russell Cook, Sr., 64, filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy in his individual capacity. In anticipation of the filing, Cook transferred over $350,000 to his former girlfriend. He directed her to open accounts in her name and in the name of a fake company, Metro Aire, to receive his personal property and revenue from Metropolitan Aviation.

In connection with his bankruptcy case, Cook failed to disclose several bank accounts and over $50,000 in casino cash-outs. In addition, at the meeting of his creditors, Cook made several false statements under oath, including that his company was shut down for four to five months and generated no money in 2017. In actuality, Metropolitan Aviation generated revenue every month of 2017, totaling more than $1 million. Cook further failed to disclose making payments for his girlfriend’s luxury vehicle and his access to the fraudulent entity’s bank account, including writing checks for personal expenses, withdrawing cash, and paying for hotel stays.

Cook faces a maximum of 20 years in prison when sentenced on April 22, 2022. 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 Greg Thompson, Mid-Atlantic Region Acting Special Agent-In-Charge, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jamar K. Walker and Alexander E. Blanchard 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. 1:21-cr-72.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted two New York City men last week on charges of carjacking, armed robbery and possession of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on April 1, at 3:05 a.m., Stephen Pierre Paul, 30, Wayne Ricardo Taylor, 26, and co-conspirators traveled to a truck stop in Mount Jackson in a van with blacked out windows. Once at the truck stop, Pierre-Paul, Taylor, and the co-conspirators hijacked an 18-wheel commercial tractor-trailer with Alabama tags. The group abducted the truck driver at gunpoint and forced him into their van. Both vehicles, the van and hijacked commercial truck, were stopped at a roadblock on eastbound Interstate 66 at 5:15 a.m. in Fairfax County. The victim truck driver was rescued, and the defendants were arrested.

Co-defendants Cornelius Crossman, 37, and Odane Butler, 27, both of Brooklyn, New York, will be sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy on December 10 and January 21, 2022, respectively.

Pierre-Paul and Taylor each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 7 years and maximum of life in prison when sentenced on March 11, 2022. 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; Kevin Davis, Fairfax County Chief of Police; Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of Virginia State Police; and Stacey A. Kincaid, Fairfax County Sheriff, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis, III accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Walutes, Jr. 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. 1:21-cr-144.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Guatemalan national was sentenced today to 172 months in prison for his role as a maritime transportation manager in a large-scale Guatemalan drug trafficking organization (DTO). 

According to court documents, beginning in 2016, Amilcar Chavez-Barrera, 42, conspired to distribute over 1,000 kilograms of cocaine for distribution into the United States. Chavez-Barrera managed and coordinated the maritime transportation of cocaine off the Pacific Coast of Guatemala onto the Guatemalan mainland. In this leadership role, Chavez-Barrera worked for a maritime transportation cell contracted by the DTO and managed the boats that picked up cocaine loads approximately 100 miles off the coast of Guatemala and transported the cocaine to the Guatemalan mainland. Chavez-Barrera coordinated the maritime transportation of 1,500 kilograms of cocaine from the Pacific Ocean to mainland Guatemala, where the cocaine was offloaded for further ground transportation through Central America.

On July 1, 2020, Luis Pedro Fuentes Amaya, a co-defendant of Chavez-Barrera, was sentenced to 192 months for his role in the cocaine trafficking conspiracy on behalf of the DTO. On August 10, 2021, Edi Donaldo Barrera-Salguero, another co-defendant of Chavez-Barrera, was sentenced to 210 months for his role in the cocaine trafficking conspiracy on behalf of the DTO. 

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

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 (DEA) Washington Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather Hart Mansfield and Erik S. Siebert 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. 3:19-cr-18.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced today to 17.5 years in prison for illegally possessing firearms as a felon, four counts of witness tampering and obstruction of justice, and one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

According to court documents, in October and November 2017, Adonis Marquis Perry, 32—a five-time convicted felon who had sustained two state convictions and one federal conviction for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition—took pictures of himself holding a Glock, Model 17, 9mm semi-automatic handgun, loaded with an extended magazine, and a Taurus, Model 66, .357 magnum revolver.

On December 18, 2017, Perry was arrested at a traffic stop in Norfolk after attempting to elude law enforcement by running through stop signs and making rapid turns, finally stopping in a residential parking lot. When law enforcement caught up to the car, they ordered the two occupants out of the vehicle. After receiving permission to search the vehicle, officers found the Taurus revolver and the Glock handgun—the latter loaded with the same magazine that was in the defendant’s pictures.

Perry spent the next seven months after his arrest making recorded calls from the jail to engage in witness tampering and obstruction of justice, specifically involving a series of efforts to interfere with the potential testimony of the second person who was in the car during Perry’s arrest encounter. The defendant controlled the witness through fear—at one point before his arrest, he pointed the Glock handgun at the witness and threatened to kill her if she left him, and on jail calls he reminded her that he knew where she and her family members lived.

Since his arrest, Perry has threatened to hurt or kill at least five of his seven court-appointed attorneys and even lunged at one in the middle of a status hearing in federal court. Perry also mailed letters to some of his attorneys threatening to send associates to their offices if they did not move to withdraw from his case.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith.

Assistant U.S. Attorney s William B. Jackson and Joseph E. DePadilla 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. 2:18-cr-113.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A New York man was sentenced today two consecutive terms of life in prison for the murders of two men in Newport News in June and July 2014.

According to court documents, Mark Anthony Skeete, a.k.a. Mark Brown, 33, was a member of the Nine Trey Gangsters, an offshoot of the California-based “Bloods” street gang. In June 2014, Skeete came to Virginia to facilitate and profit from the prostitution of adult women in the Richmond area. On June 28, 2014, Skeete and others traveled to Newport News to facilitate and profit from the prostitution of a woman from New York. When a client of the woman was unable to pay, Skeete shot and killed him to maintain his position as part of the Nine Trey enterprise.

After the June 2014 murder, Skeete and others fled to North Carolina. Skeete and others then returned to Newport News and killed another man on July 16, 2014 during a drug transaction. Skeete also robbed the victim of money, drugs, and a cell phone. Shortly thereafter, Skeete returned to Richmond. On September 17, 2014, Skeete, a previously convicted felon, possessed a firearm in Richmond that was later forensically linked to the Newport News murders. Cartridge casings recovered from the June and July 2014 murder scenes revealed that the same Ruger .45 caliber firearm recovered on September 17, 2014 in Richmond was the weapon used in both of those murders.

Following the two murders in this case, Skeete shot and killed two other individuals in Richmond in September 2014. He was sentenced in state court to 75 years in prison for those murders.

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 David J. Novak.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Peninsula Safe Streets Task Force, a partnership that includes the FBI, Virginia State Police, Hampton Police Division, James City County Police Department, and Newport News Police Department. This task force investigates the most violent criminal enterprises operating on the Virginia Peninsula. Tips regarding gang activity and other violent crimes in the region can be reported to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or https://tips.fbi.gov/.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa McKeel and Brian Samuels and former Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard J. Zlotnick prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:19-cr-62.

NORFOLK, Va. – Two men pleaded guilty today to fraudulently obtaining benefits made available as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to court documents, from approximately June 2020 through in or around March 2021, Mark Hilliard, 36, and Elvon George, 33, who were inmates at Greensville Correctional Center during the fraud, collected the personally identifiable information (PII) of their fellow inmates. They then provided the PII to two outside facilitators to file fraudulent unemployment insurance claims. To alleviate financial hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 Congress and the Virginia Employment Commission (“VEC”) expanded unemployment benefits by increasing benefit payments and by making them available to gig workers, the self-employed, and others whose employment status the VEC could not easily verify. The defendants exploited these changes to obtain over $220,000 in fraudulent unemployment benefits by making numerous false statements in the inmate unemployment applications.

Hilliard pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with major disaster benefits and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 19, 2022. George also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with major disaster benefits and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31, 2022. Hilliard and George each face 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; Troy Springer, Acting-Special-Agent-in-Charge, Washington, D.C. Region, 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. District Judge Roderick C. Young accepted the plea.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-111.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Chesapeake man and business owner pleaded guilty today to defrauding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) out of more than $1.2 million in taxes.

According to court documents, from 2013 through 2017 Shane August, 36, owned and operated a home-healthcare business in Chesapeake. August defrauded the IRS by, among other things, hiding personal bank accounts, using undisclosed accounts to conduct business, maintaining a cash lifestyle to avoid the IRS, making false statements about his ability to pay, lying to IRS agents, and diverting large sums of money to pay for personal expenses.

August withheld employment taxes from approximately 60 of his employees and failed to consistently pay more than $900,000 of those withholdings to the IRS. Each year, August provided fraudulent employment tax forms to his employees, who filed their own taxes and mistakenly believed that the amounts withheld from their wages had been paid to the Social Security program. 

Additionally, between 2014 and 2017, August reported personal income to the IRS of more than $900,000 but failed to pay taxes on this income and now owes more than $288,000 in personal income tax for those years. Instead of paying his taxes, August used large sums of money to pay for personal expenses like a building contract on a home and a luxury vehicle lease.

August is scheduled to be sentenced on March 24, 2022. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after 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 Waldon, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C., Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask 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-62.

RICHMOND, Va. – A former Richmond attorney was sentenced today to 44 months in prison and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for obstructing an official proceeding in connection with his attempts to thwart an investigation into his own fraudulent conduct as a bankruptcy trustee.

According to court documents, Bruce H. Matson, 64, misled the U.S. Trustee’s Office in 2019 when he made false statements in response to allegations that he misappropriated funds as a court-appointed trustee in the bankruptcy of LandAmerica Financial Group (LFG). A federal investigation into those allegations uncovered multiple instances of Matson’s embezzlement from the LFG Trust between 2015 and 2018, totaling approximately $800,000 in misappropriated funds.

Additionally, Matson manipulated the budget for LFG’s post-bankruptcy wind-down period so that he could divert residual funds to himself and others after the close of the LFG bankruptcy, when he would no longer be subject to scrutiny by LFG creditors and the Bankruptcy Court. In particular, Matson misrepresented the amount of money needed for the wind-down process and obscured the amount of money actually retained in Trust accounts. In order to access these residual funds, Matson also inserted language into the budget the night before it was filed with the Bankruptcy Court. This language seemingly gave Matson the authority to pay discretionary bonuses using residual funds. Matson knew the last-minute language included in the budget contradicted other court filings, but he instructed other trust professionals not to amend the filings, including the proposed Final Decree ultimately endorsed by the Bankruptcy Court in December 2015. As a result of this conduct, Matson was able to siphon away more than $3.2 million for personal payments to himself and others, depleting the Trust account more than two years before the end of the wind-down period.

The federal investigation also uncovered an unrelated instance of Matson embezzling approximately $23,000 in 2016 from the estate of Forefront Capital, a defunct futures broker for which Matson served as receiver and debtor-designee. In total, between 2015 and 2019, Matson wrongfully obtained more than $4 million in bankruptcy-related assets.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Daniel A. Adame, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr.

The U.S. Trustee Program provided significant assistance in this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Garnett and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Lee Martin and Kevin S. Elliker 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-79.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Baltimore, Maryland, woman was sentenced to 45 months in prison yesterday for her role in a bribery scheme that allowed for the introduction of contraband into Federal Corrections Institution (FCI) Petersburg.

According to court documents, Kim Williams, 57, facilitated over $60,000 in bribe payments consisting of both wire transfers and cash payments to former Bureau of Prisons (BOP) correctional officers Stephen Taylor, 49, of Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Shanice Bullock, 28, of South Hill. In return, Taylor and Bullock permitted the introduction and distribution of contraband items across the prison facility. Williams’s son, Dontay Cox, 38, of Baltimore, Maryland, was an inmate at FCI Petersburg from around January 2014 to July 2019. Cox ran a gambling ring within the prison and distributed the contraband, including Suboxone, marijuana, heroin, cigarettes, and cellular telephones, to fellow inmates. 

Over the course of the conspiracy, specifically between December 2016 and September 2019, Williams’s bank accounts show deposits of $137,855.29. These funds included $94,961.39 in untraceable cash deposits.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Russell W. Cunningham, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Simon Jr. and Michael C. Moore 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. 3:20-cr-125.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Celeste, Texas, man pleaded guilty today to a wire fraud scheme involving the selling of Chinese-made military helmets, body armor, and other products to the United States Department of State and other federal agencies while falsely claiming that his company manufactured the goods in Texas.

According to court documents, from approximately June 2017 through approximately December 2020, Tanner Jackson, 32, operated Top Body Armor, LLC USA, and a related entity, Bullet Proof Armor LLC, from his residence in a rural part of Texas. Jackson was the lowest bidder on contracts to supply the Department of State with helmets and body armor, including to personnel guarding the United States Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, and to foreign law enforcement partners in Latin America. The equipment was removed from service after concerns about its quality came to light.

As part of the scheme, Jackson altered or falsified ballistics laboratory test reports that he provided to the government. On one occasion, after his products failed testing at a legitimate laboratory, Jackson created his own fake ballistics laboratory— “Texas Ballistics LLC” —and simply produced fake reports giving himself passing scores. To conceal the Chinese origin of the products and associated delays in shipping the products to the government, Jackson created and controlled numerous email accounts in the names of supposed shipping company employees. Jackson would author email exchanges between himself and the bogus employees, while copying government contracting officers, to explain away shipping delays from China with cover stories such as truck accidents and COVID outbreaks at the warehouse. Jackson also won similar contracts with the Department of the Air Force and various national guard units.

Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22, 2022. 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; Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Diana Shaw, Acting Inspector General for the Department of State, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea.

The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division provided significant assistance in this case.

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. 1:21-cr-238.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced yesterday to 22 years in prison for producing images of child sexual abuse.

According to court documents, from December 2018 to January 2019, James Thomas White, 26, knowingly communicated with a thirteen-year-old child on Twitter and repeatedly asked her to send him sexually explicit photographs and videos of herself, which she did. White also used Twitter and other online accounts to find others with whom to trade child sexual abuse material, which he kept on his electronic devices as well as in online cloud storage accounts. After court-authorized searches were executed at White’s residence and in electronic accounts, he was found to possess approximately 1,500 images and 450 videos of child pornography, some of which portrayed the sexual abuse of infants or toddlers.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. Office; and Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith. 

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-12.

 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Washington, DC, man was sentenced today to 357 months in prison for his role in an armed robbery and carjacking that led to a high-speed police chase and resulted in injuries to two police officers.

According to court documents, on August 28, 2019, Antwain Proctor, 36, together with Jovan Doir Johnson, obtained a stolen vehicle at gunpoint in Arlington, taking the driver with them for part of the drive.  Proctor and Johnson then drove to a 7-Eleven in Lorton and robbed it at gunpoint, leaving the clerk with a visible injury. Both men then fled the 7-Eleven traveling north on Interstate 95 before taking Interstate 495 toward the Wilson Bridge, where several Virginia State Police cruisers attempted to stop the individuals in the stolen vehicle as it approached the bridge. When one cruiser attempted to stop the stolen vehicle, the vehicle drove into the rear corner of the cruiser, forcing it into the concrete median barrier at a high rate of speed. The first cruiser’s air bag deployed and the trooper was taken to the hospital with injuries as a result of the impact. A second cruiser subsequently advanced and pushed the stolen vehicle into the concrete median just before it reached the bridge. The resulting impact also caused the second cruiser’s driver-side airbag to deploy. The trooper driving that second cruiser was also subsequently taken to the hospital. The Fairfax County Police Helicopter assisted in the stop.

On December 2, 2020, Jovan Doir Johnson was sentenced to 357 months of imprisonment.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ron Walutes and Bibeane Metsch prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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. 1:19-cr-351.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A York County man was sentenced today to 17 years in prison for distributing heroin to two women who died from overdoses at his Seaford home and for possessing firearms and ammunition as an unlawful drug user who maintained a drug-involved premises.

According to court documents, Michael Kerlin, 53, owned a Newport News business, Dixie Fuel Company, which primarily sold propane gas to customers. Kerlin used funds derived from his business sales to purchase cocaine, cocaine base, prescription drugs, and heroin. In November 2015, Kerlin distributed heroin to a young woman at his home who subsequently died in the hospital after he called 911 and reported a person down. In May 2016, he distributed heroin to another young woman who died at his house. Rather than calling 911, he put her body into a garbage can which he transported to and left at his business.

During the investigation, it was determined that Kerlin possessed firearms and ammunition at his home where he also stored heroin and cocaine as well as other drugs.

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 U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa McKeel and Brian Samuels along with former Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard J. Zlotnick prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:19-cr-07.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Ontario, Canada, man was sentenced today to one year in prison for distributing MDA—a psychedelic drug similar to MDMA, or “molly”—that resulted in the fatal overdose of a 21-year-old Falls Church woman.

According to court documents, Saad Jalal, 28, was a Canadian medical student doing a clinical rotation in the District of Columbia when he met the victim and her roommates out at a bar. A few weeks later, Jalal and the women made plans to go out together again and Jalal offered to obtain some MDMA for the women from a supplier he knew in Maryland. Jalal obtained what he believed was MDMA, but was actually MDA (methylenedioxyamphetamine), a Schedule I controlled substance of similar chemical structure.

On the night of September 19, 2019, after Jalal obtained the MDA from his connection, he went to the residence of the victim and her roommates in Falls Church. The roommates and Jalal then drove into the District of Columbia to pick up the victim from her workplace. Shortly thereafter, the victim consumed the MDA, became noticeably impaired, and eventually, her roommates and Jalal decided to take her back to her home in Falls Church. She suffered an overdose caused by the MDA that Jalal distributed and became unresponsive. The victim was later pronounced dead, and her death was ruled an accidental overdose caused by MDA intoxication.

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 Leonie M. Brinkema.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Rumbaugh prosecuted the case.

This matter was investigated by FBI WFO's Health Care Fraud squad and the Northern Virginia Safe Streets HiDta Task Force. These squads are focused on reducing the illegal flow of opioids, to include fentanyl, which is adversely impacting our communities. 

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-261.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal jury convicted an Edenton, North Carolina man yesterday on charges of conspiring with others to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute it, and distributing cocaine.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Trezith Smart, 40, who maintained residences in Newport News and Edenton, would travel to Houston, Texas to obtain multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine and return to Newport News and Edenton, where the cocaine would be distributed. In 2017, Smart was stopped for speeding by the Louisiana State Police with five kilograms of cocaine. After posting bond, Smart returned to Newport News and continued his cocaine trafficking activities. In May 2018, Smart sold cocaine to a middleman, who then sold the drug to an undercover law enforcement cooperator. Then in August 2018, Smart was stopped and arrested by the Newport News Police Department with an ounce of cocaine and more than $15,000 in cash. When he was ultimately detained in November 2018, Smart confessed to distributing more than 500 kilograms of cocaine between 2015 and 2018.

Smart was convicted of conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and distribution of cocaine, and he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment when sentenced on March 15, 2022. 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 Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge David J. Novak accepted the verdict.

This investigation was conducted by the DEA Hampton Post of Duty and significant assistance was provided by the Newport News Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric M. Hurt and Devon Heath 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. 4:18-cr-95.

A federal jury convicted a Norfolk man yesterday on charges of sex trafficking, fraud, conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and other drugs, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, LeAnthony Winston, 34, is a six-time convicted felon. Shortly after he was released from state prison in December 2019 for firearm and drug convictions, Winston obtained another firearm and began to traffic methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, and cocaine base.

From March through May 2020, Winston trafficked two women in Norfolk and coerced them into engaging in commercial sex. He used a combination of false promises of love and protection, threats, and violence, including beatings and pointing a firearm at the women to gain compliance. Winston’s co-conspirator, Tonya Hardesty, 37, of Norfolk, trained the women, created advertisements, and set up commercial sex “dates” with clients, while Winston set the prices and kept all of the proceeds from commercial sex. He also distributed drugs to the women, including methamphetamine and crack, to keep them awake so that they could have as many “dates” as possible and so that they would be indebted to him for the cost of the drugs.

On April 15, 2020, Norfolk Police Department patrol officers responded to the Ocean View Inn Motel in Norfolk after Winston beat, choked, and threatened to kill one of the women in a dispute about money. The female victim stated that she was assaulted by her “pimp,” so the patrol officers referred the case to Norfolk vice and narcotics detectives for further investigation.

At the time of his arrest, Winston had approximately 16.8 grams of crack cocaine on his person. Within the hotel room, law enforcement found the second female victim and Winston’s loaded firearm. After Winston was taken into custody, he continued to coerce the second female to engage in commercial sex, claiming that he would be out on a bond soon. He also threatened her over a jail call.

Winston faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on March 7, 2022. Hardesty pleaded guilty on May 3 to promotion of prostitution and is scheduled for sentencing on December 9. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Larry D. Boone, Chief of Norfolk Police, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda Turner and Megan Montoya are prosecuting the case.

This investigation was conducted by the Hampton Roads Human Trafficking Task Force, a collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental organizations, working together to combat human trafficking in the Hampton Roads Region. The Virginia Army National Guard Counterdrug Task Force provided significant assistance in 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. 2:20-cr-108.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted an Alexandria man yesterday on charges of conspiracy, possession, and distribution of fentanyl and Eutylone, and being a felon in possession of a firearm during drug trafficking.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, from in or around June 2020, through at least December 2020, Kibruysday Degefa, 29, conspired with others to distribute counterfeit, pressed pills containing fentanyl, as well as Eutylone, which is a designer drug similar in character to MDMA. Pills distributed by the conspiracy twice on December 20, 2020, contributed to the mixed drug overdose death of a 20-year-old female in Arlington, whose blood was later determined to contain fentanyl. A search warrant on the hotel room where Degefa was staying at the time revealed additional narcotics for distribution, including Eutylone, along with multiple firearms concealed in the bathroom ceiling tiles. Degefa was previously convicted of robbery in Alexandria in 2015.

Degefa faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison when sentenced on February 18, 2022. 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; Andy Penn, Arlington County Chief of Police; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of Virginia State Police; and Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady accepted the verdict.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel M. Roberts and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jim Trump, Ryan Bredemeier, and Michael P. Ben’Ary 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. 1:21-cr-104.

NORFOLK, Va. – Today, a Richmond man was the sixth and final defendant to be sentenced for his role in a multi-state anabolic steroid conspiracy that operated across the country.

According to court documents, Clyde Edward Peele, 46, is one of six members of a trafficking network, led by Michael Steven Lambert, 37, of Wilson County, North Carolina. Starting in 2018, Lambert and the five other members of the conspiracy manufactured and distributed anabolic steroids to customers across the country. They also worked together to hide and launder the proceeds of their illegal activities.

Lambert and his wife, Laura Lambert, 32, began this operation in their residence located in Wilson County. They used raw materials received from China to manufacture liquid and pill-form steroids for wholesale distribution. Lambert’s products were advertised on various underground internet forums and, with the assistance of his co-conspirators, the group shipped wholesale quantities of steroids through the U.S. Postal Service to various states for further distribution. The organization concealed its activities by using false names and identity information, encrypted messaging platforms, and crypto-currency accounts.

In 2018, North Carolina authorities arrested and charged Lambert with possession of anabolic steroids with the intent to distribute. Lambert was convicted and ordered to serve an active sentence in 2019. Rather than turn himself in to serve the sentence, Lambert adopted a new identity and moved the operation to Pennsylvania. Once there, the Lamberts and other co-conspirators resumed the distribution operation.

After the arrest of another co-conspirator, the Lamberts moved in with Adam Morin, 36, of Hanover County. Morin not only assisted in the manufacture of anabolic steroids, but he also manufactured silencers for weapons Lambert illegally possessed.

In early 2020, Lambert and his wife rented a residence in Surry County, where they established another massive anabolic steroid distribution operation. Peele worked for Lambert several days a week pressing powders into pills and shipping product to customers across the country. To avoid detection, Peele shipped packages using false names and from various postal branches in Surry County and Richmond.

Erik Eckert, 35, of Jacksonville, Florida, a Petty Officer with the U.S. Navy, and Hamdy Sayed, 37, of Katy, Texas, each received wholesale quantities of anabolic steroids from Lambert’s trafficking network and sold the steroids to others. Sayed also assisted the organization by collecting drug proceeds and funneling them through various cryptocurrency accounts and using drug proceeds to purchase luxury vehicles for the Lamberts to drive.

In total, Lambert manufactured and distributed tens of thousands of steroid units and admitted that he earned well over a million dollars in gross drug proceeds over the course of approximately two and a half years. The Lamberts used those proceeds to purchase luxury vehicles, jewelry, and a horse, among other items.

Today, Peele was sentenced to 5 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy. On September 7, Morin was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy. On September 23, Laura Lambert and Sayed were sentenced to 18 months and 3 months in prison respectively for their roles in the conspiracy. On October 12, Eckert was sentenced to time served, or approximately three months, in prison for his role in the conspiracy. Additionally, as a result of his involvement in this conspiracy, he will be discharged from the U.S. Navy.

On October 22 Lambert was sentenced to nine years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; Daniel A. Adame, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Frederick E. Franks, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Norfolk Field Office; Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; and Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young.

The Norfolk Resident Office Tactical Diversion Squad conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Virginia Beach Police Department. 

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Bird and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Bosse are prosecuting the case.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-112.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Los Angeles man pleaded guilty today to being the head of a conspiracy involving the distribution of wholesale quantities of synthetic cannabinoids—commonly known as “spice” or “K2”—and laundering millions of dollars in the proceeds of the sale of that spice.

According to court documents, from 2017 through November 2019, Joseph Ruis, 56, was the leader of a Southern California-based wholesale spice manufacturing and distribution operation, along with co-defendants and sisters Kimberly Drumm, 52, and Bonnie Turner, 50, of Olive Branch, Mississippi. The illicit business presented as Aroma Superstore, and maintained a professional-looking website through which buyers around the country, including in the Eastern District of Virginia, could order packages of different varieties and flavors of spice.

The spice that Aroma Superstore sold almost uniformly contained chemicals listed as Schedule I controlled substances. The spice was sold in packages bearing the label “Not For Human Consumption” in an attempt to avoid regulatory or law enforcement scrutiny. The products were, in reality, intended to be consumed and induce a “high” similar to other controlled substances. The spice connected to this conspiracy caused an individual from New Hampshire to fatally overdose.

Ruis controlled the operation and employed several individuals, including Drumm and Turner, who helped run the business. Ruis ran Aroma Superstore like a legitimate business in many ways, such as maintaining an office, hiring a financial manager, and issuing regular paychecks to employees. Ruis dictated the prices of the different sizes of the packages of spice and employed at least two individuals to answer phone calls and take orders for spice. 

Ruis, Drumm, and Turner concealed the proceeds of their spice distribution by moving the profits through a network of shell corporations. Ruis directed Turner, who had no criminal record, to open bank accounts and register businesses in her name to avoid detection by law enforcement or by financial institutions. 

In May 2019, law enforcement searched locations in Southern California used by Ruis, Drumm, and Turner for their business. In one warehouse location, agents seized approximately 30 kilograms of spice as well as a large volume of packaging material and equipment used in the distribution of the spice. At another warehouse location, law enforcement seized approximately 4,500 pounds of marijuana, approximately 300 kilograms of butane honey oil, lab equipment for the extraction of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and approximately $45,000. Law enforcement also searched the storage locker that Drumm had rented on behalf of Aroma Superstore and recovered approximately one kilogram of 5F-MDMB-PICA, a Schedule I chemical used to manufacture the spice. At the residence shared by Ruis, Drumm, Turner, and some of their employees, law enforcement seized three Rolex watches and one Philippe Patek watch that had belonged to Ruis; the total value of the four watches was appraised at approximately $137,200. Luxury vehicles, including a Ferrari belonging to Ruis, were also seized.

Ruis is scheduled to be sentenced on March 2, 2022. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. As part of his plea agreement, Ruis has agreed to forfeit more than $2.9 million to the United States. Drumm and Turner each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of distribution of Schedule I controlled substances. They are scheduled to be sentenced on December 8. They face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the counts. 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.

Three additional defendants have pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and will be sentenced on December 1 and January 5, 2022. 

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

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. Field Office; Daniel A. Adame, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Robert P. Mosier, Fauquier County Sheriff, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston, Jr. accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Rumbaugh and Bibeane Metsch 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. 1:20-cr-76.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. –A New Jersey couple was sentenced yesterday to 125 and 30 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine to members of the Bloods gang.

According to court documents, from at least 2015 to 2017, Stephen Price, 48, and Dominique Waller, 33, both of Freehold, New Jersey, participated in a conspiracy to traffic drugs from New Jersey for distribution in the Hampton Roads region. Price was one of the sources of supply for members of the Bloods criminal street gang on the Virginia Peninsula. Price traveled to Virginia and provided gang members with distribution quantities of cocaine and heroin. Price also would distribute cocaine and heroin to Bloods gang members who traveled from Virginia to New Jersey to obtain the narcotics for redistribution on the Virginia Peninsula. When Price was unavailable, Waller would meet with the gang members and provide them with narcotics. Price and Waller would then launder the proceeds from the sale of the narcotics, which in total amounted to almost $550,000.

Price and Waller pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin on May 27 and June 1, respectively. Price was sentenced to 125 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy and Waller was sentenced to 30 months in prison for her role in the conspiracy.

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 David J. Novak.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric M. Hurt prosecuted the case.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Peninsula Safe Streets Task Force, a partnership that includes the FBI, Virginia State Police, Hampton Police Division, James City County Police Department and Newport News Police Department. This task force investigates the most violent criminal enterprises operating on the Virginia Peninsula. Tips regarding gang activity and other violent crimes in the region can be reported to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or https://tips.fbi.gov/.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:20-cr-40.

After more than seven years of extradition proceedings in the Netherlands, a Dutch woman brought by the FBI to the United States yesterday made her initial appearance today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to face charges stemming from her alleged participation in a terrorist financing ring in support of the Somalia-based terrorist group al-Shabaab.

According to allegations in an indictment, Farhia Hassan, 38, was involved with a group of women from more than a dozen countries around the world who ran a fundraising ring to provide financial support to al-Shabaab from in or about February 2011 through in or about July 2014. Through conduits in Nairobi, Kenya, and Hargeisa, Somalia, the group of women allegedly funneled cash payments via money remitters directly to members of the terrorist group. According to members of the conspiracy, the money was used to fund safehouses and to purchase trucks and weaponry in support of al-Shabaab. The women allegedly coordinated the payments using online chatrooms.

Hassan, in particular, was allegedly involved in fundraising in the Netherlands under false pretenses by representing to donors that money was being collected to fund charitable ventures, such as schools for orphans, when it was in fact being funneled to terrorists. Two U.S.-based members of the fundraising ring, Muna Osman Jama, 41, of Reston, and Hinda Osman Dhirane, 51, of Kent, Washington, were convicted in 2016 for their participation and were sentenced to 12- and 11-years imprisonment, respectively.

Hassan is charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark J. Lesko for 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.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys James P. Gillis and Danya E. Atiyeh for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Kathleen Campbell of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition from the Netherlands.

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

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – After more than seven years of extradition proceedings in the Netherlands, a Dutch woman brought by the FBI to the United States yesterday made her initial appearance today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to face charges stemming from her alleged participation in a terrorist financing ring in support of the Somalia-based terrorist group al-Shabaab.

According to allegations in an indictment, Farhia Hassan, 38, was involved with a group of women from more than a dozen countries around the world who ran a fundraising ring to provide financial support to al-Shabaab from in or about February 2011 through in or about July 2014. Through conduits in Nairobi, Kenya, and Hargeisa, Somalia, the group of women allegedly funneled cash payments via money remitters directly to members of the terrorist group. According to members of the conspiracy, the money was used to fund safehouses and to purchase trucks and weaponry in support of al-Shabaab. The women allegedly coordinated the payments using online chatrooms.

Hassan, in particular, was allegedly involved in fundraising in the Netherlands under false pretenses by representing to donors that money was being collected to fund charitable ventures, such as schools for orphans, when it was in fact being funneled to terrorists. Two U.S.-based members of the fundraising ring, Muna Osman Jama, 41, of Reston, and Hinda Osman Dhirane, 51, of Kent, Washington, were convicted in 2016 for their participation and were sentenced to 12 and 11 years imprisonment, respectively.

Hassan is charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark J. Lesko, Acting 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.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys James P. Gillis and Danya E. Atiyeh 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. 1:14-cr-230.

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

A federal jury convicted a Virginia man today for producing, receiving, and possessing child pornography.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Zackary Ellis Sanders, 26, of McLean, engaged in sexual conversations over multiple mobile messaging platforms with at least six different minors. In these conversations, he directed five minors to engage in sexually explicit and self-harming conduct, record themselves doing so, and send the resulting videos to him. He also received videos of a sixth minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Additional forensic evidence recovered from multiple laptops and thumb drives found in Sanders’s bedroom established that he possessed different images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of other children, including videos depicting the sexual abuse of a toddler, and prepubescent children being sexually abused and subjected to sadistic acts. Sanders obtained these images from a Darkweb website, the sole purpose of which was to share and facilitate the viewing of such material.

Sanders was convicted of production, receipt, and possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2022 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth M. Schlessinger and Jay V. Prabhu of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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 federal jury convicted a McLean man today for producing, receiving, and possessing child pornography.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, from at least 2017 to 2020, Zackary Ellis Sanders, 26, engaged in sexual conversations over multiple mobile messaging platforms with at least six different minors. In these conversations, he directed five minors to engage in sexually explicit and self-harming conduct, record themselves doing so, and send the resulting videos to him. He also received videos of a sixth minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Additional forensic evidence recovered from multiple laptops and thumb drives found in Sanders’s bedroom pursuant to a court-authorized search established that he possessed different images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of other children, including videos depicting the sexual abuse of a toddler and prepubescent children being sexually abused and subjected to sadistic acts. Sanders obtained these images from a Darkweb website, the sole purpose of which was to share and facilitate the viewing of such material.

Sanders was convicted of production, receipt, and possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2022 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kenneth Polite, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III accepted the verdict.

This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William G. Clayman and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth M. Schlessinger and Jay V. Prabhu 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 www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-143.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Williamsburg man yesterday on charges of filing false tax returns and failure to file a tax return.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, from at least 2014 through 2017, Michael J. Tiernan, 62, served as the financial officer for a number of business entities related to Ford’s Colony, including Ford’s Colony Realty, LLC, a large resort community in Williamsburg. For tax years 2015 and 2016, Tiernan filed federal income tax returns that falsely understated the income he received from these entities. Although the defendant reported some earnings in both years, he offset his claimed income with high deductions that resulted in zero taxable income for both 2015 and 2016, and also claimed to be insolvent in order to exclude the discharge of debt in 2015.

The evidence at trial revealed that Tiernan received underreported income from the business entities in the amount of at least $289,401 in 2015 and at least $204,523 in 2016. He cashed many of the checks he wrote and received from these entities and deposited cash into his personal bank account. Additionally, Teirnan failed to file a tax return for 2017, despite receiving $111,352 from one business. From 2015 to 2017, he deposited over $1.6 million into his personal bank account and spent nearly all of these funds in a combination of checks and debit card transactions. Teirnan further prepared and filed business tax returns for the entities that concealed the true compensation that he received.       

Tiernan was convicted of filing false income tax returns and failing to file an income tax return and faces a maximum penalty of seven years in prison when sentenced on March 2, 2022. 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, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian J. Samuels and David Mack Coleman 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. 4:20-cr-59.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to 11 years in prison for committing robberies at four commercial grocery stores over the course of four days before taking law enforcement on a high-speed car chase.

According to court documents, on November 20, 2020, Michael B. Bishop, 48, began his conduct after stealing a friend’s Ford F-150 truck. Over the next four days, Bishop robbed a Whole Foods Market in Glen Allen, a Wegmans in Henrico, a Trader Joe’s in Richmond, and a Publix in Midlothian. At each robbery, Bishop entered the grocery store wearing a face mask. Aside from the Whole Foods Market robbery, Bishop explicitly stated that he had a firearm or appeared to hold his hand in his pocket as if he had a firearm. At the Trader Joe’s robbery, Bishop brandished a firearm at the victim cashier. 

Based on witness interviews and review of surveillance video from Publix and Wegmans, investigators from Henrico, Richmond, and Chesterfield identified Bishop as the main suspect and obtained an arrest warrant. When law enforcement sought to arrest Bishop on November 25, 2020, Bishop entered the F-150 and took officers on a nearly 10-minute high-speed pursuit across several highways, including I-95 northbound and I-295 southbound. Bishop was only apprehended after officers used a pitting maneuver to stop the vehicle.

During an authorized search of the F-150 that Bishop was driving during the high-speed pursuit, law enforcement recovered clothing items matching those worn by the suspected robber as well as items in the bed of the truck that were notable from exterior surveillance at one of the grocery stores.

At the time of the robberies, Bishop was probation in Henrico County following time served for committing two robberies in 2013.

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, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth R. Simon, Jr. 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-16.

The leader of a money laundering network was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for laundering tens of millions of dollars in drug proceeds on behalf of foreign drug trafficking organizations. 

According to court documents, Xizhi Li, 48, a U.S. citizen who previously resided in Mexico, led a years-long scheme to launder money on behalf of transnational drug trafficking organizations. To carry out the scheme, Li and his conspirators used a foreign casino; foreign and domestic front companies; foreign and domestic bank accounts (some of which were opened under fictitious identities; encrypted communications platforms; and false identification documents. Li often dealt directly with members of drug trafficking organizations or their representatives to obtain “contracts” to move their drug proceeds. Once Li and his co-conspirators obtained a “contract” to launder drug proceeds, they would engage in financial transactions that were designed to conceal the illicit source of the original proceeds in return for the payment of commissions.

On Aug. 2, Li pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit money laundering. Today, Li signed a consent order of forfeiture for $10,000,000 to the United States pursuant to his plea.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber of the Eastern District of Virginia made the announcement.

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Louisville Division and the DEA’s Special Operations Division – Bilateral Investigations Unit investigated this case, with assistance from the DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit and the DEA’s offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Omaha, Atlanta, Newark, Portland Dallas, Mexico City, Merida (Mexico), Guatemala City, Belmopan (Belize), Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta (Indonesia), Manila (Philippines), Tokyo, Seoul, Bangkok, Lima (Peru), and Canberra (Australia). The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Postal Inspection Service, INTERPOL Washington, the U.S. National Central Bureau, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) National Targeting Center were partners in the investigation of this case.

This prosecution is part of two investigations supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, known as Operation Dark Castle and Operation Taishan Triangle.

Trial Attorneys Kerry Blackburn, Mary K. Daly, and Stephen A. Sola of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Peters and Michael P. Ben’Ary of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Chinese national and naturalized U.S. citizen was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for conspiring to launder tens of millions of dollars in drug proceeds on behalf of foreign drug trafficking organizations.

According to court documents, Xizhi Li, 48, who previously resided in Mexico, led a years’ long conspiracy to launder money on behalf of transnational drug trafficking organizations. To carry out the scheme, Li and his conspirators used a foreign casino; foreign and domestic front companies; foreign and domestic bank accounts, some of which were opened under fictitious identities; encrypted communications platforms; and false identification documents. Li often dealt directly with members of drug trafficking organizations or their representatives to obtain “contracts” to move their drug proceeds. Once Li and his co-conspirators obtained a “contract” to launder drug proceeds, they would engage in financial transactions that were designed to conceal the illicit source of the original funds in return for the payment of commissions. On August 2, Li pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit money laundering. Today, Li signed a consent order of forfeiture for $10,000,000 to the United States pursuant to his plea.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

The DEA’s Louisville Division and the DEA’s Special Operations Division – Bilateral Investigations Unit investigated this case, with assistance from the DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit and the DEA’s offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Omaha, Atlanta, Newark, Portland Dallas, Mexico City, Merida (Mexico), Guatemala City, Belmopan (Belize), Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta (Indonesia), Manila (Philippines), Tokyo, Seoul, Bangkok, Lima (Peru), and Canberra (Australia). The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Interpol, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection National Targeting Center (CBP – National Targeting Center) were partners in the investigation of this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Peters and Michael P. Ben’Ary and Trial Attorneys Kerry Blackburn, Mary K. Daly, and Stephen A. Sola of the Justice Department’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section prosecuted the case.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-334.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man pleaded guilty today to wire fraud in connection with a scheme involving the sale of fictitious online businesses.

According to court documents, between 2018 and 2019, Harlan Barry Cox, 24, promoted the sale of internet-based businesses, including multiple companies that purported to specialize in the sale of drones, by listing those businesses on online marketplaces. When soliciting the sales of the purported businesses, Cox, using aliases, misrepresented information about the businesses, including that the businesses had generated millions of dollars in revenue. Cox also fabricated statements from banks and payment processors to support his false claims of substantial revenue.

Interested buyers of the misrepresented businesses subsequently wired substantial down payments to accounts controlled by Cox. Cox used the money for personal expenses and the upkeep of his lifestyle, including the purchase of a luxury Mercedes SUV and various trips to Miami, New York City, and Los Angeles. Ultimately, Cox defrauded five victims of at least $706,000.

Cox is scheduled to be sentenced on March 1, 2022. 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; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Daniel A. Adame, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge David J. Novak accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Avi Panth and Michael C. Moore are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin S. Elliker assisted with the prosecution.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-078.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced today to 262 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and bribery of a public official.

According to court documents, Donatarius Leshay Boone, 31, received numerous packages through the U.S. Postal Service containing pressed fentanyl pills over the course of approximately sixteen months. Once received, Boone wholesale distributed the pills to at least three other individuals for further sale and distribution.  Although these pills contained fentanyl, they were pressed to look like real prescription opioid medication.

Between February and March 2021, law enforcement identified two packages, each containing approximately 2,000 fentanyl pills, bound for the Eastern District of Virginia. They further determined that one package was bound for a business located in Windsor and the other to a rented postal box at a UPS Store located in Suffolk. On March 15, Boone arrived to pick up the second package and, when confronted by law enforcement, he attempted to flee on foot. Upon apprehension, Boone admitted he was the intended recipient of both packages. He further admitted he had been responsible for the importation of approximately 10,000 pills per month. A subsequent search of Boone’s residence resulted in the recovery of a firearm, additional quantities of cocaine and fentanyl, scales, and commonly used adulterants.

Shortly after his interaction with law enforcement, Boone attempted to bribe a federal agent to form a “partnership.” Boone told the agent in a recorded phone call that, in exchange for $20,000, he expected the agent to protect him from criminal charges and assist him in maintaining his lines of drug supply and distribution. The agent immediately reported the conversation to his supervisors. On April 29, 2021, Boone was arrested after arranging a meeting with the agent. After his arrest, agents searched his car and found the $20,000 he promised. 

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; Daniel A. Adame, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Al Chandler, Interim Chief of Suffolk Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility provided significant assistance in this case. 

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Bird 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. 2:21-cr-44.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A company that previously operated skilled nursing facilities agreed to pay compensatory damages and a civil penalty to settle allegations involving violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

LTC Holdings, Inc., which previously operated 38 skilled nursing facilities under the name Medical Facilities of America, Inc. (MFA), including Culpeper Health & Rehabilitation Center (CHRC), located in Culpeper, agreed to pay $225,000 to a Deaf individual, who previously resided at CHRC for 67 days, and a $75,000 civil penalty to the United States to settle allegations that MFA failed to furnish necessary sign language services to the former resident. The ADA prohibits covered entities from failing to furnish appropriate auxiliary aids and services, including sign language services to individuals with communication disabilities. Prior to selling its nursing facilities, LTC Holdings, Inc. also voluntarily made changes to its policies and procedures and provided ADA training to thousands of its personnel.

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 for the Eastern District of Virginia. 

The civil claims settled by this settlement 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). Civil Rights complaints may be filed at the following website: https://civilrights.justice.gov/

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 Gaithersburg, Maryland, husband and wife pleaded guilty on September 30 and today, respectively, to engaging in a kickback scheme in which they unlawfully received money related to a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) grant program and to conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by not paying income taxes on the kickbacks they received.

According to court documents, since around 2002 through 2019, Ana Veronica Giri, 49, a NASA subcontractor, conspired with her husband, Vishesh Giri, 45, to receive kickbacks in exchange for Ana Giri ensuring that a specific vendor would be selected to provide information technology and audio-visual services necessary for a NASA contract. Vishesh Giri served as a runner by traveling to the vendor’s office locations in the Eastern District of Virginia to collect the payments.

Court records show the Giris and the vendor agreed to a payment routine in which the Giris would receive 10% of each contract awarded to the vendor. In addition to the monetary kickbacks, the vendor provided the Giris with televisions, computers, and other electronic equipment. Since 2011, the Giris received at least $707,331, paid through 260 kickback payments. The Giris did not report these earnings on their 2011 through 2019 income tax returns, which resulted in a tax loss of at least $165,471. As a result of this conspiracy, the Giris were able to maintain a lavish lifestyle, including the purchase of multiple real estate properties between 2005 and 2018 in Maryland and North Carolina.

The Giris pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and to defraud the IRS. Ana Giri and Vishesh Giri are scheduled to be sentenced on February 25, 2022. The Giris each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after 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; NASA Inspector General Paul K. Martin; and Darrell J. Waldon, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III accepted the pleas.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly M. Shartar and Jamar K. Walker 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 Nos. 1:21-cr-196 and 1:21-cr-197.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Justice Department filed a notice to dismiss its Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) lawsuit against Stafford County because the County repealed ordinances that prevented the All Muslim Association of America (AMAA) from developing a religious cemetery for persons of the Islamic faith.

The original complaint, filed in June 2020, alleged that Stafford County violated RLUIPA when it enacted an ordinance in December 2016 that prevented the AMAA from developing an Islamic cemetery. County officials had previously confirmed that the proposed cemetery was a permitted use of the property. The ordinance imposed new requirements, unsupported by any legitimate health or safety concerns, that the County knew the AMAA could not meet. After the United States filed the lawsuit, the County replaced the ordinance with another one that also imposed unreasonable constraints on the group’s ability to build a religious cemetery. 

In October 2020, the County repealed the second ordinance as well and replaced it with one that allows for the establishment of cemeteries by right in the zoning district where the AMAA’s property is located and removes other restrictions specific to cemeteries. This latest action allowed the AMAA to file its site plan application, which the County approved on July 9, enabling the organization to develop its cemetery. As a result, the Justice Department filed a notice to dismiss its RLUIPA lawsuit against Stafford County.

“RLUIPA protects people of all faiths in their right to exercise their religion,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to vigorously enforce RLUIPA—through litigation if necessary—against zoning regulations that unreasonably burden religious exercise, including by restricting a religious group’s right to bury its dead in accordance with religious rituals and customs.”      

The Notice of Dismissal filed today describes additional steps the County undertook to comply with RLUIPA after the department notified the County of its investigation. For example, the County has implemented an internal procedure to address complaints by any person who believes that the County may have violated RLUIPA, provided RLUIPA training to County employees who are responsible for implementing and enforcing zoning and land use regulations, posted notices of its obligations to comply with RLUIPA on several County website pages, and placed RLUIPA notices in land use application documents.

In a private settlement between the County and AMAA, Stafford County agreed to pay $500,000 in damages to the AMAA.  

RLUIPA is a federal law that protects religious institutions from unduly burdensome or discriminatory land use regulations. In June 2018, the Justice Department announced its Place to Worship Initiative, which focuses on RLUIPA’s provisions that protect the rights of houses of worship and other religious institutions to worship on their land. More information is available at www.justice.gov/crt/placetoworship.

Individuals who believe they have been subjected to discrimination in land use or zoning decisions may contact the Civil Rights Division Housing and Civil Enforcement Section at (833) 591-0291, or may submit a complaint through the complaint portal on the Place to Worship Initiative website. More information about RLUIPA, including questions and answers about the law and other documents, may be found at http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/hce/rluipaexplain.php.

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 federal jury convicted a Woodbridge man, who worked as a children’s tutor, yesterday on charges of transporting and receiving child pornography.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, from around May 2019 to January 2020, Majed Talat Hajbeh, 58, used a messaging application to forward himself over 800 videos and images of child pornography in order to access them across multiple devices. Along with the videos, Hajbeh forwarded himself links to online groups where child pornography was openly traded, some of which had names such as “Send Child Porn,” “Only Children Sex,” “kids only cp,” and “12 years kids XXX child.” Prior to his arrest in this case, Hajbeh operated a small business providing Arabic language and religious tutoring to school-aged children. GPS data from Hajbeh’s phone showed that some of the child pornography was forwarded from the homes of his tutoring students. 

Hajbeh faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison when sentenced on February 11, 2022. 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 Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danya E. Atiyeh and Seth M. Schlessinger are prosecuting the case.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-83.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Jessica D. Aber was officially sworn in today as the 63rd United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia by Chief United States District Judge Mark S. Davis and United States District Judge M. Hannah Lauck at the federal courthouse in Norfolk.

“I am grateful to the President for my nomination and to Senators Warner and Kaine for their recommendation and endorsement,” said Aber. “After serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for more than a decade, I am honored to lead this tremendous district with its dedicated public servants and to help preserve public safety with our law enforcement and community partners. I look forward to working in support of the mission of the Department of Justice and toward the realization of fair and equal justice for all.”

U.S. Attorney Aber was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on August 10 and unanimously confirmed by the Senate on October 5 for the position of United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. President Biden signed Aber’s commission on October 7.

Aber began her service to EDVA in 2009 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, handling a variety of financial fraud, public corruption, violent crime, and child exploitation cases. She has served as the EDVA representative to the Richmond Division’s drug court for her entire tenure. From 2015 to 2016, she served on a detail assignment as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice. Since 2016, Aber has served as the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for EDVA.

Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Aber was an associate at McGuireWoods LLP from 2007 to 2008. She served as a law clerk for then-Magistrate Judge M. Hannah Lauck on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia from 2006 to 2007.

Aber received her J.D. from William & Mary Law School in 2006 and her B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Richmond in 2003.

As U.S. Attorney, Aber supervises the prosecution of all federal crimes and the litigation of all civil matters in which the United States has an interest. She leads a staff of approximately 300 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel across four Divisions located in Alexandria, Richmond, Norfolk, and Newport News. The district serves over six million residents.

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.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man, who was the 25th defendant associated with Operation High Tide, was sentenced today to five years in prison for his role in trafficking firearms and selling heroin.

According to court documents, in 2017, Shon E. Melton, 32, of Portsmouth, was attributed with trafficking 19 firearms, including a concealable short barrel shotgun, assault rifles, and stolen guns, one of which was a Ruger with a scope and laser modification. Firearms trafficked by Melton include stolen guns connected to burglaries in the London Oaks neighborhood of Portsmouth, sold within days or weeks of the home invasions.

Operation High Tide is a large-scale narcotics trafficking and firearms investigation that has resulted in the recovery of over 65 firearms, over 7 kilograms of cocaine, nearly a kilogram of crack cocaine, over 625 grams of heroin, over 100 grams of fentanyl, 75 grams of acetyl fentanyl, 12 pounds of marijuana, 621 grams of hash oil, 24 grams of MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy), 120 grams of methamphetamine, and over $560,000 in cash. The narcotics seized have a street value of nearly $1 million.

To date, Operation High Tide defendants have been sentenced to a combined total of over 250 years:

Name, Age

Hometown

Charges

Sentence

Brian D. Best, 34

Virginia Beach

Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

92 months

Antisha Carrington, 25

Virginia Beach

Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Heroin, Fentanyl, and Marijuana

33 months

Portia L. Carrington-Green, 46, Chesapeake

Transferring a Firearm to a Prohibited Person

12 months and one day

Kawanta D. Epps, 40

Norfolk

Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Heroin, Fentanyl, and Marijuana; Distribution of Heroin

46 months

Glenn Farris, 36

Norfolk

Using a Communication Facility to Commit, Cause, and Facilitate the Distribution of Controlled Substances

30 months

Armad J. Gatling, 26, Portsmouth

 

Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Credit Union Fraud

216 months

Corey L. Jones, 50

Portsmouth

Conspiracy to Manufacture, Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Manufacture and Distribute Heroin; Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug-Trafficking Crime

240 months

Dominic D. Jones, 26

Portsmouth

Conspiracy to Manufacture, Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Manufacture and Distribute Heroin; Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug-Trafficking Crime

60 months

Malcolm D. Jones, Sr., 45

Portsmouth

Conspiracy to Manufacture, Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Manufacture and Distribute Heroin; Distribution of Heroin, Fentanyl; Distribution of Acetyl Fentanyl

246 months

Malcom Jones, Jr., 25

Portsmouth

Conspiracy to Manufacture, Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Manufacture and Distribute Heroin

156 months

Razagin K. Lee, 49, Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine

140 months

Shon E. Melton, 30

Portsmouth

Distribution of Heroin; Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug-Trafficking Crime; Possession of an Unregistered National Firearms Act Firearm

60 months

Hasheed Mills, 25

Portsmouth

Distribution of Heroin; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug-Trafficking Crime; Distribution of Cocaine

60 months

Gary Norfleet, 52

Chesapeake

Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine; Felon in Possession of a Firearm

151 months

Jermaine C. Parker, 35

Chesapeake

Distribution of Fentanyl; 2 counts of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug-Trafficking Crime

240 months

Takieon J. Perkins, 36, Chesapeake

Felon in Possession of a Firearm

180 months

Raewkon A. Pierce, 24

Portsmouth

Distribution of Cocaine

140 months

Corey S. Reed, 38

Norfolk

Distribution of Heroin; Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin

156 months

Tajh Rodgers, 29

Portsmouth

Robbery Affecting Commerce; Using, Carrying, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; and 3 counts of Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug-Trafficking Crime

336 months

Johnnie Ross, 29

Portsmouth

Distribution of Fentanyl

60 months

Jameel M. Simmons, 37

Portsmouth

Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug-Trafficking Crime

123 months

Jelami M. Smith, 43

Portsmouth

Distribution of Heroin

24 months

Robert B. Spruill, 39

Chesapeake

Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess Methamphetamine

60 months

Paul C. Voskanyan, 36

Possession with Intent to Distribute Crack Cocaine

144 months

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division; Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of Virginia State Police; Larry D. Boone, Chief of Norfolk Police; Col. K.L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police; and Renado Prince, Chief of Portsmouth Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristin G. Bird, Andrew C. Bosse, John F. Butler, Megan M. Cowles, Sherrie Capotosto, Kevin M. Comstock, Joseph E. DePadilla, William B. Jackson, Darryl Mitchell, and William D. Muhr prosecuted the cases referenced above.

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 on the Melton case 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-145. Other Operation High Tide cases can be found by searching for Case Nos. 2:19-cr-80, 111, 138, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 154, 155, 170, 193, and 2:20-cr-15.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh announced today the awarding of over $33 million in U.S. Department of Justice grants to 26 Virginia-based public and non-profit organizations to fund programs that help address violence against women.

“These grants will provide critical funding and essential services to vulnerable communities, especially women, individuals with disabilities, and immigrants who are victims of sexual assault and domestic violence,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We will continue to not only bring perpetrators of these crimes to justice in our courts, but also strengthen the impactful work that is financed by grants to educate our communities and provide much needed resources to support survivors during the healing process and beyond.”

The Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) selected 26 organizations from across the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) to receive over $33.3 million provided through 42 separate grants. The grants are provided to allow the organizations to better address a wide variety of needs and issues facing victims of domestic and sexual violence, such as increasing the availability of civil and criminal legal assistance, accommodating victims with disabilities or hearing impairment, and providing organizations expertise and support.

The recipients of these OVW grants in EDVA include state government entities that provide services throughout the Commonwealth, such as the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services and the Judiciary Courts of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and non-governmental organizations that provide technical training and assistance nationwide, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Center for State Courts, and the National Center for Victims of Crime. Additional grant recipients include local government entities in EDVA, such as Arlington, Fairfax, James City, Loudoun, and Spotsylvania County, and the City of Norfolk, along with the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe.

In addition, OVW awarded grants in EDVA to universities to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking on campus, including the College of William & Mary, Norfolk State University, the University of Mary Washington, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Multiple non-profit organizations that provide direct services to victims and survivors in EDVA also received funding, including Alteristic, Boat People S.O.S., the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, the disAbility Law Center of Virginia, Empowerhouse, the Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington, Rappahannock Goodwill Industries, the Tahirih Justice Center, the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance, and the YWCA of South Hampton Roads.

The over $33 million in grants awarded to Virginia-based organizations is part of more than $476 million in OVW grants awarded to support projects that meaningfully address the needs of underserved and marginalized survivors, improve access to justice, enhance survivor safety, hold accountable those who have caused harm, and provide training and technical assistance to an array of professionals and systems working to address sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking in every state and territory, as well as dozens of tribal communities.

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

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment yesterday charging three individuals with money laundering and aggravated identity theft as part of a business email compromise (BEC) scheme.

According to allegations in the superseding indictment, Onyewuchi Ibeh, 21, of Bowie, Maryland, Jason Joyner, 42, of Washington, D.C., and Mouaaz Elkhebri, 30, of Alexandria, Virginia, participated in a scheme to launder the proceeds of a BEC scheme. In a BEC scheme, conspirators infiltrate the computer systems of a victim company, including their email servers and email accounts, through phishing attacks or the use of malware. Once there, the conspirators impersonate the victim’s business partner and claim the business partner’s bank account information has changed. Intending to send the money to the business partner, the victim business instead sends the money to bank accounts controlled by the conspirators.

The superseding indictment alleges the defendants laundered over $1.1 million fraudulently obtained from at least five victim businesses as a result of a BEC scheme. As alleged, the co-conspirators, laundered the proceeds of the BEC scheme through various financial transactions using dozens of bank accounts that they directly and indirectly controlled. Ibeh’s alleged role in the scheme was to manage the money laundering by causing conspirators to open bank accounts, which he used to wire money domestically and internationally. Joyner’s alleged role in the scheme was to withdraw the proceeds of the fraud in cash, which he delivered to other conspirators, including Ibeh. Elkhebri’s alleged role in the scheme was to open bank accounts in his name and use his position as a bank employee to facilitate the opening of bank accounts in the name of both co-conspirators and victims.

Ibeh and Joyner are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering. If convicted, Ibeh and Joyner each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Elkhebri is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering, false entries in a bank’s books, and aggravated identity theft. If convicted of all charges, Elkhebri faces a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison and a maximum penalty of 52 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.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Christopher A. Nielsen, Inspector in Charge of the Analytics and Cyber Group of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Matthew S. Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hood is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No 1:21-cr-200.

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

RICHMOND, Va. – Three defendants have been sentenced for their roles in an interstate dog fighting network across the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey.

“The violent and cruel act of dog fighting is a heinous form of animal abuse,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “These defendants served as leaders, breeders, and trainers for a multi-year dog fighting operation and brazenly promoted this barbaric form of ‘entertainment’ for illegal personal gain. We must treat these animals—who are among society’s most vulnerable victims—with dignity and respect. As this prosecution demonstrates, those who engage in this intolerable and abhorrent conduct will be brought to justice in our courts.”

According to court documents, from at least 2013 to July 2018, Chester A. Moody, Jr., 47, of Glenn Dale, Maryland; Emmanuel A. Powe, Sr., 46, of Frederick, Maryland; and Odell S. Anderson, Sr., 52, of the District of Columbia, sponsored and exhibited dogs, as well as participated in almost every other aspect of dog fighting: selling, buying, possessing, training, transporting, delivering and receiving dogs so that those dogs could be used in dog fighting ventures. The defendants also possessed significant dog fighting equipment, such as dog treadmills, medical veterinary kits, breeding stands used to forcibly immobilize female fighting dogs, dog collars with embedded weights, and chains weighing several pounds used to restrain the dogs.

“Dog fighting is a form of cruelty with no place in our society,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This cruelty will not be tolerated, nor will exposing a child to such horrific acts.”

“The provisions of the Animal Welfare Act were designed to protect animals from being used in illegal fighting ventures, which often entail other forms of criminal activity,” Special Agent in Charge Bethanne M. Dinkins of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG) said. “Together with the Department of Justice, animal fighting is an investigative priority for USDA-OIG, and we will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and assist in the criminal prosecution of those who participate in animal fighting ventures.”

Throughout the conspiracy, the defendants participated in multiple dog fights, from “roll” or “play” fights used to test a dog’s willingness to fight, to full-blown dog fighting shows planned months in advance and limited to known attendees. One of these dog fight events occurred in King George, Virginia, in April 2016 where most of the participants were led to the fight’s secret location. The event involved two separate dog fights with dogs owned and sponsored by Anderson, Powe and Moody. The two losing dogs died following their injuries sustained in the fights. Both Anderson and Moody trained and fought dogs who attained Champion and/or Grand Champion status – terms used to indicate a dog who has won three and five contract matches respectively, with no losses.

Moody will serve one year and one day in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release and 120 hours of community service. Moody pleaded guilty on April 28 to one felony count of conspiracy to engage in dog fighting activities over several years.

Powe will serve 18 months in prison to be followed by 3 years supervised release. Powe pleaded guilty on May 10 to one felony count of conspiracy to engage in dog fighting activities over several years.

Anderson will serve 18 months in prison to be followed by 3 years supervised release. Anderson pleaded guilty on June 1 to the same felony count of conspiracy to engage in dog fighting activities as the other two defendants. Anderson also pleaded guilty to one count of causing a child under the age of sixteen to attend an illegal animal fight venture.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Todd Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division; Bethanne M. Dinkins, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG); and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia L. Norman of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Shennie Patel, of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section prosecuted this case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Operation Grand Champion, a coordinated effort across numerous federal judicial districts to combat organized dog fighting. The Humane Society of the United States, along with other entities, assisted with the care of the dogs seized by federal law enforcement.

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-24, 25, and 26.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Franklin, Tennessee, man pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud by paying bribes to secure medical services contracts for the Norfolk City Jail.

“The defendant conspired with the corrupt former Norfolk Sheriff to defraud the citizens of our community through an extensive bribery scheme involving cash, travel, entertainment, gifts, and campaign contributions,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This prosecution should send a clear message to those who seek to erode the public’s trust through bribes—including government contractors who pay them and corrupt elected officials who accept them—that they will be held accountable, regardless of their wealth or position.”

According to court documents, Gerard Boyle, 66, admitted to engaging in a 13-year bribery scheme with former Norfolk Sheriff Robert McCabe. Boyle was the founder and chief executive officer of Correct Care Solutions (CCS), a company that provided medical services to inmates at local jails. Over the course of the conspiracy, Boyle provided McCabe things of value, such as gifts, cash, entertainment, a Richard Petty driving experience, travel, campaign contributions, and in-kind political contributions. In exchange, McCabe performed official acts related to CCS’ medical services contracts with the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office. The medical services contracts were worth approximately $3.2 million per year. On August 24, 2021, a Norfolk federal jury convicted McCabe of all eleven charged counts related in part to this scheme.

“Gerard Boyle leveraged McCabe’s greed to unfairly game the system and get ahead of competitors. Their conspiracy to steer contracts to Boyle’s business in exchange for bribes was not only unfair to other businesses that played by the rules, but it betrayed the trust and confidence of the community,” said Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office. “The FBI will never allow bribery to become business as usual.”

“Paying bribes to get business is not only unethical, but it puts competitors who follow the law at an unfair disadvantage,” said Darrell J. Waldon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS-CI Washington DC Field Office. “We will continue to vigorously investigate those who seek to stifle fair competition by participating in pay-to-play contract schemes.”

Boyle is scheduled to be sentenced on February 25, 2022. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting 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, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Investigations Unit of the Internal Revenue Service, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller accepted the plea.

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

A Virginia man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for the production and receipt of child pornography.

Abraham Razook, 43, of Arlington, pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography on June 30. In pleading guilty, Razook admitted to sexually exploiting a prepubescent minor on multiple occasions and producing videos of this abuse. Specifically, from June to August of 2020, Razook created a series of sexually explicit videos of the prepubescent minor, and in February 2021, he produced a more than 6-minute video depicting graphic sexual abuse.

According to court documents, Razook also amassed a large number of online images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of hundreds of other child victims. Razook began this unlawful conduct as early as 2013, and between April and September 2020, he used a specific internet-based peer-to-peer program to download thousands of videos and images of child sexual abuse.

“The Department of Justice is committed to vigorously tracking down and holding accountable people like Razook who callously prey on vulnerable children for their selfish enjoyment,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “I commend the investigators and prosecutors in this case who are responsible for putting an end to Razook’s direct abuse of one minor and his perpetuation of the harm done to so many others in the videos and images he amassed.” 

“The defendant engaged in devastating acts of sexual exploitation against a defenseless child and produced videos of her sexual abuse for his warped gratification,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh for the Eastern District of Virginia. “He escalated his conduct over the course of years, from viewing and amassing child sexual abuse material to becoming an abuser himself. For his crimes against children, the defendant will now serve a significant prison sentence where he can no longer prey on the most vulnerable members of our communities.”

“Today, Mr. Razook will begin to pay for his reprehensible actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Raymond Villanueva of the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. “This sentencing is the result of many arduous hours of work by members of HSI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. It should serve as a warning to anyone who intends to victimize children; they will be held accountable.”

HSI investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Whitney Kramer of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Maya D. Song of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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. – An Arlington man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for production and receipt of child pornography.

“The defendant engaged in devastating acts of sexual exploitation against a defenseless child and produced videos of her sexual abuse for his warped gratification,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “He escalated his conduct over the course of years, from viewing and amassing child sexual abuse material to becoming an abuser himself. For his crimes against children, the defendant will now serve a significant prison sentence where he can no longer prey on the most vulnerable members of our communities.”

According to court documents, Abraham Razook, 43, admitted to sexually exploiting a prepubescent minor on multiple occasions and producing videos of this abuse. From June to August of 2020, Razook created a series of sexually explicit videos of the prepubescent minor. In February 2021, Razook produced a more than 6-minute video that depicted the graphic sexual abuse of the child.

“The Department of Justice is committed to vigorously tracking down and holding accountable people like Razook who callously prey on vulnerable children for their selfish enjoyment,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “I commend the investigators and prosecutors in this case who are responsible for putting an end to Razook’s direct abuse of one minor and his perpetuation of the harm he did to so many others in the images he amassed.” 

“Today, Mr. Razook will begin to pay for his reprehensible actions,” said Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. “This sentencing is the result of many arduous hours of work by members of HSI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. It should serve as a warning to anyone who intends to victimize children; they will be held accountable.”

Court records show the defendant also amassed a large number of online images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of hundreds of other child victims. Razook’s devices, that were recovered pursuant to a court-authorized search warrant and analyzed by law enforcement, contained evidence of additional child sexual abuse material including images and videos depicting violence against children. The evidence uncovered on his devices demonstrated that Razook began this unlawful conduct as early as 2013. Between April and September of 2020, Razook used an internet-based peer-to-peer program to download thousands of videos and images of child sexual abuse.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kenneth A. Polite Jr., Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Kramer and Assistant U.S. Attorney Maya D. Song prosecuted the case.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-146.

Airbus U.S. Space & Defense Inc., formerly known as Airbus Defense and Space Inc. (ADSI), has agreed to pay to the United States $1,043,475 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by billing impermissible fees in contracts with a number of federal agencies. 

“Government contractors have a responsibility to bill the government both accurately and transparently,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Companies that knowingly inflate their costs or otherwise improperly bill the government will be held accountable.”

“This settlement underscores the important role that whistleblowers continue to serve in protecting critical taxpayer resources,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We encourage individuals who uncover suspected misconduct regarding federal contracts to come forward and report their observations.”

“Government contractors who deliberately inflate profits at the expense of our military and taxpayer will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Mid-Atlantic Field Office for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). “This civil settlement reflects DCIS’ commitment to work with our law enforcement partners to tenaciously investigate those alleged to have overcharged the Department of Defense.”

The settlement resolves allegations that from January 2016 through January 2017, ADSI submitted proposals for contracts that included an unapproved cost rate to which ADSI was not entitled. ADSI referred to this as the “Orlando Factor.” The government further alleged that on certain contracts, during 2013 through 2020, ADSI charged federal government agencies an additional fee from its affiliates on top of ADSI’s own fee for parts ADSI acquired from its affiliates, but did not accurately disclose this affiliate fee to the government. Finally, the government alleged that ADSI charged a third-party contractor an excessive monthly storage fee to store a radar system purchased to support a contract with the U.S. Navy. The contractor passed along the full storage fees charged by ADSI to the U.S. Navy. However, ADSI did not disclose that they paid only a portion of those storage fees to store the radar system.    

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by a former ADSI employee. The False Claims Act permits private parties to sue for false claims on behalf of the United States and to share in any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned U.S. ex rel. Kmec v. Airbus Defense and Space, Inc., et al., No. 1:19-cv-660 (E.D. Va.). The former ADSI employee will receive $157,220 of the False Claims Act settlement.

The settlement was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, with investigative support from the DCIS and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division.

The matter was handled by Trial Attorney Richard Hagner of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Krista Anderson of the Eastern District of Virginia.

Related court documents and information from the civil lawsuit can be accessed on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cv-660 (E.D. Va.).

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

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A U.S. Government contractor has agreed to settle allegations that the company improperly billed fees on U.S. defense contracts involving a number of federal agencies. 

Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc., formerly known as Airbus Defense and Space, Inc. (ADSI), with offices in Arlington, Virginia, has agreed to pay to the United States $1,043,475 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by billing impermissible fees in contracts involving a number of federal agencies.

“This settlement underscores the important role that whistleblowers continue to serve in protecting critical taxpayer resources,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We encourage individuals who uncover suspected misconduct regarding federal contracts to come forward and report their observations.”

The settlement resolves allegations that, from January 2016 through January 2017, ADSI submitted proposals for contracts that included an unapproved cost rate to which ADSI was not entitled. ADSI referred to this cost rate as the “Orlando Factor.” The government further alleged that on certain contracts, during 2013 through 2020, ADSI charged federal government agencies an additional fee from its affiliates on top of ADSI’s own fee for parts ADSI acquired from its affiliates, but did not accurately disclose this affiliate fee to the government. The government also alleged that ADSI charged a third-party contractor an excessive monthly storage fee to store a radar system purchased to support a contract with the U.S. Navy. The government alleged that ADSI passed along the full storage fees charged by ADSI to the U.S. Navy but did not disclose that it paid only a portion of those storage fees to store the radar system.

“Government contractors have a responsibility to bill the government both accurately and transparently,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Companies that knowingly inflate their costs or otherwise improperly bill the government will be held accountable.”

“Government contractors who deliberately inflate profits at the expense of our military and taxpayer will be held accountable,” said Christopher Dillard, Special Agent in Charge of the Mid-Atlantic Field Office for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). “This civil settlement reflects DCIS’ commitment to work with our law enforcement partners to tenaciously investigate those alleged to have overcharged the Department of Defense.”

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, by a former Airbus employee. The False Claims Act permits private parties to sue for false claims on behalf of the United States and to share in any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned U.S. ex rel. Kmec v. Airbus Defense and Space, Inc., et al.). The former Airbus employee will receive $157,220 of the False Claims Act settlement.

The settlement was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Department of Justice’s Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch Fraud Section, with investigative support from the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division.

The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Krista Anderson of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Richard Hagner of the Department of Justice’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 at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information from the civil lawsuit can be accessed on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cv-660 (E.D. Va.).

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

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – As alleged in a criminal complaint unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Mohammed Khalifa, a Saudi-born Canadian citizen who was a leading figure in the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham’s (ISIS) English Media Section and served as an ISIS fighter, was charged with conspiring to provide material support to ISIS, a foreign terrorist organization, resulting in death. Khalifa was captured overseas by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in January 2019. He was recently transferred into the custody of the FBI, at which point he was first brought to the Eastern District of Virginia.

“As alleged, Mohammed Khalifa not only fought for ISIS on the battlefield in Syria, but he was also the voice behind the violence,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Through his alleged leading role in translating, narrating, and advancing ISIS’s online propaganda, Khalifa promoted the terrorist group, furthered its worldwide recruitment efforts, and expanded the reach of videos that glorified the horrific murders and indiscriminate cruelty of ISIS. EDVA and our partners have a long history of prosecuting national security cases, and we are honored to serve once again in this effort to seek justice on behalf of the United States and the victims of ISIS’s brutality.”

As alleged in the criminal complaint, Mohammed Khalifa, a/k/a “Abu Ridwan Al-Kanadi,” a/k/a “Abu Muthanna Al-Muhajir,” 38, of Canada, served in prominent roles within ISIS starting in 2013 and continuing until his capture by the SDF in January 2019 following a firefight between ISIS fighters and the SDF. In addition to allegedly serving as an ISIS fighter, Khalifa allegedly served as a lead translator in ISIS’s propaganda production and the English-speaking narrator on multiple violent ISIS recruitment videos.

“This arrest is the first step in holding the defendant accountable for his alleged terrorist activity, which included serving as an ISIS fighter and an important member of the ISIS media bureau,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mark J. Lesko. “As alleged in the complaint, the defendant and others engaged in a wide-ranging conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS, with the conspirators serving the terrorist organization in a variety of capacities. As alleged, that conspiracy resulted in the death of numerous others at the hands of ISIS members and fighters.  The National Security Division and our partners are committed to holding accountable those who provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations. I want to thank all of the agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this case.”

“Let there be no doubt, the FBI will hold terrorists and those who provide material support to terrorist organizations accountable for their actions,” stated Assistant Director Timothy Langan, FBI Counterterrorism Division. “The unsealing of the charges today demonstrates the FBI’s tireless dedication and commitment to pursue those who join foreign terrorist organizations like ISIS. The defendant is alleged to have, among other things, played an integral role in the recruitment and radicalization of Westerners through the production, narration, and dissemination of English-language ISIS propaganda, including the Flames of War videos that depicted the brutal execution of ISIS-held prisoners and hostages. He will now face justice inside of a U.S. courtroom for his actions. We will continue to present a united front, with our U.S. government and international partners, in the fight against ISIS, those who support ISIS, and other terrorist groups.”

“As alleged in the complaint, as one of the leading figures in ISIS’s English media section, Mohammed Khalifa contributed to the radicalization of individuals through his English narration of ISIS recruitment propaganda,” said Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “While many Americans are aware of the brutal and violent crimes committed by many ISIS actors, ISIS’s efforts to radicalize individuals to travel to Syria and commit violence on its behalf were equally horrendous. The charges announced today, which are the result of years of diligent work by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and our partners, are a reminder to those who continue to support ISIS around the world that the U.S. Government has not forgotten your crimes. We will find you and hold you accountable.”

The complaint also alleges that Khalifa traveled to Syria in the spring of 2013 with the intent of becoming a foreign fighter and ultimately joining ISIS. He joined ISIS in or around November 2013 and swore allegiance to then-ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In early 2014, he was recruited to join ISIS’s Media Bureau due in part to his linguistic capabilities as a fluent English and Arabic speaker. Khalifa played an important role in the production and dissemination of ISIS propaganda across multiple media platforms targeting Western audiences. A primary focus of much of Khalifa’s propaganda production was aimed at enticing ISIS supporters to travel to ISIS-controlled areas to join ISIS or to conduct attacks in the West, including in the United States, on ISIS’s behalf. Khalifa actively participated in armed hostilities on behalf of ISIS. Just prior to his capture by the SDF on or about January 13, 2019, Khalifa engaged in armed conflict on behalf of ISIS, including throwing grenades against opposing combatants.

The complaint further alleges that Khalifa was a prominent figure within the ISIS Media Bureau, the “Diwan of Central Media,” and assisted in the translation and narration of approximately 15 total videos created and distributed by ISIS. The productions narrated by Khalifa include two of the most influential and exceedingly violent ISIS propaganda videos: “Flames of War: Fighting Has Just Begun,” distributed on September 19, 2014, and “Flames of War II: Until the Final Hour,” distributed on November 29, 2017. These videos, containing English narration by Khalifa, were part of an ISIS media campaign promoting violence committed against U.S. citizens and other countries’ citizens in order to incite further violence against the United States, allied nations, and their citizens. The videos depict glamorized portrayals of ISIS and its fighters as well as scenes of violence, including depictions of unarmed prisoners being executed, depictions of ISIS attacks in the United States, and footage of ISIS attacks and fighting in what is described as Syria and Egypt.

Khalifa also allegedly narrated a series of recruitment videos entitled “Inside the Khilafah” that depicted various aspects of daily life within the Islamic State and featured ISIS members encouraging potential recruits to join ISIS and conduct terrorist attacks against non-Muslims. The narration in one of these videos encourages recruits unable to leave their home countries to join ISIS in conducting attacks in countries outside the Islamic State, displaying footage of ISIS attacks in Europe, including attacks in Paris, France; Brussels, Belgium; and Nice, France. The video also includes a voice recording of Omar Mateen, the Pulse Nightclub mass shooter, declaring his allegiance to ISIS during the June 12, 2016 terrorist attack in Orlando, Florida.

Productions by the ISIS Media Bureau during the time period in which Khalifa was allegedly a prominent member include videos or images depicting: the beheadings of American hostages James Wright Foley, Steven Joel Sotloff, and Peter Edward Kassig; an announcement concerning the death of American hostage Kayla Jean Mueller; the beheadings of British citizens David Haines and Alan Henning; the decapitated body of Japanese citizen Haruna Yukawa; and the beheading of Japanese citizen Kenji Goto.

Khalifa is charged with conspiring to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, resulting in death. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis M. Fitzpatrick; Acting United States Attorney Raj Parekh; and Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Gibbs, and Aidan Taft Grano-Mickelson, all from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Trial Attorney Alicia H. Cook of the Justice Department 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. 1:21-mj-34.

Affidavit is available here.

A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed one or more crimes. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

As alleged in a criminal complaint unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Mohammed Khalifa, a Saudi-born Canadian citizen, who was a leading figure in the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham’s (ISIS) English Media Section and served as an ISIS fighter, was charged with conspiring to provide material support to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization, resulting in death. Khalifa was captured overseas by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in January 2019. He was recently transferred into the custody of the FBI, at which point he was first brought to the Eastern District of Virginia.

As alleged in the criminal complaint, Mohammed Khalifa, aka Abu Ridwan Al-Kanadi and Abu Muthanna Al-Muhajir, 38, of Canada, served in prominent roles within ISIS starting in 2013 and continuing until his capture by the SDF in January 2019 following a firefight between ISIS fighters and the SDF. In addition to allegedly serving as an ISIS fighter, Khalifa allegedly served as a lead translator in ISIS’s propaganda production and the English-speaking narrator on multiple violent ISIS recruitment videos.

“This arrest is the first step in holding the defendant accountable for his alleged terrorist activity, which included serving as an ISIS fighter and an important member of the ISIS media bureau,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark J. Lesko for the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “As alleged in the complaint, the defendant and others engaged in a wide-ranging conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS, with the conspirators serving the terrorist organization in a variety of capacities. As alleged, that conspiracy resulted in the death of numerous others at the hands of ISIS members and fighters. The National Security Division and our partners are committed to holding accountable those who provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations. I want to thank all of the agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this case.”

“As alleged, Mohammed Khalifa not only fought for ISIS on the battlefield in Syria, but he was also the voice behind the violence,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Through his alleged leading role in translating, narrating, and advancing ISIS’s online propaganda, Khalifa promoted the terrorist group, furthered its worldwide recruitment efforts, and expanded the reach of videos that glorified the horrific murders and indiscriminate cruelty of ISIS. EDVA and our partners have a long history of prosecuting national security cases, and we are honored to serve once again in this effort to seek justice on behalf of the United States and the victims of ISIS’s brutality.”

“Let there be no doubt, the FBI will hold terrorists and those who provide material support to terrorist organizations accountable for their actions,” said Assistant Director Timothy Langan of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “The unsealing of the charges today demonstrates the FBI’s tireless dedication and commitment to pursue those who join foreign terrorist organizations like ISIS. The defendant is alleged to have, among other things, played an integral role in the recruitment and radicalization of Westerners through the production, narration, and dissemination of English-language ISIS propaganda, including the Flames of War videos that depicted the brutal execution of ISIS-held prisoners and hostages. He will now face justice inside of a U.S. courtroom for his actions. We will continue to present a united front, with our U.S. government and international partners, in the fight against ISIS, those who support ISIS, and other terrorist groups.”

“As alleged in the complaint, as one of the leading figures in ISIS’ English media section, Mohammed Khalifa contributed to the radicalization of individuals through his English narration of ISIS recruitment propaganda,” said Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “While many Americans are aware of the brutal and violent crimes committed by many ISIS actors, ISIS’ efforts to radicalize individuals to travel to Syria and commit violence on its behalf were equally horrendous. The charges announced today, which are the result of years of diligent work by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and our partners, are a reminder to those who continue to support ISIS around the world that the U.S. Government has not forgotten your crimes. We will find you and hold you accountable.”

The complaint also alleges that Khalifa traveled to Syria in the spring of 2013 with the intent of becoming a foreign fighter and ultimately joining ISIS. He joined ISIS in or around November 2013 and swore allegiance to then-ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In early 2014, he was recruited to join ISIS’s Media Bureau due in part to his linguistic capabilities as a fluent English and Arabic speaker. Khalifa played an important role in the production and dissemination of ISIS propaganda across multiple media platforms targeting Western audiences. A primary focus of much of Khalifa’s propaganda production was aimed at enticing ISIS supporters to travel to ISIS-controlled areas to join ISIS or to conduct attacks in the West, including in the United States, on ISIS’s behalf. Khalifa actively participated in armed hostilities on behalf of ISIS. Just prior to his capture by the SDF on or about Jan. 13, 2019, Khalifa engaged in armed conflict on behalf of ISIS, including throwing grenades against opposing combatants.

The complaint further alleges that Khalifa was a prominent figure within the ISIS Media Bureau, the “Diwan of Central Media,” and assisted in the translation and narration of approximately 15 total videos created and distributed by ISIS. The productions narrated by Khalifa include two of the most influential and exceedingly violent ISIS propaganda videos: “Flames of War: Fighting Has Just Begun,” distributed on Sept. 19, 2014, and “Flames of War II: Until the Final Hour,” distributed on Nov. 29, 2017. These videos, containing English narration by Khalifa, were part of an ISIS media campaign promoting violence committed against U.S. citizens and other countries’ citizens in order to incite further violence against the United States, allied nations and their citizens. The videos depict glamorized portrayals of ISIS and its fighters as well as scenes of violence, including depictions of unarmed prisoners being executed, depictions of ISIS attacks in the United States, and footage of ISIS attacks and fighting in what is described as Syria and Egypt.

Khalifa also allegedly narrated a series of recruitment videos entitled “Inside the Khilafah” that depicted various aspects of daily life within the Islamic State and featured ISIS members encouraging potential recruits to join ISIS and conduct terrorist attacks against non-Muslims. The narration in one of these videos encourages recruits unable to leave their home countries to join ISIS in conducting attacks in countries outside the Islamic State, displaying footage of ISIS attacks in Europe, including attacks in Paris, France; Brussels, Belgium; and Nice, France. The video also includes a voice recording of Omar Mateen, the Pulse Nightclub mass shooter, declaring his allegiance to ISIS during the June 12, 2016, terrorist attack in Orlando, Florida.

Productions by the ISIS Media Bureau during the time period in which Khalifa was allegedly a prominent member include videos or images depicting: the beheadings of American hostages James Wright Foley, Steven Joel Sotloff and Peter Edward Kassig; an announcement concerning the death of American hostage Kayla Jean Mueller; the beheadings of British citizens David Haines and Alan Henning; the decapitated body of Japanese citizen Haruna Yukawa; and the beheading of Japanese citizen Kenji Goto.

Khalifa is charged with conspiring to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, resulting in death. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis M. Fitzpatrick, John T. Gibbs and Aidan Taft Grano-Mickelson, all from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Trial Attorney Alicia H. Cook of the National Security Division‘s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

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

RICHMOND, Va. – Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh announced today that the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) has provided $301,780 in grant funding for Project RECOVER. The funding will provide peer recovery support for Central Virginians suffering with substance use disorders during one of the most critical times in their path to recovery – immediately following an overdose. This support will be provided by Certified Peer Recovery Specialists who work with local emergency services, are in recovery themselves, and have taken training to help others who want to join the same life-saving journey.

“With the help of our partners and through this important initiative, we are focusing on long-term and community-based support through the deployment of recovery-related resources immediately after overdose incidents,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “By deploying Certified Peer Recovery Specialists who have training and life experience in the treatment and recovery process, we can provide mentors to those in need and allow them to embark on the path to recovery.”

Project RECOVER provides four Certified Peer Recovery Specialists and a supervisory Peer Recovery Specialist to support individuals in Henrico and Chesterfield counties, and in the City of Richmond, suffering with substance use disorders that result in treatment by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) or contact with law enforcement. All too often, once EMS and law enforcement have addressed the immediate trauma of an overdose incident and have left the scene to respond to the next call from the community, the victim is left without sustainable treatment and recovery options. Project RECOVER’s goal is to help fill this gap by providing individuals in need with immediate support from a peer who has overcome similar challenges and has gained real-world knowledge of the ongoing process of treatment and recovery. The grant-funded Peer Recovery Specialists will provide a handbook with resources and help guide the individual through the process of obtaining those resources. They will also provide a continuum of long-term support for the individual as they navigate through treatment and recovery. The Peer Recovery Specialists will also provide education and training to Central Virginia community members, including law enforcement, about how to provide proper support for those suffering with substance use disorders.

Project RECOVER’s partners in this community-based initiative include its sub-grantee, the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia (SAARA), Chesterfield County Fire & EMS, Henrico County Fire & EMS, Richmond Ambulance Authority, and the Richmond Police Department. The Certified Peer Recovery Specialists will be embedded within these partner organizations and will respond to overdoses with their partner agencies.

Project RECOVER was developed to address the gap in services described above, as identified by the Central Virginia Overdose Working Group (CVOWG). The CVOWG is comprised of over 330 stakeholders from 14 disciplines. It was created to eliminate the siloed structure of the substance use arena by bringing experts from multiple fields together to discuss issues, identify gaps, and develop solutions to the overdose epidemic in Central Virginia.

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.

RICHMOND, Va. – The Justice Department announced today that it filed a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia against Prince George County, Virginia, and the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) to enforce employment rights guaranteed to a member of the Virginia Army National Guard, Major Mark Gunn, under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).

“It is our profound duty to help protect the brave servicemembers who temporarily leave their civilian employment when called upon to serve our country in times of need,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “These courageous Americans make immeasurable personal sacrifices associated with safeguarding the freedoms we enjoy. We will do everything we can to ensure that civilian employers comply with their legal obligation to return these honorable women and men to their previous jobs following their military service.”

“Servicemembers who take military leave from their civilian jobs to serve their country are entitled to return to their prior positions without having to sacrifice their hard earned promotions and employment benefits,” said Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke. “The Department of Justice will work tirelessly to enforce federal laws that protect the rights of servicemembers when they are called up to service.”

In its complaint, the United States alleges that Gunn had been a detective with the Prince George County Police Department for fourteen years when, in January 2016, he was called to active duty by the Virginia Army National Guard. The United States further alleges that when Gunn returned from his active-duty service, the County refused to allow Gunn to return to his detective position Instead, the County assigned him back to a Patrol Unit officer position. The United States also alleges that the County denied Gunn employment benefits that he would have accrued during his period of active-duty service, including a bonus awarded to County employees. Finally, the United States alleges that the County’s unlawful actions caused Gunn to leave his employment with the Prince George County Police Department and return to active duty in the Virginia Army National Guard. The complaint seeks to have Gunn effectively reinstated to his prior detective position and to recover employment benefits that the County denied him during his period of active-duty service from 2016 to 2018, as well as the VRS pension credits and benefits that he lost as a result of the County’s USERRA alleged violations.

USERRA protects the rights of uniformed servicemembers to retain their civilian employment following absences due to military service obligations and provides that servicemembers shall not be discriminated against because of their military obligations. USERRA also requires employers to provide pension benefits when their employees are called to active duty. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and Justice Department gives high priority to the enforcement of servicemembers’ rights under USERRA. Additional information about USERRA can be found on the Justice Department’s websites at www.justice.gov/crt-military/employment-rights-userra and www.justice.gov/servicemembers as well as on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) website at www.dol.gov/vets/programs/userra.

This case stems from a referral by the U.S. Department of Labor, at Major Gunn’s request, after an investigation by that agency’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service. The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deirdre Brou, Lauren Oberheim, and Robert McIntosh, and as a part of the Servicemember and Veterans’ Initiative within the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Trial Attorney Shan Shah in the Employment Litigation Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

Related court documents and information from the civil lawsuit are on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cv-631.

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

The civil claims asserted in the complaint are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) honors and celebrates the countless achievements, cultural contributions, and rich history of the Hispanic American community during this year’s National Hispanic Heritage Month.

“Hispanic Americans have enriched our Office, our communities, and our country through their strong bonds of family and friendship, tenacity, kindness, and invaluable contributions to all facets of our lives,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This year’s theme of resilience and hope comes at a critical time, as we continue to fight prejudice and collectively work to remove barriers to equality that have too often disproportionately impacted minority communities. EDVA expresses its deep gratitude to the many Hispanic Americans who have defended our Nation and to those who have dedicated their lives to upholding our Nation’s most sacred values. Hispanic Americans, through their courageous leadership, tireless efforts, and extensive civic contributions, consistently remind us of the importance of unity as we strive to achieve our cherished goal of ensuring that our system of justice is equal and fair to all.” 

Each year, from September 15 to October 15, National Hispanic Heritage Month commemorates the contributions of Hispanic American communities to the social fabric of our country by recognizing the exceptional impact that these diverse communities have on American society. The unique timing of Hispanic Heritage Month coincides with the Independence Day celebrations of several Latin American nations. For example, on September 15, 1812, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua declared their independence from Spain. Mexico and Chile declared independence from Spain on September 16 and September 18, 1810 respectively. Belize also declared its independence from Great Britain on September 21, 1981.

The National Council of Hispanic Employment Program Managers announced that the theme of the 2021 celebration is: “Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope.” We are all invited to celebrate Hispanic Heritage and to reflect on the resilient nature of Hispanic Americans in the face of profound challenges and to look to the future with hope.

EDVA’s commemoration of National Hispanic Heritage Month will include an office-wide virtual panel discussion with the Honorable Mary H. Murguia, who began serving as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 2011 and who became the first Latina to ever serve as a judge on the federal bench in Arizona in 2000; and the Honorable Adalberto J. Jordán, who became the first Cuban American to serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in 2012.

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 Virginia Beach man was sentenced yesterday to 48 months in prison for defrauding the IRS out of more than $2.5 million of taxes by, among other things, hiding assets, making false statements about his ability to pay, using a nominee company to conduct business, and diverting huge sums of money to pay creditors instead of the IRS.

“The defendant has been held accountable for attempting to evade the payment of over $2.5 million in tax obligations while he was earning and spending millions of dollars on personal luxury expenses and the mortgage for his oceanfront home in Virginia Beach,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The sentence imposed in this case should send a clear message of deterrence to others who may be considering unlawfully enriching themselves at the expense of the American taxpayer.”

According to court documents, Richard Yanek, 53, has owned and operated a credit card processing business since at least 1995. Between 2013 and 2018, Yanek withheld employment taxes from his employees, but he failed to consistently pay more than a million dollars of those withholdings to the IRS. Each year, Yanek provided false employment tax forms to his employees, who filed their own taxes and mistakenly believed that the amounts withheld from their wages had been paid to the Social Security program.

“Yanek betrayed his employees’ trust and violated U.S. tax laws for personal financial gain,” said Darrell J. Waldon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C. Field Office. “He deliberately chose not to pay over employment taxes he withheld from his employees, instead opting to use those monies to fund a life of opulence. For years, he spent millions of dollars on luxury items. Today, justice was served.”

Until recently, Yanek had not filed a personal income tax return or paid personal income taxes since 2010, despite earning and spending millions of dollars on the mortgage for his oceanfront home, personal credit cards, private school tuition, and golf and yacht club dues. Yanek had his personal tax returns prepared by his accountant for the years 2011 through 2016, all of which reported substantial taxes due and owing. However, Yanek intentionally chose not to file these returns with the IRS, and he later made false statements to the IRS and law enforcement when asked why those returns had not been filed.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Darrell J. Waldon, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mack Coleman and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard Zlotnick prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:21-cr-26.