Eastern District of Virginia

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Chinese national pleaded guilty today to his role in a $1.1 million fraud conspiracy involving gift cards.

According to court documents, Jin Hong, 38, of Richmond, was part of a wire fraud conspiracy in which members of the conspiracy contacted victims by telephone or through social media and assumed fictitious identities. The conspirators falsely claimed to be from the Internal Revenue Service or an employee of a financial institution and falsely told victims they were entitled to money or under some form of immediate financial threat, such as having their personal identification information compromised by known criminals. Hong and his co-conspirators used these ruses and others to trick the victims into purchasing gift cards and then sending the gift cards’ redemption codes to them. The redemption codes allow the gift cards to be redeemed without being in possession of the physical card.

Hong, along with co-conspirators Shouming Sun, He Li, Yuchen Zhang, and others, then used the fraudulently obtained redemption codes to purchase goods totaling approximately $1.1 million.

Hong is scheduled to be sentenced on April 7, 2021. 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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr, Chief of Fairfax County Police; and J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney William Fitzpatrick and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Viviana Vasiu are prosecuting the case.

This matter was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office's Transnational Organized Crime Task Force which is composed by FBI agents along with local, state, and federal partners. Significant investigative assistance was provided by the Fairfax County Police Department.

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-254.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for discharging a firearm during an armed robbery in Petersburg.

According to court documents, in November 2014, Deontae J. Hargrave, 28, committed an armed robbery of a 7-Eleven convenience store in Petersburg. When demanding money from the cashier, Hargrave fired a .40 caliber round of ammunition into the display case behind the cashier. Hargrave obtained approximately $40 and three packs of cigarettes from the robbery. Subsequently, Hargrave sent a threatening letter to a detective investigating a crime he was allegedly involved in.

In 2015, Hargrave pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a total of 237 months in prison. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed Hargrave’s convictions for the armed robbery (count one) and discharge of the firearm during the robbery (count two). The court, however, determined that the sentencing judge needed to more fully explain why he imposed a 15-year sentence on count two, as opposed to the mandatory minimum of 10 years. Following remand, sentencing judge again imposed a 15-year sentence on count two.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of a renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:15-cr-37.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Chesapeake businesswoman was sentenced today to 42 months in prison and ordered to pay over $1 million in restitution for engaging in a fraudulent rental agreement scheme and embezzling monies entrusted to her for postage.

According to court documents, Tonya Saxby, 46, owned and operated Mail Solutions of Virginia LLC, which was an authorized dealer for Neopost (now Quadient), a mail, shipping and document solutions company in Connecticut. Neopost manufactured mail processing equipment that it leased through rental agreements to customers throughout the United States. In her capacity as an agent for Neopost, Saxby negotiated equipment rental agreements with Ferguson Enterprises, a company headquartered in Newport News, Virginia. In order to get business with Ferguson Enterprises, Saxby negotiated agreements with it for monthly rental payments that were significantly lower than Neopost’s pricing guidelines, knowing that Neopost would not have approved them. She created 82 false and fraudulent rental agreements, forged the signatures of Ferguson Enterprises employees onto them, and sent them to Neopost. Neither Neopost nor Ferguson Enterprises were aware of the fraudulent rental agreements.

According to court documents, Saxby earned $91,707.29 in commissions to which she was not entitled. When Neopost discovered the fraud, it reclaimed and disposed of the equipment it had delivered to Ferguson Enterprises, resulting in a loss to Neopost of $801,634.46. Saxby also embezzled monies provided to her by customers for the purpose of purchasing postage from the U.S. Postal Service to load onto postal meters installed on their equipment, resulting in a loss of $38,544.32 to the U.S. Postal Service, which had already loaded the postage. Saxby embezzled an additional $91,112.21 from customers that entrusted her with money to purchase postage.

The total loss sustained by victims as a result of Saxby’s fraud was $1,022,998.28.    

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Karl Schumann, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Peter R. Rendina, 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 Rebecca Beach Smith.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan M. Salsbury 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. 2:20-cr-20.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former U.S. Navy Seabee was sentenced today to 109 months in prison for transporting images of child sexual abuse.

According to court documents, Martin Nieves Huizar, 37, of Arlington, was previously assigned to the U.S. Secretary of State's overseas travel communications detail. In January, upon returning from official government travel from Germany to Washington Dulles International Airport, Huizar was caught by Customs and Border Patrol Officers transporting images of child sexual abuse on his phones and tablet computer. Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations then interviewed Huizar, who confessed to knowingly downloading and transporting images of child sexual abuse internationally.

Subsequent investigation revealed that Huizar had also engaged in online grooming of a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina via the social media platform, Instagram. While overseas on official government travel, Huizar made plans to meet up with the minor girl for sex shortly after his arrival back to the United States. Due to this investigation and prosecution, that meeting did not occur. Court records also revealed that Huizar previously had targeted other minor girls.

In addition to Huizar’s prison sentence, he will also be required to pay $40,100 in fines, pay $10,000 in restitution to the victims of the offense, serve a 10-year term of supervised release, and register as a sex offender upon release from the Bureau of Prisons.

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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ambassador Matthew Klimow, Acting Inspector General for the Department of State; and Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston, Jr.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service assisted in the investigation.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell L. Carlberg prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-152.

 A former Army Green Beret pleaded guilty today to conspiring with Russian intelligence operatives to provide them with United States national defense information.

According to court documents, from December 1996 to January 2011, Peter Rafael Dzibinski Debbins, 45, of Gainesville, a former member of the U.S. Army, conspired with agents of a Russian intelligence service. During that time, Debbins periodically visited Russia and met with Russian intelligence agents. In 1997, Debbins was assigned a code name by Russian intelligence agents and signed a statement attesting that he wanted to serve Russia.

“Debbins today acknowledged that he violated this country’s highest trust by passing sensitive national security information to the Russians,” said John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.  “Debbins betrayed his oath, his country, and his Special Forces team members with the intent to harm the United States and help Russia.  Debbins’s guilty plea represents another success in the Department’s continuing effort to counter the national security threat posed by our nation’s adversaries, including Russia.”

“Our country entrusted Debbins with the responsibility and training to protect it from its adversaries,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Debbins betrayed that trust and betrayed his fellow service members by conspiring to provide national defense information to Russian intelligence operatives. I would like to commend our investigative partners for their steadfast and dogged dedication to bringing Debbins to justice and holding him accountable for his crimes.”

From 1998 to 2005, Debbins served on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Army, serving in chemical units before being selected for the U.S. Army Special Forces. The Russian intelligence agents encouraged him to join and pursue a career in the Special Forces, which he did, where he served at the rank of Captain.

Over the course of the conspiracy, Debbins provided the Russian intelligence agents with information that he obtained as a member of the U.S. Army, including information about his chemical and Special Forces units. In 2008, after leaving active duty service, Debbins disclosed to the Russian intelligence agents classified information about his previous activities while deployed with the Special Forces. Debbins also provided the Russian intelligence agents with the names of, and information about, a number of his former Special Forces team members so that the agents could evaluate whether to approach the team members to see if they would cooperate with the Russian intelligence service.

“Debbins betrayed this nation and his fellow serviceman, putting Americans and our national security at risk by providing national defense information to Russia’s Intelligence Service,” said Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Despite being entrusted to protect his colleagues and U.S. national security, he chose to abuse this trust by knowingly providing classified information to one of our most aggressive adversaries.  Today’s plea is an example of the zealous pursuit of justice that the FBI and our partners stand for and work tirelessly to achieve every day.”

“President Kennedy called the Green Berets ‘a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction.’ Mr. Debbins’ actions were a symbol of betrayal, a badge of cowardice, and a mark of treachery,” said Alan E. Kohler, Jr., Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division. “He pledged his allegiance to Russia, and in doing so, sold-out his country and fellow Green Berets. This case should serve as a reminder that the FBI and its investigative partners will stop at nothing to hold an individual accountable for their actions.”

Debbins is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 26, 2021.  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. Attorneys Thomas W. Traxler and James L. Trump, and Trial Attorney David Aaron of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, are prosecuting the case.

U.S. Attorney Terwilliger and Assistant Attorney General Demers greatly appreciate the assistance of Army Counterintelligence, the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office, the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police Service, and MI5.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former Army Green Beret pleaded guilty today to conspiring with Russian intelligence operatives to provide them with United States national defense information.

According to court documents, from December 1996 to January 2011, Peter Rafael Dzibinski Debbins, 45, of Gainesville, a former member of the U.S. Army, conspired with agents of a Russian intelligence service. During that time, Debbins periodically visited Russia and met with Russian intelligence agents. In 1997, Debbins was assigned a code name by Russian intelligence agents and signed a statement attesting that he wanted to serve Russia.

“Our country entrusted Debbins with the responsibility and training to protect it from its adversaries,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Debbins betrayed that trust and betrayed his fellow service members by conspiring to provide national defense information to Russian intelligence operatives. I would like to commend our investigative partners for their steadfast and dogged dedication to bringing Debbins to justice and holding him accountable for his crimes.”

From 1998 to 2005, Debbins served on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Army, serving in chemical units before being selected for the U.S. Army Special Forces. The Russian intelligence agents encouraged him to join and pursue a career in the Special Forces, which he did, where he served at the rank of Captain.

“Debbins today acknowledged that he violated this country’s highest trust by passing sensitive national security information to the Russians,” said John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “Debbins betrayed his oath, his country, and his Special Forces team members with the intent to harm the United States and help Russia. Debbins’s guilty plea represents another success in the Department’s continuing effort to counter the national security threat posed by our nation’s adversaries, including Russia.”

Over the course of the conspiracy, Debbins provided the Russian intelligence agents with information that he obtained as a member of the U.S. Army, including information about his chemical and Special Forces units. In 2008, after leaving active duty service, Debbins disclosed to the Russian intelligence agents classified information about his previous activities while deployed with the Special Forces. Debbins also provided the Russian intelligence agents with the names of, and information about, a number of his former Special Forces team members so that the agents could evaluate whether to approach the team members to see if they would cooperate with the Russian intelligence service.

“Debbins betrayed this nation and his fellow serviceman, putting Americans and our national security at risk by providing national defense information to Russia’s Intelligence Service,” said Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Despite being entrusted to protect his colleagues and U.S. national security, he chose to abuse this trust by knowingly providing classified information to one of our most aggressive adversaries. Today’s plea is an example of the zealous pursuit of justice that the FBI and our partners stand for and work tirelessly to achieve every day.”

“President Kennedy called the Green Berets ‘a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction.’ Mr. Debbins’ actions were a symbol of betrayal, a badge of cowardice, and a mark of treachery,” said Alan E. Kohler, Jr., Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division. “He pledged his allegiance to Russia, and in doing so, sold-out his country and fellow Green Berets. This case should serve as a reminder that the FBI and its investigative partners will stop at nothing to hold an individual accountable for their actions.”

Debbins is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 26, 2021. 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. Attorneys Thomas W. Traxler and James L. Trump, and Trial Attorney David Aaron of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

U.S. Attorney Terwilliger and Assistant Attorney General Demers greatly appreciate the assistance of Army Counterintelligence, the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office, the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police Service, and MI5.

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-193.

NORFOLK, Va. – An Iowa woman was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for her role as the out-of-state heroin and fentanyl supplier for convicted Hampton Roads trafficker Michelle Best.

“Selling fentanyl from a daycare where young children are present is not just extremely reckless and illegal, it is dangerous,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This case and this sentence should be a wake-up call to anyone trafficking dangerous drugs into Virginia: Our investigative partners follow the narcotics and the money wherever they lead, and our prosecutions reflect that. This district will bring the full force of the law against traffickers who endanger the lives of Virginians, wherever they are.”

According to court documents, in September 2017, Latosha L. Prather, 37, of Des Moines, sold two kilograms of heroin and fentanyl for $125,000 to Best from Prather’s home-based day care service in Des Moines. Agents and analysts traced approximately $100,000 in cash deposits from Best to Prather. In January 2018, Prather travelled from Des Moines to Virginia Beach, where she met with Best in a Wal-Mart parking lot to distribute another kilogram of heroin and fentanyl for $49,000. In March 2018, a Virginia SWAT team working with the DEA executed a search warrant at Best’s Croatan house and recovered nearly $42,000 in cash, approximately 352 grams of heroin laced with fentanyl, significant quantities of other narcotics, a commercial money counter, and a number of firearms.

Best was sentenced in March 2019 to 30 years in prison.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jesse R. Fong, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division; and Paul Neudigate, Chief of the Virginia Beach Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys John F. Butler and Andrew C. Bosse prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-138. The case of United States v. Michelle Best, et al. can be found by searching for Case No. 2:18-cr-147.

RICHMOND, Va. – A federal indictment was unsealed today charging six individuals with conspiracy to bribe staff members and receive bribes as staff members at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Petersburg to introduce drugs, cigarettes, and cellular telephones into the federal prison and to allow the running of an inmate gambling operation in violation of Bureau of Prison regulations.

According to the indictment, Stephen Taylor, 48, and Shanice Bullock, 28, who were employed at the prison in Petersburg, sought and received tens of thousands of dollars over the course of the conspiracy from inmate Dontay Cox, 37, and associates of Cox, including his mother, Kim Williams, 56, and girlfriend, Rameesha Smith, 36, to facilitate the introduction of the controlled substances, cigarettes, and cellular telephones. 

According to the indictment, Cox worked alongside other inmates at FCI Petersburg, including fellow FCI Petersburg inmate Travian Taylor, 29, to run his contraband scheme inside the prison.  FCI Petersburg inmates and their associates would then pay Williams, Smith, and another co-conspirator using a variety of methods. Stephen Taylor and Bullock were paid thousands of dollars via wire transfers from Walmart-2-Walmart. 

All six defendants are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Additionally, Stephen Taylor, Bullock, Williams, and Cox are charged with multiple counts of offering bribes to and receiving bribes by public officials.  If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison per count. Cox is also charged with possessing marijuana in the prison. If convicted, Cox 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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Russell W. Cunningham, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the indictment was unsealed.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Simon, Jr. and Michael C. Moore are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:20-cr-125.

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

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Ashburn man was sentenced today to 12 months in prison and two years of supervised release for defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a federal initiative designed to help businesses pay their employees and meet their basic expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During a time of national crisis, the federal government set aside money to help struggling businesses pay their hardworking employees and keep their doors open,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Tarik Jaafar planned and executed a scheme to steal money from this essential program. This office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to make sure that federal economic assistance provides relief for beleaguered businesses and not profits for devious criminals.”

According to court documents, Jaafar, 43, conspired with his wife, Monika Magdalena Jaworska, to create four shell companies. These companies conducted no legitimate business and existed solely as a means to execute the scheme to defraud. From April 13 to May 6, Jaafar and Jaworska applied for 18 separate PPP loans in the names of the four shell companies valued at approximately $6.6 million, falsely claiming, among other things, that the businesses had employees and they needed the loans to pay their employees’ salaries. Jaafar and Jaworska fraudulently induced banks to distribute approximately $1.4 million in loans which they intended to use for their personal benefit.

“The Paycheck Protection Program was developed to aide small businesses during these challenging times,” said Hannibal “Mike” Ware, Inspector General of the Small Business Administration. “Our office will remain relentless in the pursuit of bad actors who seek to exploit SBA’s vital economic programs. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and commitment to seeing justice served.”

On June 20, Jaafar and Jaworska were arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport as they attempted to flee to Poland. The majority of the funds were recovered by the banks and by law enforcement. On August 25, Jaafar pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States.

“As we’ve seen in the aftermath of many disasters and crises, criminals will exploit any opportunity to take advantage of programs intended to help businesses and individuals confronted with hardship,” said James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division. “In this instance, funds intended to alleviate the effects of the ongoing pandemic were illicitly converted to personal use. Today's sentencing demonstrates the commitment of the FBI and its partners to combatting fraudulent activity. The FBI will continue to investigate allegations of those who attempt to defraud the government and take money away from those who are in legitimate need.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Shartar and William Fitzpatrick prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-185.

NORFOLK, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Virginia Beach man today on charges of receiving and possessing images of child sexual abuse.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, in July 2018, the FBI executed a search warrant at the residence of Bradley Jeffrey-Moe, 28, after an online undercover operation identified Moe as having made available dozens of images of child sexual abuse for download over various peer-to-peer networks. During the search, the FBI discovered five electronic devices which contained thousands of images of child sexual abuse, as well as digital records reflecting the use of peer-to-peer software to search for and download such images. When questioned by the FBI, Moe waived his rights and confessed that he had downloaded and viewed the images.

Jeffrey-Moe is scheduled to be sentenced on March 25, 2021. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case was 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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Karl Schumann, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Mozzi and Michael Gill 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-165.

NORFOLK, Va. – Two local gang members were sentenced this week to nearly 16 years in prison combined for being felons in possession of firearms.

According to court documents, Davidro Leondre Smith, aka Kastor Troy, 30, and Dequan Leshawn McKee, aka The General, 23, both of Norfolk, are members of the Norfolk-based Cream/200K/2K criminal street gang.

In July 2019, Norfolk police officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a car driven by Smith, a five-time felon, with McKee in the passenger seat. Smith refused to stop and led several police vehicles on a high-speed chase. During the pursuit, Smith maneuvered around police vehicles stopped in the middle of the road and at one point drove in the opposite lane facing oncoming traffic. Smith and McKee finally abandoned the car in an apartment-complex parking lot, and police officers chased them on foot. While running from one of the officers, Smith drew his gun, brandished it, and tried to throw it into one of the apartments, but it bounced off the rear screen door. He then fought the pursuing officer, and was arrested after backup arrived. The arresting officer recovered from Smith roughly 7.1 grams of marijuana and 62 pills of varying colors and sizes, separated into three bags. Lab results confirmed the presence of Oxycodone.

The officers also recovered McKee’s handgun, which had been lying underneath the car’s front passenger floor mat, and his phone, which had been sitting on the front passenger seat, unlocked and recording on Facebook Live. The footage shows McKee sitting in the car’s passenger seat with his gun between his legs. It also shows McKee’s and Smith’s reactions at the moment the officers turned on their emergency lights to initiate the traffic stop—as they panic and discuss throwing drugs out of one of the car windows. Facebook friends of McKee who were viewing the live recording posted messages encouraging Smith and McKee to do so. McKee’s gun was one of 16 firearms that had been reported stolen from a federally licensed gun store a week earlier.

Smith was sentenced Tuesday to 120 months in prison, while McKee was sentenced today to 71 months.

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

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; and Larry D. Boone, Chief of Norfolk Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith.

Assistant U.S. Attorney William B. Jackson 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. 2:20-cr-18.

A federal grand jury in Richmond, Virginia, returned an indictment charging a return preparer with tax evasion and failure to file individual income tax returns, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia.

According to the indictment, Willette J. Holland owned Tax Professionals, a tax preparation firm located in Richmond, Virginia. In August 2014, the IRS allegedly contacted Holland regarding her failure to file her 2010 through 2013 personal tax returns. Holland then allegedly presented false returns for those years, which understated her business income, gross receipts, and net profit, to an IRS Revenue Agent. In 2013 and 2014, Holland allegedly attempted to evade taxes by depositing income into a bank account held in the name of a nominee, thereby concealing her income from the IRS. Finally, in 2015 and 2016, Holland allegedly failed to file tax returns despite being required to do so by law.

If convicted, Holland faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for each count of tax evasion and faces a maximum sentence of one year of incarceration for each count of failure to file individual income tax returns. She also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Terwilliger commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorneys Francine Davis and Michael C. Boteler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Maguire, who are prosecuting the case.

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.

RICHMOND, Va. – A previously convicted felon was sentenced today to 100 months in prison for conspiring to commit mail and bank fraud while on supervised release for a prior federal fraud conspiracy.

According to court documents, Gary Darnell Williams, 52, of Petersburg, organized and led a conspiracy to defraud several banks by stealing business checks from the mail and using those checks as exemplars to create counterfeit checks that he then recruited homeless individuals to cash. Williams undertook this crime just four months after completing a 10-year federal prison sentence for a nearly identical scheme. Over the course of six months, Williams stole business checks from the mail in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. He then recruited at least eight homeless individuals to cash at least 66 counterfeit checks totaling over $57,000 at financial institutions in Virginia and Pennsylvania. To recruit and retain these people, Williams rented them hotel rooms and supplied them with heroin. After successfully concealing these crimes from his federal probation officer, Williams absconded from supervision after he was charged with an unrelated state offense. Williams remained a federal fugitive until he was arrested driving two homeless check cashers to banks in October 2019. When arrested, Williams had 30 counterfeit checks purportedly drawn on five different business accounts totaling over $26,000.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Peter R. Rendina, 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 Robert E. Payne.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin G. Cooke prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 3:20-cr-71 and 3:10-cr-105.

NORFOLK, Va. – A North Carolina man was sentenced today to two years in prison for making a threat to burn down an African American church in Virginia Beach.

According to court documents, John Malcolm Bareswill, 63, called a Virginia Beach church with a predominantly African American congregation, made racially derogatory remarks, and threatened to set the church on fire. The threatening call was placed on June 7, several days after one of the church’s leaders took part in a public prayer vigil and peaceful demonstration for George Floyd.

“John Malcolm Bareswill reacted to a prayer vigil and rally held in memory of George Floyd by threatening to burn down an African American church,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Answering the exercise of constitutional freedoms with threats of violence—especially threats that tap into a long and shameful history of racially-motivated violence against houses of worship—requires swift and certain justice. Bareswill’s threat terrified the adult Sunday school teachers who heard it and affected the entire church community. While this sentence cannot undo that harm, it sends an important message: Our community will not tolerate attempts to silence free speech or interfere with the free exercise of religion.”

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Karl Schumann, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Paul Neudigate, Chief of the Virginia Beach Police Department; and David Hutcheson, Chief of the Virginia Beach Fire Department, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Bosse prosecuted the case. Trial Attorney Kathryn Gilbert of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division provided significant assistance on 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. 2:20-cr-61.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A New York City man was sentenced today to six and a half years in prison for possessing with intent to distribute a kilogram of heroin and a kilogram of fentanyl.

According to court documents, Jabulani Maitland, 36, travelled from New York in February 2020 and checked into a hotel in Chesapeake. Agents from Homeland Security Investigations received information that Maitland was in possession of a large quantity of drugs. Using this information, Maitland was approached by agents and questioned about drugs. Ultimately, Maitland agreed to allow agents to search his hotel room, and agents located a kilogram of heroin and a kilogram of fentanyl which were intended for further distribution in the Tidewater region.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric M. Hurt 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. 4:20-cr-24.

NORFOLK, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Norfolk woman today on 5 counts of wire fraud and 33 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false and fraudulent income tax returns.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Nikia Tull, 43, served as the co-owner and operator of YT Phoenix Enterprises, Inc., aka Phoenix Financial Tax Service, a tax preparation service. Between 2014 and 2018, Tull willfully aided and assisted in, and counseled and advised the preparation and presentation to the IRS of 33 federal income tax returns containing numerous false and fraudulent items. In 2019, Tull continued her fraud by submitting forged and fraudulently altered bank statements to FORA Financial LLC, a private lending company located in New York, in support of loan applications for thousands of dollars.

Tull is scheduled to be sentenced on April 12, 2021.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel P. Shean and Joseph L. Kosky 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. 2:20-cr-9.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Stafford man and Herndon woman pleaded guilty today to charges arising from the recovery of a firearm and cocaine base, commonly known as crack cocaine, during the execution of a search warrant in Prince William County.

According to court documents, Christopher John Davis, Jr., 25, and Kenya Johnson, 25, conspired with each other and others to distribute cocaine base between June 2019 and October 2019. On Sept. 24, 2019, Davis and Johnson were together inside an apartment in Prince William County. At that time, Davis and Johnson possessed with intent to distribute approximately 7.2 grams of cocaine base and a firearm, which were recovered by law enforcement officers during the execution of a search warrant of the apartment.

Davis pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base.

Davis and Johnson are scheduled to be sentenced on March 31, 2021. Davis faces up to life in prison and a mandatory minimum of five years in prison. Johnson faces up to 40 years in prison and a mandatory minimum 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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; and Jarad L. Phelps, Acting Chief of Prince William County Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Smalky and Cristina Stam 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-197.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for possessing with the intent to distribute approximately 600 grams of crack cocaine.

According to court documents, Paul Cosmos Voskanyan, 35, had been wanted on felony warrants out of Virginia Beach since February 2018. In April 2019, members of the Virginia Beach Police Department tracked Voskanyan to a hotel in the City of Chesapeake. Chesapeake SWAT officers responded to assist with the arrest. Voskanyan eventually exited the hotel and made his way towards an unoccupied vehicle in the parking lot. Knowing his tendency to flee, officers moved in to take him into custody before he could enter the vehicle. Voskanyan tried to run and actively resisted their commands but was ultimately apprehended. Officers searched Voskanyan, a large duffel bag he had been carrying, and the vehicle he was about to enter. In total, law enforcement recovered approximately 630 grams of crack cocaine, $180,000 in cash, 16 grams of marijuana, 10 cell phones, and a Glock 17 firearm. 

This case is part of Operation High Tide, a proactive, large-scale narcotics trafficking and firearms investigation that focused on high-impact targets driving crime in some of the hardest hit neighborhoods in Hampton Roads.

This case is also 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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; Paul W. Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police; and Col. K.L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.

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. 2:19-cr-170.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal indictment was unsealed here today charging three MS-13 gang members for their roles in multiple violent crimes including a 2017 murder in Charlottesville and two 2019 attempted murders in Prince William County.

According to allegations in the indictment, Andy Tovar, 31, of White Post, was the First Word or leader of the Guanacos Lil Cycos Salvatruchas (GLCS) clique of MS-13, while Roberto Cruz Moreno, 20, of Woodbridge, was a pasa de homeboy or soldier in the GLCS clique, and Kevin Perez Sandoval, 22, of Warrenton, was an observacion or associate in the GLCS clique.

In July 2017, Tovar allegedly authorized members and associates of the GLCS clique to travel from Prince William County to Charlottesville to murder an individual the GLCS clique believed was a rival gang member. At Tovar’s direction, on or about July 3, 2017, four members of the GLCS clique stabbed Victim-1 to death over 140 times using knives and a machete before they dumped Victim-1’s body in a river, burned his car, and fled back to Prince William County.

In March 2019, Cruz Moreno allegedly picked up three other members or associates of GLCS and Victim-2 and drove them to an isolated wooded area in Bristow, where one associate of GLCS shot Victim-2 multiple times and another associate of GLCS stabbed Victim-2 because members and associates of GLCS believed Victim-2 was disrespecting MS-13. Following the attempted murder, Cruz Moreno fled the scene with the three other GLCS participants and drove them to his residence.

In April 2019, local law enforcement officers in Fairfax County allegedly found Cruz Moreno, an illegal alien, in possession of the same firearm used to shoot Victim-2, and several grams of packaged cocaine in his vehicle with three other associates of GLCS. Cruz Moreno obtained the cocaine from Tovar and had been selling the cocaine on behalf of the clique earlier that day.

In August 2019, members and associates of GLCS identified Victim-3 as a rival gang member living in GLCS controlled territory and Tovar allegedly authorized members and associates of GLCS to kill Victim-3. On Aug. 12, 2019, Perez Sandoval and two members or associates of GLCS observed Victim-3 at a laundromat in Manassas and sought Tovar’s permission to kill Victim-3 at the laundromat. After Tovar allegedly granted permission to conduct the killing at the laundromat, Perez Sandoval drove the two members or associates of MS-13 to retrieve a firearm, and back to the laundromat area where Victim-3 was shot before Perez Sandoval drove them from the scene of the shooting.

Name, Age

Hometown

Charges

Andy Tovar, 31

White Post

Counts 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11

Roberto Cruz Moreno, 20

Woodbridge

Counts 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12-14

Kevin Perez Sandoval, 22

Warrenton

Counts 1, 4, 7, 9, 11

 

Count

Charge

1

Conspiracy to Participate in a Racketeering Enterprise

2-4

Conspiracy to Commit Murder in Aid of Racketeering Activity

5

Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine

6, 7

Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering Activity

8, 9

Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering Activity

10, 11

Using and Discharging a Firearm During a Crime of Violence

12

Possession With Intent to Distribute Cocaine

13

Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

14

Possession of a Firearm by an Illegal Alien

 

Tovar, Cruz Moreno, and Perez Sandoval each face a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years and a maximum penalty of life in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; John J. Durham, Director of the Justice Department’s Joint Task Force Vulcan; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Ron L. Lantz, Chief of Albemarle County Police; Douglas W. Keen, Chief of Manassas City Police; Jarad L. Phelps, Acting Chief of Prince William County Police; Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police; Michael P. Kochis, Chief of Warrenton Police; and Robert P. Mosier, Fauquier County Sheriff, made the announcement.

This case was brought by the Eastern District of Virginia in coordination with JTFV. In August 2019, Attorney General William Barr created JTFV to carry out the recommendations of the MS-13 subcommittee formed under the Attorney General’s Transnational Organized Crime Task Force, which was the result of President Trump’s February 2017 Executive Order directing the Departments of Justice, State, and Homeland Security, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to coordinate a whole-of-government approach to dismantle transnational criminal organizations, such as MS-13, and restore safety for the American people. The principal purpose of JTFV is to coordinate and lead the efforts of the Justice Department and United States law enforcement agencies against MS-13 in order to dismantle the group.

JTFV has successfully implemented the whole-of-government approach to law enforcement relating to MS-13; increased coordination and collaboration with foreign law enforcement partners, including El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala; designated priority MS-13 programs, cliques and leaders, who have the most impact on the United States for targeted prosecutions; and coordinated significant MS-13 indictments in U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country. In addition, all Department of Justice law enforcement agencies are involved in the effort – the FBI; DEA; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); U.S. Marshals Service; and the Bureau of Prisons. The Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations has also played a critical role in JTFV.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas U. Murphy II and Nicholas J. Patterson 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-18.

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

NORFOLK, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Chesapeake doctor today on 52 counts related to his scheme to bill private and governmental insurers millions of dollars for irreversible hysterectomies and other surgeries and procedures that were not medically necessary for his patients.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Dr. Javaid Perwaiz, an obstetrician-gynecologist who has practiced in Hampton Roads since the 1980s, executed a scheme to defraud health insurance programs between at least 2010 and 2019. During that period, Perwaiz billed private and governmental insurers millions of dollars for irreversible hysterectomies and other surgeries and procedures that were not medically necessary for his patients. In many instances, Perwaiz would falsely tell his patients that they needed the surgeries to avoid cancer in order to induce them to agree to the surgeries.

“Dr. Perwaiz preyed upon his trusting patients and committed horrible crimes to feed his greed,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Dr. Perwaiz has a history of fraud including having his medical license and hospital privileges revoked. Nothing was going to stop him but the brave victims who testified against him and law enforcement. My thanks to the trial team for their outstanding work in what was a very complex case, and to our investigative partners for their efforts in helping bring Dr. Perwaiz to justice.”

The evidence at trial also demonstrated that Perwaiz falsified records for his obstetric patients so that he could induce their labor early, prior to the recommended gestational age that minimizes risk to the mother and baby, to ensure he would be able to conduct and be reimbursed for the deliveries. Perwaiz also violated the 30-day waiting period Medicaid requires for elective sterilizations by submitting backdated forms to falsely make it appear as if he had complied with the waiting period. Finally, Perwaiz billed insurance hundreds of thousands of dollars for diagnostic procedures that he only pretended to perform at his office.

“Not only did this doctor defraud our health care system out of millions of dollars, he did so by putting the health and safety of his patients at risk by performing unnecessary surgeries on women,” said Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia. “Doctors who take advantage of the trust their patients put in them must be brought to justice. I want to thank my team for their hard work on this egregious case and our local, state, and federal partners for their continued partnership in holding dangerous individuals accountable.”

The witnesses at trial included dozens of former patients, some of whom testified to the complications they continue to endure as a result of the unnecessary surgeries Perwaiz performed. Witnesses also included nurses who worked at the hospitals where Perwaiz performed his surgeries, who testified that they repeatedly complained about his practices to their supervisors.

“Doctors are in positions of authority and trust and take an oath to do no harm to their patients,” said Karl Schumann, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office. “With unnecessary, invasive medical procedures, Dr. Perwaiz not only caused enduring complications, pain and anxiety to his patients, but he assaulted the most personal part of their lives and even robbed some of their future. The brave patients and nurses who came forward and testified deserve our gratitude for helping end this horrible scheme. Let this case demonstrate the FBI’s commitment to hold accountable anyone who abuses their position of trust.”

“In his desire to line his pockets, Dr. Perwaiz callously ignored his patients’ health and well-being by conducting medically unnecessary and irreversible medical procedures,” said Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General. “Physicians who recklessly place patients at risk to boost their own profits will be held accountable for their actions.”

Perwaiz faces a maximum penalty of 465 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31, 2021. 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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Karl Schumann, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; and Chris Dillard, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Mid-Atlantic Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth M. Yusi, E. Rebecca Gantt, and John F. Butler 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-189.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a Quantico man with wire fraud in connection with his scheme to embezzle over $380,000 from his former union, which represented federal law enforcement officers.

According to allegations in the indictment, Arthur Penn, 64, served from 1999 through 2015 as the Chairman of the Fraternal Order of Police Defense Protective Service Labor Committee Pentagon, a local union that represented officers of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency. During his tenure, Penn allegedly routinely embezzled funds from the Union for his personal benefit, and spent the stolen funds on gambling, to pay for a personal trip to the Dominican Republic, and for his day-to-day living expenses. Penn sought to conceal and prevent the detection of his embezzlement by failing to make regular reports to Union members, by violating his obligation to file regular financial reports with the Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards, and by siphoning off most of the embezzled funds through cash transactions, thereby avoiding the creation of financial records that would have revealed the fraud.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark Wheeler, District Director, Washington District Office, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards; and James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Burke 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. 1:20-cr-251.

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

RICHMOND, Va. – A husband and wife were sentenced today to a combined 92 months in prison for their roles in a sophisticated fraud scheme that primarily targeted elderly Americans.

According to court documents, Chirag Choksi, 36, who was sentenced to 78 months in prison, and Shachi Majmudar, 36, who was sentenced to 14 months, were members of a criminal conspiracy in which members used a variety of schemes, including impersonating law enforcement officers and other government officials, to trick and coerce victims into mailing and shipping cash to other conspiracy members by convincing the victims, a disproportionate number of whom were elders, that it was in their best interests to do so.

“The financial and emotional harm these scams cause elderly victims and their family members can be devastating,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The scope of fraud perpetrated through robocalls from overseas call centers is truly enormous. According to the Federal Trade Commission, in 2019 it received nearly 400,000 complaints alleging imposter fraud claims totaling $152.9 million, which government officials suspect substantially underestimates the extent of fraud because many victims do not report their losses. As seen from the evidence in this case, a disproportionate percentage of those victims are elderly. This office will continue to aggressively prosecute crimes involving elder fraud, and we are firmly committed to bringing the offenders to justice, no matter where they reside.”

These schemes generally started with automated “robocalls” from a call center in India that were designed to create a sense of urgency with unsuspecting recipients. The messages typically told the recipient that they had some sort of serious legal problem, and that if they did not immediately take a particular action demanded by the callers then there will be drastic consequences. Typically the recipients were threatened with arrest, significant financial penalties, or cessation of government benefits. The fraudsters almost invariably instructed the call recipient that, in order to prevent these dire consequences, the recipient must pay money, by wire transfer or cash, to some purported government entity. This conspiracy operated “money mule” cells in multiple states, including New Jersey, California, Indiana, Texas, Illinois and Minnesota. These money mules would receive parcels containing cash that had been sent by victims and then deposit the money in bank accounts controlled by conspirators.

“These fraudsters used fear, intimidation, and even posed as law enforcement to threaten seniors and swindle them out of their hard-earned money,” said James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division. “These scams can cause irreparable harm to the unsuspecting and trusting victims they target. The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to stop those who are targeting our senior communities. Regardless of whether the perpetrators live domestically or overseas, the FBI will work to bring them to justice.”

In one particular scheme involving a victim in Chesterfield County, members of the conspiracy impersonated DEA agents and advised the victim that they had found a vehicle located near the United States Southwest border that contained a large amount of cocaine and the victim’s bank information. The fraudsters then convinced that victim to surrender half the cash in her bank accounts as a sign of good faith until a thorough investigation had cleared her of any criminal activity.

According to court documents, Choksi and Majmudar worked as money mules for the Minnesota cell of this conspiracy for at least two months in 2019. Between May and June, Choksi and Majmudar received victim cash shipments at their home in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Choksi also used counterfeit driver’s licenses to pick up victim cash shipments from locations in and around Eden Prairie. Majmudar regularly tracked victim cash shipments. Once in hand, she and Choksi made video recordings of Choksi removing and counting the money, and then sent the videos to their conspiracy supervisor as proof of how much victim cash had been received. The two each then made multiple cash deposits into bank accounts controlled by conspiracy members. 

In total, Choksi and Majmudar received or attempted to receive 11 shipments from 10 victims located in multiple states around the country. The total amount of victim cash in these packages was $132,200. Of the 10 victims who sent cash to the defendants, nine were between 66 and 86 years of age.

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

The Eden Prairie Police Department (Minnesota) provided significant assistance with this investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Hood and Kaitlin G. Cooke 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-160.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Vienna man was sentenced today to 130 months in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release for possessing images of child sexual abuse and the transfer of obscene material to minors. 

According to court documents, in or around 2005, Alan Tabish, 37, met a 15-year-old victim over AOL Instant Messenger. After she had identified herself as a minor online, Tabish picked her up from her parents’ home and brought her to his home in Fairfax, where he provided her with alcohol and showed her pornography. Tabish then brought her to the basement of his home, where he recorded videos and images of himself engaging in sexually explicit conduct with her. The victim reported the crime in 2019.

Based on the information she provided, law enforcement identified Tabish and executed a warrant to search his home in Vienna. During the search, law enforcement found a hard drive containing nine images and two videos depicting Tabish engaging in sexual activity with the minor when she was 15 years old, including at least one video in which the victim appears to be unsteady and is struggling to keep her eyes open. Additionally, law enforcement recovered from the hard drive approximately 84 other online chats with individuals purporting to be minors, including one chat with a self-identified 14-year-old in which Tabish pressed her to discuss sexually explicit and personal topics and sent her sexually explicit images of himself, and another chat with a self-identified 13-year-old in which Tabish asked her about her sexual history and also sent her sexually explicit images of himself. 

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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston, Jr.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force which is composed of FBI Agents along with Detectives from Northern Virginia law enforcement agencies and the Washington Metropolitan Police Department. The task force is charged with identifying, investigating and disrupting child predators and those engaged in Human Trafficking.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William G. Clayman prosecuted the case with assistance from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Dougherty Russell.

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-45.

NORFOLK, Va. – An Arizona man pleaded guilty today to a massive investment fraud conspiracy that cost victims tens of millions of dollars.

According to court documents, Kent Maerki, 78, of Scottsdale, the founder of Dental Support Plus Franchise, LLC, and Janus Spectrum, LLC, made a multitude of misrepresentations about those businesses in materials used to solicit investments, including during appearances on radio shows and in a presentation about investments in wireless spectrum he called “Money From Thin Air.”

Maerki, who has been barred since 1984 from working in the securities industry, acknowledged that he and his conspirators used a team of salesmen to solicit investments in extremely risky businesses that ultimately failed; made numerous material misrepresentations about the claimed investment opportunities; and continued to sell the investments without disclosing that the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Virginia State Corporation Commission, and the Arizona State Corporation Commission were investigating the conspirators for fraud. Many of the victims in this scheme were elderly and losses exceeded $23 million, over $4 million of which went to Maerki.

Maerki pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud related to two investment schemes. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on March 15, 2021. 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.

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

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Karl Schumann, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Peter R. Rendina, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa E. O’Boyle, Elizabeth M. Yusi, and Andrew Bosse are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-47. 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Reston man pleaded guilty today to selling fentanyl to an individual who later overdosed on the drug and died.

According to court documents, Peter Andrew Romm, 35, regularly traveled to Baltimore to buy heroin and fentanyl that he then sold to customers in Northern Virginia. Romm sold the drugs in two forms: enclosed in small plastic capsules, and folded in small slips of paper. Romm’s customers included an individual identified in court documents as Individual 1. On October 7, 2019, Romm sold fentanyl to Individual 1 through a middle-man. Individual 1 later consumed the fentanyl and fatally overdosed; he was found dead in his home the next morning. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that the cause of Individual 1’s death was acute fentanyl poisoning.

As recently as February of this year, Romm was still traveling to Baltimore regularly to buy fentanyl. On February 11, Romm was arrested on his way back from Baltimore in possession of approximately 75 capsules of fentanyl. Only eight days later, on February 19, he was arrested again on his way back from Baltimore with another 72 capsules of fentanyl in his vehicle.

Romm pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and 400 grams or more of fentanyl; and one count of distribution of fentanyl. As part of his plea agreement, he admitted that the fentanyl he distributed caused Individual 1’s death.

Romm is scheduled to be sentenced on March 17, 2021, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Rumbaugh and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karolina Klyuchnikova 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-176.

RICHMOND, Va. – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a Henrico man with various charges including possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, possession of a destructive device, and receipt of images of child sexual abuse.

According to allegations in the indictment, on or about March 8, Ryan J. Millican, 22, knowingly aided and abetted the making of a false and fictitious written statement to Green Top Sporting Goods in connection with the acquisition of a Bravo Company Manufacturing Inc., Model BCM4, .556 caliber rifle.

According to allegations in the indictment, from on or about March 8 through April 25, Millican possessed a Bravo Company Manufacturing Inc., Model BCM4, .556 caliber rifle and accompanying ammunition. Millican was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a previous conviction of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

According to allegations in the indictment, on or about April 18, Millican knowingly made and possessed a Molotov Cocktail, which is a destructive device as defined by Title 26, United States Code.

According to allegations in the indictment, on or about June 14, Millican knowingly received child pornography.

Millican is charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person; making a false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm; possession of a destructive device; and receipt of child pornography. If convicted, Millican faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years on the child pornography charge, and a maximum penalty of forty-five years in prison on all charges. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. Click here for more information about Project Guardian.

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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement.

This case is being investigated by FBI Richmond’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Henrico County Police Division.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Duffey is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:20-cr-122.

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

A federal jury found two representatives of a purported investment company based in the United Kingdom guilty on Oct. 30 for their roles in an investment fraud scheme by which they stole at least $5 million from victim investors.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger of the Eastern District of Virginia, Inspector in Charge Delany De Leon-Colón of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Criminal Investigations Group, Special Agent in Charge David Archey of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office and Mark C. Christie Chair of the Virginia State Corporation  made the announcement.

After a four-day trial, James Michael Johnson, 69, of Richmond, Virginia and James Leonard Smith, 64, of Midlothian, Virginia, were convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.

Brian Michael Bridge, 46, of London, England, a fugitive, was also charged in the superseding indictment.  Sentencing for Johnson and Bridge is scheduled for March 5, 2021, before U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Co-conspirator Stuart Anderson, who pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme, is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 13. 

According to evidence presented at trial, Johnson and Smith participated in a worldwide scheme through Chimera Group Ltd.  The scheme operated as an advance fee scheme which involved the defendants as promoters who promised to pay the victims a sum of money at a later date in exchange for an upfront advanced payment.  Among other misrepresentations, Johnson and Smith and their co-conspirators told potential victims that their principal payments would be protected based on letters of credit and other documents that purported to be from a large financial institution.  However, these letters were fabricated.  The evidence also showed that the defendants used escrow attorneys, who were themselves part of the scheme, in order to give the victims the appearance that their money would remain secure until the defendants’ promises had been kept.

The defendants stole at least $5 million from their victims.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Criminal Investigations Group, FBI’s Richmond Field Office and Virginia State Corporation Commission investigated the case.  Trial Attorneys Vasanth Sridharan and Christopher Jackson of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael C. Moore of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case. 

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Colorado man was sentenced today to 16 months in prison for participating in an international conspiracy to traffic pharmaceutical drugs into the United States and distribute those drugs throughout the country.

According to court documents, between October 2016 and November 2019, Shaun Michael Kohut, 36, received bulk shipments of pills sent into the United States from abroad by foreign-based actors. Following those actors’ instructions, Kohut would then mail smaller shipments of pills to buyers across the United States and receive payments for his services by accepting money remittances from customers via Western Union and other payment-processing systems.

According to court documents, Kohut is estimated to have been involved in the trafficking or attempted trafficking of close to 400,000 pills between October 2016 and November 2019, including substantial quantities of the Schedule IV opioid tramadol. Kohut came to the attention of federal law enforcement when a buyer in the Eastern District of Virginia was instructed to remit payment to Kohut for the unlawful purchase of alprazolam, also known as Xanax.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jesse R. Fong, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division; Peter R. Rendina, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Elliker and Heather H. Mansfield 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-159.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography.

According to court documents, Zachary Clouse, 27, was originally identified by law enforcement in November 2016 when Canadian authorities found Clouse posting images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct to an Internet bulletin board. Clouse, aka Boylover9, asked for violent videos of children being sexually abused from other members of the forum, and posted the same. Later, in 2018, a Virginia Beach resident answered a Craigslist advertisement Clouse posted looking for a “sick perverted boyfriend.” Clouse texted the resident about trying to kidnap a child, so the resident reported Clouse to the Virginia Beach Police Department. Special Agents with Homeland Security Investigations interviewed Clouse, and he admitted to the Internet and Craigslist conduct. Law enforcement also searched Clouse’s cell phones and found additional images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Clouse faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on March 16, 2021. 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.

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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller accepted the plea.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-13.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Washington, D.C. man pleaded guilty today to brandishing a firearm during separate robberies of two banks and a shoe store in Northern Virginia in 2018 and 2019.

According to court documents, Freddie Lee McRae, 34, committed a series of robberies in 2018 and 2019. On Nov. 13, 2018, McRae robbed a Wells Fargo branch located in Alexandria. McRae handed a teller a note that demanded money, indicated he had a firearm, and threatened to “[k]ill [a]ll [b]ankers” if the teller did not comply. McRae pointed a firearm at two tellers before fleeing with approximately $8,750 in cash.

On Dec. 10, 2018, McRae robbed a Burke & Herbert branch located in Alexandria. McRae approached a teller, who asked if he wanted to make a deposit. McRae responded, “gimmie your money,” before lifting up his shirt and pulling a pistol from his waistband, which he pointed at the teller. As the teller gathered money, McRae racked the slide on the pistol and demanded all large bills. McRae fled with approximately $1,366 in cash.

On April 21, 2019, McRae robbed the Legend Kicks & Apparel store located in Arlington. McRae brandished a pistol and demanded that two store employees empty their pockets, which they did. McRae then ordered the employees to lie on the floor before taking approximately $2,160 in cash that belonged to the store. McRae fled the store on foot and the area by vehicle. When a law enforcement officer tried to pull over the vehicle, McRae stopped only briefly before leading law enforcement officers on a vehicle pursuit on the George Washington Memorial Parkway. McRae ultimately jumped out of his moving vehicle prior to it crashing and sinking into the Potomac River.  McRae tried to flee law enforcement by jumping into the river, but officers pulled him out and placed him under arrest.

McRae also admitted to robbing a Bank of America branch in Springfield on Oct. 27, 2018; a BB&T branch located in Alexandria on Dec. 20, 2018; and a Capital One branch located in Bowie, Maryland, on Jan. 2, 2019. McRae further admitted to attempting to rob a Capital One branch located in Arlington on Feb. 11, 2019, and to obstructing justice by instructing an individual to destroy his cell phone and another individual to delete communications within a cell phone.

The bank robberies that McRae admitted to committing were investigated by the FBI as part of the “Beltway Bank Bandit” series.   

McRae pleaded guilty to three counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He faces up to life in prison and a mandatory minimum of 21 years in prison when sentenced on Feb. 23, 2021. 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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Acting Chief Andy Penn, Arlington County Chief of Police; Michael L. Brown, Alexandria Chief of Police; and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea.

This case was investigated by the FBI, Washington Field Office’s Northern Virginia Violent Crime Task Force which is composed of FBI Agents along with Detectives from Northern Virginia law enforcement agencies. Significant investigative assistance in this case was provided by the Arlington County Police and the Fairfax County Police. The task force is charged with identifying, investigating and disrupting the most egregious and violent criminal actors within Northern Virginia.   

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Smalky 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. 1:19-cr-268.

A Russian national was sentenced Oct. 30 to eight years in prison for his role in operating a sophisticated scheme to steal and traffic sensitive personal and financial information in the online criminal underground that resulted in an estimated loss of over $100 million.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Miller of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office made the announcement after the sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III.

Aleksandr Brovko, 36, formerly of the Czech Republic, pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. According to court documents, Brovko was an active member of several elite, online forums designed for Russian-speaking cybercriminals to gather and exchange their criminal tools and services. 

“For over a decade, Brovko participated in a scheme to gain access to Americans’ personal and financial information, causing more than $100 million in intended loss,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  “This prosecution and the sentence imposed show the department’s commitment to work with our international and state counterparts to bring cybercriminals to justice no matter where they are located.”

“Aleksandr Brovko used his programming skills to facilitate the large-scale theft and use of stolen personal and financial information, resulting in over $100 million in intended loss,” said U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Our office is committed to holding these criminals accountable and protecting our communities as cybercrime becomes an ever more prominent threat. I also want to thank our prosecutors and investigative partners for their terrific work on this complex case.”

“This investigation is a prime example of the Secret Service’s investigative mission; to protect the U.S. financial infrastructure by pursuing counterfeit and financial crimes investigations,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Miller of the Secret Service Washington Field Office.  “The Secret Service in alliance with state and local law enforcement is dedicated to effectively identifying those victimizing our communities and bringing them to justice.”

As reflected in court documents, from 2007 through 2019, Brovko worked closely with other cybercriminals to monetize vast troves of data that had been stolen by “botnets,” or networks of infected computers.  Brovko, in particular, wrote software scripts to parse botnet logs and performed extensive manual searches of the data in order to extract easily monetized information, such as personally identifiable information and online banking credentials.  Brovko also verified the validity of stolen account credentials, and even assessed whether compromised financial accounts had enough funds to make it worthwhile to attempt to use the accounts to conduct fraudulent transactions. 

According to court documents, Brovko possessed and trafficked over 200,000 unauthorized access devices during the course of the conspiracy. These access devices consisted of either personally identifying information or financial account details. Under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, the estimated intended loss in this case has been calculated as exceeding $100 million.

Senior Trial Attorney Laura Fong of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Berrang, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kellen Dwyer prosecuted the case.  In addition, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Cybercrime Intelligence Unit of the New York County District Attorney’s Office provided critical assistance.  The Department of Justice also appreciates the significant cooperation and assistance provided by authorities in the Czech Republic.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

The Justice Department today announced the completion of a five-day law enforcement effort, dubbed “Operation Find Our Children,” throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia that resulted in the recovery of 27 previously missing children.  The operation also confirmed the location of six additional children previously reported as missing but subsequently discovered by the U.S. Marshals Service as being in the custody of their legal guardian. 

Led by deputy U.S. Marshals from the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, along with members of the U.S. Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and special agents, police officers and detectives from numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, more than 60 law enforcement investigators formed the primary team in Operation Find Our Children.  They were joined by more than 50 employees from the Virginia Department of Social Services and a team of medical professionals and experts from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

The U.S. Marshals Service is leading the way in a nationwide effort to rescue and recover missing and exploited children, and aid in the prevention of human trafficking.  Since 2005, the U.S. Marshals Service has recovered more than 2,000 missing children.  Over the past five years, the agency has recovered missing children in 75 percent of the cases it has received.  Of those recovered, 72 percent were recovered within seven days.

“The Department of Justice is dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable children in our society and ‘Operation Find Our Children’ does just that,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen.  “While this Virginia operation is the most recent recovery of endangered and missing children led by the U.S. Marshals Service this year, we have also recovered more than 440 kids in Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Louisiana and other states.  Because of this initiative, the recovered children are now out of harm’s way.”

“I can think of no more critical or satisfying mission for a law enforcement officer, than rescuing an endangered child,” said Nick E. Proffitt, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia.  “This operation brought together a formidable team that was, and is, determined to come to the aid of our youth and bring to justice those among us that choose to prey on these vulnerable children.  I am proud of the Deputy Marshals in the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia and their partners for the work they accomplished this week – and the results speak for themselves; these 27 children are safe once again.  I am deeply humbled and highly honored that our team in Eastern Virginia is a continuing part of this critical Marshals Service mission.  We want the missing children across this great nation to know the U.S. Marshals Service will never stop looking for you, we will find you.”

“The U.S. Marshals Service has a legendary history of finding fugitives and bringing them to justice,” said Thomas L. Foster, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Virginia.  “Because of this specialized skill set, finding missing children is a natural extension of the Marshal’s mission.  Although many of the 27 recoveries occurred in Virginia’s larger population centers, seven occurred in the Western District of Virginia to include Roanoke and Abingdon.  This operation brought missing and exploited children to a place of safety and those who made the decision to prey upon them to justice.”

“What a tremendous testament to the power of cooperation and the mission of federal, state, and local law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia.  “There is no greater mission than that of protecting and rescuing the most vulnerable.  A huge debt of gratitude to the U.S.  Marshal’s Service for their leadership of this operation and to all of the brave women and men of law enforcement who are responsible for saving these children.”

“There is no greater mission for law enforcement than rescuing an endangered child,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar of the Western District of Virginia.  “I applaud the U.S. Marshals in the Western and Eastern Districts of Virginia for their leadership and willingness to leverage their expertise and partner with sister agencies to bring missing children home.  We stand ready to investigate and prosecute any leads that come from this important operation.”

“The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was pleased to support the U.S. Marshals Service and the many support organizations that helped find and rescue these children,” said John F. Clark, President and CEO of NCMEC.  “Missing children are extremely vulnerable to being trafficked for sex and are at risk of further emotional and physical harm.  Because of this operation, 27 children have been found and are now safe.”

“Virginia Department of Social Services prioritizes and supports the safety and well-being of the children and families in Virginia, and prioritizes work with partners in achieving these goals, including this collaboration with the U.S. Marshals Service and through partnership with the local departments of social services, (LDSS) including those that directly supported the operation,” said Director of the Division of Family Services, Kristin Zagar.

Significant assistance for Operation Find Our Children was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, along with the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Treasury Office of Inspector General, Metro Transit Police Department, Virginia State Police, Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, Chesterfield County Police Department, Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office, Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, Hampton Police Department, Henrico County Police Department, Norfolk Police Department, Prince William County Police Department, Portsmouth Police Department, Richmond City Police Department, Roanoke City Police Department, Virginia Beach Police Department, and Virginia Department of Corrections.

The Justice Department today announced the completion of a five-day law enforcement effort, dubbed “Operation Find Our Children,” throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia that resulted in the recovery of 27 previously missing children.  The operation also confirmed the location of six additional children previously reported as missing but subsequently discovered by the U.S. Marshals Service as being in the custody of their legal guardian. 

Led by deputy U.S. Marshals from the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, along with members of the U.S. Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and special agents, police officers and detectives from numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, more than 60 law enforcement investigators formed the primary team in Operation Find Our Children.  They were joined by more than 50 employees from the Virginia Department of Social Services and a team of medical professionals and experts from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

The U.S. Marshals Service is leading the way in a nationwide effort to rescue and recover missing and exploited children, and aid in the prevention of human trafficking.  Since 2005, the U.S. Marshals Service has recovered more than 2,000 missing children.  Over the past five years, the agency has recovered missing children in 75 percent of the cases it has received.  Of those recovered, 72 percent were recovered within seven days.

“The Department of Justice is dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable children in our society and ‘Operation Find Our Children’ does just that,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen.  “While this Virginia operation is the most recent recovery of endangered and missing children led by the U.S. Marshals Service this year, we have also recovered more than 440 kids in Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Louisiana and other states.  Because of this initiative, the recovered children are now out of harm’s way.”

“I can think of no more critical or satisfying mission for a law enforcement officer, than rescuing an endangered child,” said Nick E. Proffitt, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia.  “This operation brought together a formidable team that was, and is, determined to come to the aid of our youth and bring to justice those among us that choose to prey on these vulnerable children.  I am proud of the Deputy Marshals in the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia and their partners for the work they accomplished this week – and the results speak for themselves; these 27 children are safe once again.  I am deeply humbled and highly honored that our team in Eastern Virginia is a continuing part of this critical Marshals Service mission.  We want the missing children across this great nation to know the U.S. Marshals Service will never stop looking for you, we will find you.”

“The U.S. Marshals Service has a legendary history of finding fugitives and bringing them to justice,” said Thomas L. Foster, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Virginia.  “Because of this specialized skill set, finding missing children is a natural extension of the Marshal’s mission.  Although many of the 27 recoveries occurred in Virginia’s larger population centers, seven occurred in the Western District of Virginia to include Roanoke and Abingdon.  This operation brought missing and exploited children to a place of safety and those who made the decision to prey upon them to justice.”

“What a tremendous testament to the power of cooperation and the mission of federal, state, and local law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia.  “There is no greater mission than that of protecting and rescuing the most vulnerable.  A huge debt of gratitude to the U.S.  Marshal’s Service for their leadership of this operation and to all of the brave women and men of law enforcement who are responsible for saving these children.”

“There is no greater mission for law enforcement than rescuing an endangered child,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar of the Western District of Virginia.  “I applaud the U.S. Marshals in the Western and Eastern Districts of Virginia for their leadership and willingness to leverage their expertise and partner with sister agencies to bring missing children home.  We stand ready to investigate and prosecute any leads that come from this important operation.”

“The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was pleased to support the U.S. Marshals Service and the many support organizations that helped find and rescue these children,” said John F. Clark, President and CEO of NCMEC.  “Missing children are extremely vulnerable to being trafficked for sex and are at risk of further emotional and physical harm.  Because of this operation, 27 children have been found and are now safe.”

“Virginia Department of Social Services prioritizes and supports the safety and well-being of the children and families in Virginia, and prioritizes work with partners in achieving these goals, including this collaboration with the U.S. Marshals Service and through partnership with the local departments of social services, (LDSS) including those that directly supported the operation,” said Director of the Division of Family Services, Kristin Zagar.

Significant assistance for Operation Find Our Children was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, along with the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Treasury Office of Inspector General, Metro Transit Police Department, Virginia State Police, Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, Chesterfield County Police Department, Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office, Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, Hampton Police Department, Henrico County Police Department, Norfolk Police Department, Prince William County Police Department, Portsmouth Police Department, Richmond City Police Department, Roanoke City Police Department, Virginia Beach Police Department, and Virginia Department of Corrections.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A licensed pharmacist who owned and operated CARE4U Pharmacy in Manassas was sentenced today to two years in prison and ordered to pay $53,100 in forfeiture for illegally distributing prescription drugs, including over 9,000 oxycodone pills, Adderall, and Xanax.

“Our office will continue to diligently prosecute those who abuse public trust and choose to put illegal profits over peoples’ lives, including pharmacists like George Stephen Appiah who decide to moonlight as a drug trafficker,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “In addition to seeking the appropriate prison sentence in these cases, our office will ensure that drug traffickers do not get to keep the ill-gotten gains they have made from poisoning the community.”

According to court documents, Appiah, 48, of Manassas, filled at least 128 fake or fraudulent prescriptions, including 85 prescriptions for oxycodone, brought to the pharmacy by his two co-conspirators (identified in court filings as CC-1 and CC-2). The forged prescriptions were written in the names of CC-1, CC-2, or any one of at least 37 other individuals. Appiah provided CC-1 and CC-2 the names and medical credentials of at least five unwitting doctors for use in forging the prescriptions, and provided templates of the doctors’ prescription pads, so that CC-1 and CC-2 could “Photoshop” the image and make the fake prescriptions look legitimate.

“The successful outcome of this investigation underlines the commitment of the FBI and its partners to combatting the opioid epidemic in our nation,” said James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division. “The public must have confidence in medical professionals who care for others, and the FBI will continue to investigate those who abandon their responsibilities and endanger others by engaging in criminal activity. The misuse of opioids can be deadly, and aggressively pursuing those who illegally distribute prescription drugs makes a positive and lasting impact on our communities.”

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division; and Jarad L. Phelps, Chief of Prince William County Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-111.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – United States Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger announced today that a team of Assistant U.S. Attorneys across the Eastern District will lead efforts in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming general election.

“The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.”

District Election Officer(s)

Division

Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Gesch

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Burke

Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Schlessinger

Alexandria

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Elliker

Richmond

Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Stoker

Norfolk and Newport News

DEOs are responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open through election day.

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

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .

Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.

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

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

According to court documents, in November 2019, Brian Kosanovich, 58, a firefighter living in Pittsburgh, responded to a profile posted by an FBI undercover employee on Alt.com, which is a website that hosts a network of members interested in alternative forms of sexual relationships, including a variety of fetishes, kinks, BDSM, etc. The undercover officer’s profile indicated that she was a single mother with a 10-year-old daughter. After establishing contact on Alt.com, Kosanovich and the undercover officer began communicating via the Kik messaging application. Kosanovich and the undercover officer engaged in extensive conversations of a sexually explicit nature for several months, much of which focused on Kosanovich having sex with the 10-year-old as well as the mother. At several points, Kosanovich engaged in sexually explicit chats with the undercover officer who at the time was posing as the 10-year-old girl herself. Over the period of the investigation, Kosanovich sent the undercover officer nude “selfies” pictures, and a prepaid Visa card so that the mother could buy sex toys to use with the daughter. Ultimately, on February 18, Kosanovich traveled from Pittsburgh to Richmond for the stated purpose of having sex with the mother and daughter, and was arrested by FBI officials upon his arrival.

Kosanovich faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison, and a maximum possible sentence of life in prison when sentenced on March 3, 2021. 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.

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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian R. 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. 3:20-cr-103.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Salvadorian man with multiple previous convictions and removals pleaded guilty today to illegally reentering the United States subsequent to a conviction of an aggravated felony. 

According to court documents, in November 2000, Jose Neftali Gonzales, 48, pleaded guilty to distribution of cocaine. In November 2001, following a period of incarceration, Neftali Gonzales was removed from the United States at taxpayer expense. Sometime later, Neftali Gonzales illegally reentered the United States, and around August 2009 Neftali Gonzales was found at the Prince William County Adult Detention Center following an arrest in Prince William County for possession of schedule I or II controlled substances. He was convicted of felony possession of schedule I or II drug. In June 2010, Neftali Gonzales pleaded guilty to illegal reentry subsequent to conviction of an aggravated felony and was sentenced to 20 months in prison. In August 2011, Neftali Gonzales was again removed from the United States at taxpayer expense. In August 2020, Neftali Gonzales was again discovered and arrested in the Eastern District of Virginia by ICE officers and the U.S. Marshals Service. 

Neftali Gonzales is scheduled to be sentenced on March 3, 2021, and 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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Matthew Munroe, Acting Director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia A. Bove and Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc J. Birnbaum 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-187.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) public affairs officer was sentenced today to seven years in prison for defrauding at least a dozen companies of over $4.4 million by posing falsely as a covert officer of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

According to court documents, Garrison Kenneth Courtney, 44, of Florida, falsely claimed to be a covert officer of the CIA involved in a highly-classified program or “task force” involving various components of the United States Intelligence Community and the Department of Defense. According to the false story told by Courtney, this supposed classified program sought to enhance the intelligence gathering capabilities of the United States government. In truth, Courtney had never been employed by the CIA, and the task force that he described did not exist.

“Courtney – along with his five aliases – will now spend the next seven years in federal prison for his deceitful and felonious criminal conduct,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Courtney’s brazen and salacious fraud was centered on the lie that he was involved in a highly-classified intelligence program, and that he was a covert CIA officer engaged in significant national security work. In fact, Courtney never worked for the CIA, the supposed classified program did not exist, and Courtney invented the elaborate lie to cheat his victims out of over $4.4 million. I want to commend the trial team and their extraordinary efforts in untangling this complex fraud, and thank our many law enforcement partners who helped bring Courtney to justice.”

To accomplish the fraud, Courtney approached numerous private companies with some variation of this false story, and claimed that the companies needed to hire and pay him to create what Courtney described as “commercial cover,” i.e., to mask his supposed affiliation with the CIA. Courtney also fraudulently claimed that the companies would be reimbursed in the future for these salary payments, sometimes by the award of lucrative contracts from the United States government in connection with the supposedly classified program.

“The fraud committed by Garrison Courtney harmed the U.S. intelligence community, individual contractors, and private companies working hard to protect our nation,” said Brian C. Rabbit, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “By claiming to be a covert CIA officer involved in a bogus classified ‘task force,’ Courtney defrauded his victims out of over $4.4 million. But his elaborate scheme could have caused far more damage if the Department of Justice and our investigative partners had not successfully intervened.”

Courtney went to extraordinary lengths to perpetuate the illusion that he was a deep-cover operative. Among other things, he falsely claimed that his identity and large portions of his conduct were classified; directed victims and witnesses to sign fake nondisclosure agreements that purported to be from the United States government and that forbade anyone involved from speaking openly about the supposedly classified program; told victims and witnesses that they were under surveillance by hostile foreign intelligence services; made a show of searching people for electronic devices as part of his supposed counterintelligence methods; demanded that his victims meet in sensitive compartmented information facilities (SCIFs) to create the illusion that they were participating in a classified intelligence operation; and repeatedly threatened anyone who questioned his legitimacy with revocation of their security clearance and criminal prosecution if they “leaked” or continued to look into the supposedly classified information. Courtney further created fake letters, purporting to have been issued by the Attorney General of the United States, which claimed to grant blanket immunity to those who participated in the supposedly classified program.

“Courtney wove an expansive web of lies by posing as a covert CIA officer working on a classified program. Courtney’s brazen scheme and manipulation was fueled by his own greed, all while invoking the secrecy of ‘national security’ to hide his lies,” said Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Today’s sentencing would not have been possible without our valued law enforcement, intelligence community, and military partners. I would also like to thank the men and women of the FBI who work diligently every day, and for years on this investigation, to root out fraud, uphold the Constitution and protect the American people.”

As a further part of the scheme, Courtney created a fraudulent backstory about himself, claiming that he had served in the U.S. Army during the Gulf War, had hundreds of confirmed kills while in combat, sustained lung injuries from smoke caused by fires set to Iraq’s oil fields, and that a hostile foreign intelligence service had attempted to assassinate him by poisoning him with ricin. All of these claims were false.

“The sentence handed down today should serve as a warning to those who would seek to cheat the American taxpayers and pervert the federal procurement system for their own ill-gotten gain” said Stanley A. Newell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Transnational Operations Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. “In a scheme that sounds like something out of the movies, this adept con-artist hid behind a veil of phony classified programs, concocted a fake identity for himself as a government spy, and duped unsuspecting victims out of millions of dollars - all in the name of the U.S. Government. The DCIS and our investigative partners will tirelessly root out this sort of egregious fraud, and bring those responsible to justice.”

Courtney also convinced several real governmental officials that he was participating in this “task force,” explained that they had been selected to participate in the program, and then used those officials as unwitting props falsely to burnish his legitimacy. For example, he directed his victims to speak with these public officials to verify his claims, and separately instructed the government officials as to exactly what to say. Courtney thereby created the false appearance to the victims that the government officials had independently validated his story, when in fact the officials merely were echoing the false information fed to them by Courtney. At times, Courtney also convinced those officials to meet with victims inside secure government facilities, thereby furthering the false appearance of authenticity.

Through the scheme, Courtney also fraudulently gained a position working as a private contractor for the National Institutes of Health Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC), a branch of NIH that provides acquisition support services to federal agencies. Once he had installed himself at NITAAC, Courtney gained access to sensitive, nonpublic information about the procurements of other federal agencies being supported by NITAAC. Courtney thereafter used that information to attempt to corrupt the procurement process by steering the award of contracts to companies where he was then also on the payroll, and used the false pretext of national security concerns to warp the process by preventing full and open competition.  When law enforcement disrupted his scheme, Courtney actively was seeking to corrupt over $3.7 billion in federal procurements.

Courtney also sought to use the actual and apparent power of the government to execute and protect his scheme, and to attempt to defeat law enforcement’s investigation.  Among other things, Courtney caused a public official to attempt to prevent a private company from responding to a grand jury subpoena; caused a civilian attorney with the Air Force to contact one of the prosecutors on the case in an attempt to read that prosecutor in to the bogus program, thereby freezing the investigation; caused a public official to threaten FBI agents investigating this case with themselves being prosecuted if they did not drop the investigation; falsely told victims who had questioned his legitimacy that they were about to be arrested by the FBI for supposedly leaking classified information; used unwitting public officials to feed the names of innocent witnesses to the FBI, in the hopes that the FBI would seek to prosecute those innocent persons for supposedly leaking classified information, thereby diverting attention from himself; and sought to have real public officials issue and sign a “classification guide” for the bogus program, a document that would have set forth the rules and standards by which information acquired as a part of a governmental program is classified.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Corey R. Amundson, Chief of the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section; James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office; Christine Ruppert, CIA Acting Inspector General; Thomas A. Monheim, Acting Inspector General of the Intelligence Community; Brig. Gen. Terry L. Bullard, Commander of the Office of Special Investigations for the U.S. Air Force and Space Force; Cardell Richardson, Inspector General for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; Frank Robey, Director of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit (MPFU); Christopher Dillard, Acting Special Agent in Charge for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office; Alison Zavada, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Washington Field Office; and Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector General for the Department of Justice, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Liam O'Grady.

The Justice Department’s Office of Enforcement Operations provided assistance with the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Burke and Heidi Boutros Gesch, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh, and Deputy Chief Todd Gee of the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-84.

A former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) public affairs officer was sentenced today to seven years in prison for defrauding at least a dozen companies of over $4.4 million by posing falsely as a covert officer of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia; Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; CIA Acting Inspector General Christine Ruppert; Acting Inspector General Thomas A. Monheim of the Intelligence Community; Brig. Gen. Terry L. Bullard, Commander of the Office of Special Investigations for the U.S. Air Force and Space Force; Inspector General Cardell Richardson for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; Director Frank Robey of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit; Special Agent in Charge Stanley A. Newell of the Transnational Operations Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS); Special Agent in Charge Alison Zavada of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service Washington Field Office; and Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz for the Department of Justice, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Liam O'Grady.

According to court documents, Garrison Kenneth Courtney, 44, of Tampa, Florida, falsely claimed to be a covert officer of the CIA involved in a highly-classified program or “task force” involving various components of the U.S. Intelligence Community and the Department of Defense.  According to the false story told by Courtney, this supposed classified program sought to enhance the intelligence gathering capabilities of the U.S. government. In truth, Courtney had never been employed by the CIA, and the task force that he described did not exist.

“The fraud committed by Garrison Courtney harmed the U.S. intelligence community, individual contractors, and private companies working hard to protect our nation,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Rabbitt.  “By claiming to be a covert CIA officer involved in a bogus classified ‘task force,’ Courtney defrauded his victims out of over $4.4 million.  But his elaborate scheme could have caused far more damage if the Department of Justice and our investigative partners had not successfully intervened.”

“Courtney – along with his five aliases – will now spend the next seven years in federal prison for his deceitful and felonious criminal conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Terwilliger.  “Courtney’s brazen and salacious fraud was centered on the lie that he was involved in a highly-classified intelligence program, and that he was a covert CIA officer engaged in significant national security work.  In fact, Courtney never worked for the CIA, the supposed classified program did not exist, and Courtney invented the elaborate lie to cheat his victims out of over $4.4 million.  I want to commend the trial team and their extraordinary efforts in untangling this complex fraud, and thank our many law enforcement partners who helped bring Courtney to justice.”

“Courtney wove an expansive web of lies by posing as a covert CIA officer working on a classified program. Courtney’s brazen scheme and manipulation was fueled by his own greed, all while invoking the secrecy of ‘national security’ to hide his lies,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge D’Antuono. “Today’s sentencing would not have been possible without our valued law enforcement, intelligence community, and military partners. I would also like to thank the men and women of the FBI who work diligently every day, and for years on this investigation, to root out fraud, uphold the Constitution and protect the American people.”

“The sentence handed down today should serve as a warning to those who would seek to cheat the American taxpayers and pervert the federal procurement system for their own ill-gotten gain,” said DCIS Special Agent in Charge Newell.  “In a scheme that sounds like something out of the movies, this adept con-artist hid behind a veil of phony classified programs, concocted a fake identity for himself as a government spy, and duped unsuspecting victims out of millions of dollars – all in the name of the U.S. Government.  The DCIS and our investigative partners will tirelessly root out this sort of egregious fraud, and bring those responsible to justice.”

To accomplish the fraud, Courtney approached numerous private companies with some variation of this false story, and claimed that the companies needed to hire and pay him to create what Courtney described as “commercial cover,” i.e., to mask his supposed affiliation with the CIA.  Courtney also fraudulently claimed that the companies would be reimbursed in the future for these salary payments, sometimes by the award of lucrative contracts from the United States government in connection with the supposedly classified program.

Courtney went to extraordinary lengths to perpetuate the illusion that he was a deep-cover operative. Among other things, he falsely claimed that his identity and large portions of his conduct were classified; directed victims and witnesses to sign fake nondisclosure agreements that purported to be from the U.S. government and that forbade anyone involved from speaking openly about the supposedly classified program; told victims and witnesses that they were under surveillance by hostile foreign intelligence services; made a show of searching people for electronic devices as part of his supposed counterintelligence methods; demanded that his victims meet in sensitive compartmented information facilities to create the illusion that they were participating in a classified intelligence operation; and repeatedly threatened anyone who questioned his legitimacy with revocation of their security clearance and criminal prosecution if they “leaked” or continued to look into the supposedly classified information.  Courtney further created fake letters, purporting to have been issued by the Attorney General of the United States, which claimed to grant blanket immunity to those who participated in the supposedly classified program.

As a further part of the scheme, Courtney created a fraudulent backstory about himself, claiming that he had served in the U.S. Army during the Gulf War, had hundreds of confirmed kills while in combat, sustained lung injuries from smoke caused by fires set to Iraq’s oil fields, and that a hostile foreign intelligence service had attempted to assassinate him by poisoning him with ricin.  All of these claims were false.

Courtney also convinced several real governmental officials that he was participating in this “task force,” explained that they had been selected to participate in the program, and then used those officials as unwitting props falsely to burnish his legitimacy. For example, he directed his victims to speak with these public officials to verify his claims, and separately instructed the government officials as to exactly what to say.  Courtney thereby created the false appearance to the victims that the government officials had independently validated his story, when in fact the officials merely were echoing the false information fed to them by Courtney.  At times, Courtney also convinced those officials to meet with victims inside secure government facilities, thereby furthering the false appearance of authenticity.

Through the scheme, Courtney also fraudulently gained a position working as a private contractor for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC), a branch of the NIH that provides acquisition support services to federal agencies.  Once he had installed himself at NITAAC, Courtney gained access to sensitive, nonpublic information about the procurements of other federal agencies being supported by NITAAC.  Courtney thereafter used that information to attempt to corrupt the procurement process by steering the award of contracts to companies where he was then also on the payroll, and used the false pretext of national security concerns to warp the process by preventing full and open competition.  When law enforcement disrupted his scheme, Courtney actively was seeking to corrupt over $3.7 billion in federal procurements.

Courtney also sought to use the actual and apparent power of the government to execute and protect his scheme, and to attempt to defeat law enforcement’s investigation.  Among other things, Courtney caused a public official to attempt to prevent a private company from responding to a grand jury subpoena; caused a civilian attorney with the Air Force to contact one of the prosecutors on the case in an attempt to read that prosecutor in to the bogus program, thereby freezing the investigation; caused a public official to threaten FBI agents investigating this case with themselves being prosecuted if they did not drop the investigation; falsely told victims who had questioned his legitimacy that they were about to be arrested by the FBI for supposedly leaking classified information; used unwitting public officials to feed the names of innocent witnesses to the FBI, in the hopes that the FBI would seek to prosecute those innocent persons for supposedly leaking classified information, thereby diverting attention from himself; and sought to have real public officials issue and sign a “classification guide” for the bogus program, a document that would have set forth the rules and standards by which information acquired as a part of a governmental program is classified.

The Justice Department’s Office of Enforcement Operations provided assistance with the investigation.

Deputy Chief Todd Gee of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Burke and Heidi Boutros Gesch, and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh prosecuted the case.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man pleaded guilty today to unlawfully obtaining United States citizenship.

According to court documents, Miguel Angel Reyes, 39, lied on various immigration forms while applying to become a naturalized United States citizen. Reyes lawfully entered the United States as a minor in 1994 from the Dominican Republic and obtained his legal permanent residence through his parents. By 2016, Reyes had enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was stationed in the Hampton Roads area. In May 2016, Reyes’s then wife reported to authorities that Reyes had sexually assaulted her two minor daughters. While Reyes was under investigation for those charges, he began the process of naturalizing as a United States Citizen and on multiple immigration forms and in multiple immigration interviews falsely denied that he had committed any crimes. Before Reyes pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison for his offenses, his false statements led to him becoming a naturalized citizen.

Reyes pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful procurement of citizenship. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and mandatory loss of his United States citizenship when sentenced on March 9, 2021. 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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky 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. 2:20-cr-84.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Today, U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger announced the establishment of a new Civil Rights Enforcement Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA).

“I am proud to announce that EDVA is the first U.S. Attorney’s Office nationwide to have multiple Assistant U.S. Attorneys 100 percent dedicated to enforcing the rights of persons with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and another Assistant U.S. Attorney dedicated full-time to enforcing the rights of servicemembers and veterans under statutes like the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act,” said Terwilliger.

“After taking office as U.S. Attorney in May 2018, I spent time traveling the District to meet organizations with which we have partnered to enforce disability rights,” said Terwilliger. “I discovered two things: One, under AUSA Steve Gordon’s leadership, this office has a nationally recognized ADA enforcement practice; and two, the needs of citizens within the Eastern District’s disability community far outpaced our office’s available resources. As a lifelong dyslexic, this work is near and dear to me and I know that were it not for the ADA, I would not be standing here, in this position, today. I could not be prouder to have the Civil Rights Enforcement Unit now become part of the revered U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.”

The new unit institutionalizes and expands EDVA’s existing Civil Rights Enforcement Program, which has already had great success in enforcing the rights of persons with disabilities. The unit will combine case-based advocacy with community outreach and training, and will seek to expand our work into assisting veterans with disabilities to ensure that those who fought for our country are not discriminated against based upon a disability.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 1 in 4 (23.6 percent) adults in Virginia have disabilities. These men and women continue to face innumerable barriers to their full inclusion into all aspects of society. Examples of these barriers include:

• Attitudinal barriers, including the mindset that accommodations, such as those provided for students with learning disabilities, are some kind of special treatment, an unfair crutch, rather than simply providing equal access to people with disabilities;

• Communication barriers, such as failure to provide a sign language interpreter for high stakes interactions with medical personnel at a hospital; and

• Architectural barriers, such as missing ramps at polling places that prevent individuals, including those brave women and men who fought in our military to secure the right to vote for all, from engaging in the fundamental right to vote. 

The establishment of EDVA’s Civil Rights Unit honors the 30th anniversary of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. 

Highlights of EDVA’s ADA Enforcement Program

Ensuring Equal Access to Healthcare. EDVA has developed a leading practice under the Justice Department’s Barrier Free Healthcare Initiative, entering into multiple comprehensive settlement agreements with Lincare, Inc., Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center, Fairfax Nursing Center, and Commonwealth Health and Rehabilitation Center, healthcare providers who failed to provide sign language interpreter services to patients and companions who are deaf, including for high-stakes communications regarding critical medical care.

Ensuring Equal Access to Polling Places. In connection with the Justice Department’s ADA Voting Initiative, EDVA entered into comprehensive settlement agreements with Fauquier County and the City of Chesapeake to ensure that people with mobility disabilities can physically access polling locations so as to not be denied their fundamental right to vote.

Ensuring Physical Access to Places of Public Accommodation. EDVA has successfully resolved multiple matters to ensure physical access to public places to those with mobility disabilities. One significant example is a settlement with the operator of the Crystal City Shops and Underground relating to a pedestrian concourse that is 11 blocks long and three blocks wide to ensure physical accessibility for people with disabilities. 

Highlights of EDVA’s Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative

Protecting Our Servicemembers from Unlawful Evictions and Damages Actions. EDVA obtained the largest ever settlement against a property management company for violating the SCRA.

Protecting Our Veterans’ Employment and Reemployment Rights: EDVA has investigated and resolved a matter in favor of an Army Reserve soldier whose civilian employment with Lawn Doctor of Stafford-Culpeper was terminated after the soldier’s absence due to active duty military service.  On behalf of the soldier, our office recovered the soldier’s lost income, as well as liquidated damages.

Outreach and Partnerships

In addition to enforcement actions, EDVA will continue to prioritize community outreach and training, which has amplified the impact of our enforcement work by cultivating strong working relationships with leaders from the community and covered entities, educating people and communities about their rights, deterring violations, and informing our enforcement efforts.

To date, EDVA has held more than 60 community outreach and engagement events in support of our ADA efforts, including an annual round table with stakeholders in the Disability Rights Community; a community meeting regarding ADA issues arising as a result of  the COVID-19 pandemic; presentations to premiere national and regional ADA conferences; and trainings for significant covered entities, such as the Virginia Association of Community Service Boards, the State Council on Higher Education for Virginia, and the Virginia Department of Corrections. 

Finally, we are grateful for the partnership and support of disability rights-focused organizations like the National Association for the Deaf, Arc of Loudon, disAbility Resource Center of the Rappahannock, Arc of Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Resource Center for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, and the Mid-Atlantic ADA Center.

2020 marks the ADA’s 30th anniversary. The Justice Department continues to advance the nation's goal of equal opportunity, integration, full participation, inclusion, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. Through its enforcement and technical assistance tools, the Justice Department strives to eliminate unlawful discrimination against individuals with disabilities. 

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 Maryland man pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, Bilal Abdus-Salaam, 38, of Capitol Heights, a multi-time convicted felon, including for previous firearms offenses, was released from prison in June 2020. Less than a month later, on July 16, he entered two Federal Firearms Licensees in the Eastern District of Virginia. Abdus-Salaam was accompanied by his wife at both locations, and video surveillance showed Abdus-Salaam handling multiple firearms, to include a rifle and a pistol, that his wife went on to purchase.

On August 21, a search warrant was executed on his wife’s residence in Maryland, where Abdus-Salaam received mail and was observed on multiple occasions in late July and early August 2020. During the search, law enforcement recovered the two firearms purchased in Virginia in July 2020, along with an additional rifle, a rifle upper receiver, firearm magazines, ammunition, and various other items associated with firearms.

Abdus-Salaam faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when sentenced on Feb. 23, 2021. 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.

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. Click here for more information about Project Guardian.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Roberts 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. 1:20-cr-244.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – United States Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger today announced a settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with Good Neighbor Homes, Inc. (GNHI), which operates more than 50 group homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities (I/DD) in Virginia, and is the largest group home operator in Virginia.

The settlement agreement resolves allegations that GNHI failed to furnish sign language interpreting services during multiple complex and high stakes interactions with one of its residents who is deaf, including interactions in which the resident was supposed to be able to have an opportunity to provide meaningful input regarding her care plan, medical appointments, and incident investigations regarding serious injuries to the resident. As a result, the aggrieved individual alleged that she often did not understand what was happening with regard to significant aspects of her life. The U.S. Attorney’s Office further investigated allegations that GNHI sometimes relied on the complainant’s sister to facilitate communication in the absence of a sign language interpreter.

“This resolution demonstrates this office’s unwavering commitment to protecting the rights of those who are deaf or hard of hearing and ensuring that they are able to communicate with service providers who are responsible for providing person-centered care,” said Terwilliger. “GNHI provides essential services to a particularly vulnerable population, individuals who often have multiple disabilities and complex medical needs. We are pleased that GNHI has agreed to take steps to ensure that all of its group homes will furnish appropriate auxiliary aids and services, such as qualified sign language interpreters, to its consumers who need them in order to communicate effectively.”

In addition to making significant changes to its policies and practices, GNHI agreed to resolve these matters by paying $225,000 to the resident for whom it failed to furnish sign language interpreting services, $40,000 to her sister, and a civil penalty of $50,000.

To resolve these matters, GNHI agreed to adopt policies that will make its services accessible to individuals with communication disabilities; designate an ADA Administrator, who will be responsible for ensuring GNHI’s compliance with the ADA; enter into agreements with sign language interpreting service providers to provide services to its consumers who need them; and to provide training for its personnel on the ADA’s effective communication requirements.  GNHI also agreed to pay damages to the complainant and her sister, and a civil penalty to the United States. This resolution is particularly significant because group homes are essential to ensuring that individuals with I/DD are able to receive community-based services and be integrated into their communities, and individuals who are deaf are entitled to have access to these services.

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

The Department of Justice has a number of publications available to assist entities in complying with the ADA including a Technical Assistance Publication entitled: ADA Requirements:  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). ADA complaints may be filed by email to ada.complaint@usdoj.gov.

2020 marks the ADA’s 30th anniversary. The Justice Department continues to advance the nation's goal of equal opportunity, integration, full participation, inclusion, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. Through its enforcement and technical assistance tools, the Justice Department strives to eliminate unlawful discrimination against individuals with disabilities. 

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.

NORFOLK, Va. – Four individuals have been charged for their respective roles in a conspiracy to sell phony Coast Guard merchant mariner credentials in Norfolk.

According to allegations in the unsealed indictment, Lamont Godfrey, 42, of Portsmouth, Eugene Johnson, 45, of Norfolk, Shunmanique Willis, 43, of Texas, and Alonzo Williams, 45, of Louisiana, acted in concert to create counterfeit certificates from the Mid-Atlantic Maritime Academy (MAMA) and sell them to merchant mariners for a profit. The MAMA is a private state-of-the-art maritime training center, offering mariners over 100 U.S. Coast Guard approved deck and engineering courses needed for merchant mariners to hold various positions on merchant vessels. Godfrey worked for the MAMA as the school’s Chief Administrator.

According to the indictment, Godfrey used this position to create fake MAMA course certificates for mariners who had never taken the MAMA courses, in exchange for thousands of dollars in payments. The mariners would receive the fake certificates along with instructions on how to load them in the Coast Guard systems and be credited with a fraudulent Coast Guard qualification. Johnson, Willis, and Williams worked with Godfrey as brokers to find additional mariners willing to buy the fake certificates. In exchange for their efforts, Johnson, Willis, and Williams all received a cut of the illicit proceeds from the scheme. In total, the conspiracy netted over $200,000 in profits from the production of these counterfeit MAMA certificates and involved over 150 mariners purchasing fraudulent qualifications.

Godfrey, Johnson, Willis, and Williams are charged with conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, they face a mandatory minimum of two 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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Marty J. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge, Coast Guard Investigative Service, Chesapeake Region, made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky 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. 2:20-cr-95.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach woman pleaded guilty today to an internet-based loan scam that cheated approximately 1,700 victims out of over $1.2 million.

According to court documents, Terri Beth Miller, 53, and her husband and co-defendant Ronald A. Smith, 59, set up a company called Business Development Group, an internet-based business that offered, in exchange for an advance fee, to assist individuals in preparing loan applications to obtain SBA-guaranteed loans. They solicited potential customers on the basis of false, fraudulent, and misleading statements and representations, including, among others, that the company was headquartered at the Trump Building in New York and had assisted well-known large companies in obtaining SBA loans. They offered a money-back guarantee, but in fact employed various fraudulent methods to deny refunds. Miller and Smith solicited approximately 1,700 customers, who paid an aggregate sum of approximately $1,287,000 in advance fees. The vast majority of these customers did not receive an SBA guaranteed loan. In fact, Miller and Smith did virtually nothing to even attempt to obtain loans for their customers.

Miller pleaded guilty to wire fraud and engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. She faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when sentenced on April 16, 2021. 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.

Smith pleaded guilty to similar charges in October, and will be sentenced on April 2, 2021. He was convicted of nearly the identical loan scam in 2006 and received a sentence of seven years in prison.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan M. Salsbury 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. 2:20-cr-69.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Chesterfield man was sentenced today to 71 months in prison for being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, Elijah Cupitt, 37, was arrested in December 2019, when U.S. Marshals, working alongside the Richmond Police Department and Chesterfield Police Department, sought to locate him and a murder suspect that Cupitt was suspected to be housing. After obtaining consent to search the residence, U.S. Marshals searched the master bedroom walk-in closet and located a bag of white powder, later confirmed to be crack cocaine, and a firearm described as a Smith and Wesson, .40 caliber. Cupitt admitted to possessing the evidence and had over 15 past criminal convictions, including four felony convictions, at the time of the search.

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. Click here for more information about Project Guardian.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth 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. 3:20-cr-48.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A previously convicted felon was sentenced yesterday to two years in prison for the unlawful possession of a Glock semi-automatic handgun.

According to court documents, Dayquan Antoine Goodwin, 27, of Newport News, was wanted on outstanding arrest warrants in Newport News. Newport News Police encountered Goodwin as he was walking around Patrick Henry Mall and placed him under arrest. When searching Goodwin, officers discovered a small amount of marijuana, five loose oxycodone tablets in his pocket, and a loaded Glock, Model 23, .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun. Goodwin knew that he was a prior convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing firearms. A Facebook search warrant revealed that Goodwin had posted pictures of himself with the same firearm on earlier occasions.

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. Click here for more information about Project Guardian.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; and Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter G. Osyf prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:19-cr-16.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to seven years in prison for his participation in a conspiracy to traffic approximately 18 kilograms of heroin into the Richmond area.

According to court documents, in June 2019, Special Agents with the Department of Homeland Security (HSI) seized approximately 24 kilograms of heroin, nearly 2 kilograms of fentanyl, and nearly 2 kilograms of methamphetamine from targets in Brownsville, Texas. The substances were packaged in five tractor trailer batteries and various quantities were headed for Chicago, Illinois and Richmond. Agents with HSI, working with Virginia State Police, coordinated a controlled delivery of the heroin which was destined to Richmond. Jose Zavala-Higareda, 29, was identified as the individual to whom the heroin headed for Richmond was to be delivered. The agents coordinating the controlled delivery and exchanged phone calls and text messages with Zavala-Higareda in advance of the batteries arriving in Richmond. Additionally, the agents and Zavala-Higareda identified a meeting location to deliver the drugs and when the agents arrived, Zavala-Higareda and another person received the batteries and paid for the heroin with $16,500 in cash. The heroin within the tractor trailer batteries weighed approximately 18.14 kilograms.

Law enforcement later conducted a search of Zavala-Higareda’s residence in Richmond and found him to be in possession of another $33,050 in cash, which was enough to purchase 11 additional ounces of heroin. Zavala-Higareda also possessed ledgers which were consistent with record-keeping in a drug trafficking conspiracy.

The case was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), Operation Never Ending Story. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jesse R. Fong, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division; and Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen E. Anthony 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-15.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A previously convicted felon pleaded guilty today to engaging in a COVID-19 related loan fraud scheme with losses of $196,000. 

According to court documents, Joseph Cherry, 40, of Norfolk, who was previously convicted of federal felony charges involving fraud and money laundering, engaged in a scheme to obtain COVID-related loan benefits through the Small Business Administration (SBA) and affiliated lenders. In addition to traditional SBA funding programs, the CARES Act, which was signed into law in March 2020, established several new temporary programs and provided for the expansion of others to address the COVID-19 outbreak. Such programs include the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). 

In March and April 2020, Cherry submitted multiple applications for PPP and EIDL loans. Cherry provided false information on the loan applications related to his claimed businesses, income, employment and his criminal record. As a result of these false applications, Cherry fraudulently obtained $196,900 in loan proceeds from the U.S. Treasury into a bank account he established at Langley Federal Credit Union. In a brief period of time in April 2020, Cherry withdrew over $100,000 in the form of cash and a cashier’s check and made various purchases inconsistent with the purposes of the PPP and EIDL programs. 

Cherry pleaded guilty to wire fraud and theft of government property. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when sentenced on March 11, 2020. 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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Hannibal “Mike” Ware, Inspector General of the Small Business Administration (SBA); Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); and Peter R. Rendina, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Lawrence R. Leonard accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Samuels 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. 4:20-cr-27.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Program Manager and Founder and CEO of XeroWind, LLC of Falls Church, has agreed to pay $50,000 and surrender three patents to the United States government to settle allegations relating to his improper patenting of U.S. Government property and technology.

In July, the United States filed a lawsuit against Dr. Deepak Varshneya, of Falls Church, and XeroWind alleging conversion of government technology. The government’s complaint contended that while a DARPA Program Manager, Dr. Varshneya worked on a DARPA research program known as “ONE SHOT,” which developed a crosswind and range measuring rifle scope. Dr. Varshneya requested permission to patent the technology, but DARPA made the determination, pursuant to 37 C.F.R. Part 501, that the ONE SHOT technology was the sole property of the United States government. Dr. Varshneya did not appeal the determination and admitted that he worked on the ONE SHOT technology in the course of his government employment. Despite that determination and admission, Dr. Varshneya nonetheless filed a patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office covering that same technology, failing to make any mention of the government interest. Shortly after leaving DARPA, Dr. Varshneya filed two follow-on patent applications covering the same technology, and founded XeroWind, LLC to market the ONE SHOT technology. 

The $50,000 monetary payment settles allegations that included breach of fiduciary duty of a government employee. In addition, the settlement requires Dr. Varshneya to surrender the three patents to the U.S. Government. The settlement includes a limited non-exclusive license agreement with Dr. Varshneya and XeroWind, allowing them to market the technology in certain markets but requiring payment of royalties to the United States government.

The resolutions obtained in this matter were the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Department of Justice Intellectual Property Section.

The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Starr and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Michel Souaya. 

The civil claims settled by this settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Civil Case No. 1:20-cv-741.