Eastern District of Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. – A member of the criminal street gang H$2X (an acronym for “High Society Hit Squad”) was sentenced today to over 12 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin.

“We have taken a stand in Petersburg against the scourge of drug trafficking and related violence,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We have surged federal investigative and prosecutorial resources to Petersburg to root out criminal activity, and our partnerships with Chief Miller and the Petersburg Police, the ATF, along with other law enforcement entities are critical to this effort. Today’s sentencing of Miles “Buc J” Johnson should serve as a very clear indicator of what happens when you turn your back on your community, choose the easy way out of dealing drugs, and destroy the youth you claim to want to support.”

In 2017, in response to an increased level of violence that was taking place in Petersburg, ATF agents and members of the Petersburg Bureau of Police, began an investigation into the trafficking of firearms and narcotics, as well as other violent criminal activity. A group of individuals, who were later identified as members of H$2X, were suspected of being involved in trafficking narcotics and firearms.

“This investigation highlights ATF's partnership with Petersburg Police and our commitment to making our communities safer,” said Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division. “Firearms trafficking is not a victimless crime. When firearms are diverted to the illicit market, they often become tools of the trade for criminals. If you traffic in firearms or use firearms to commit other crimes, ATF is fully dedicated to bringing you to justice.”

Miles Johnson, aka “Buck J”, 39, is a member of H$2X. According to court documents, between March 2017 and February 2019, the investigation revealed that Johnson had distributed between one and three kilograms of heroin in the Petersburg metropolitan area and elsewhere.

“My top priority is the safety of the citizens of Petersburg and cleaning up our streets,” said Kenneth A. Miller, Director of Public Safety, Petersburg Bureau of Police. “As shown in this case, my department works closely with our law enforcement partners to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and keep dangerous drugs out of our community. If you violate the law or if you harm our community, the Petersburg Police will use every tool at our disposal to see that you are held accountable.”

In March 2019, one dozen individuals, including Johnson, were indicted on various firearms and drug trafficking charges.

Below is a table containing information on defendants charged in this investigation.

Name, Age

Hometown

Charge(s)

Sentence

Armon Lee, 26

Warfield

Sale or Disposal of a Firearm to a Convicted Felon; Distribution of Cocaine

120 months

Terrell Dean Johnson, 30

Petersburg

Distribution of Cocaine

57 months

Titus Maurice Lee, 44

Petersburg

Distribution of Cocaine; Distribution of Heroin and/or Fentanyl; Possession of a Firearm/Ammunition by a Convicted Felon; Sale or Disposal of a Firearm to a Convicted Felon

192 months

Autrelle Malik Waddell, 22

Petersburg

Distribution of Heroin and/or Fentanyl; Sale or Disposal of a Firearm to a Convicted Felon

108 months

Miles Owanga Johnson, 39

 

Petersburg

Distribution of Heroin and/or Fentanyl

151 months

Charles Lee Avery, 44

 

Petersburg

Possession of a Firearm/Ammunition by a Convicted Felon

96 months

Tyrell Jakahree Allen, 26

 

Prince George

Distribution of Cocaine

36 months

John Pruitte

Chesterfield. VA

Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of Heroin

18 months

  

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

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Kenneth A. Miller, Director of Public Safety, Petersburg Bureau of Police, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angela Mastandrea-Miller and Kenneth Simon are prosecuting the cases.

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-36.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Arlington man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for his role in the trafficking of firearms to his native country of Honduras.

According to court documents, in October 2018, Chris Rodriguez, 57, attempted to smuggle a firearm and 247 rounds of ammunition out of the United States, concealed in a bucket of roofing tar destined for Honduras. An inspection of the container by U.S. Customs and Border Protection using an X-Ray machine, showed the firearm and ammunition inside the bucket of tar. Further investigation revealed that Rodriguez purchased 26 firearms and illegally smuggled them to Honduras. Rodriguez would then travel to Honduras and sell the firearms on the street. 

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division; and Casey Durst, Director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Baltimore Field Office made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Walutes, Jr. and Senior Trial Attorney Heather Schmidt of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control 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. 1:19-cr-153.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An illegal alien who has a previous conviction for aggravated sexual battery of a child, was sentenced today to 16 months in prison for illegally reentering the United States.

According to court documents, Eliseo Garcia-Gordillo, 38, a citizen of Honduras, entered the United States three times between 1999 and 2007, and was twice removed from the United States during that time. Sometime after his most recent removal in 2007, Garcia-Gordillo again reentered the United States without permission, and was found in February 2017 when he was arrested in Prince William County. In June 2019, Garcia-Gordillo was convicted of aggravated sexual battery of a child under the age of 13.

“Eliseo Garcia-Gordillo has illegally entered the United States on four occasions, and has recently been convicted of sexually abusing an innocent child,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Individuals like Garcia-Gordillo, who are here illegally and committing serious crimes, represent a clear threat to the safety and security of our communities. This case is representative of precisely why we have committed to prioritizing criminal immigration enforcement cases across the Eastern District of Virginia.”

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Russell Hott, Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III accepted the plea. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony W. Mariano and Assistant U.S. Attorney Danya E. Atiyeh are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:18-cr-134.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted a North Carolina man late yesterday on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud for his role in orchestrating a scheme that caused over $1.4 million in losses to multiple victims.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Anthony Eric Mitchell, 52, of Charlotte, was one of the two managing principals of a company called Aura Exchange LLC (AURA).  Mitchell and his co-conspirator Armando Almirall, through AURA, promised their clients that they could help obtain funding for a host of business purposes, such as real estate transactions and television projects. Instead, Mitchell and Almirall spent large portions of their clients’ funds on personal expenses, including trips to casinos, concert tickets, stays at beach resorts, cash withdrawals and wire transfers.

In order to induce the victims to provide AURA with money, Mitchell and Almirall made a host of fraudulent misrepresentations, including representing to clients that they were guaranteed to receive their initial equity deposits back when, in fact, none of the victims ever received any money from AURA. Mitchell and Almirall claimed that AURA had offices in Zurich, London, and New York when no such offices existed. Mitchell also claimed to victims and their associates that AURA was a widely-successful global company that was backed by the assets of billionaires when, in reality, AURA had never closed a deal for a single client.

Mitchell and Almirall also maintained a website for AURA that contained a number of misrepresentations, including claims that AURA was an industry leader in a number of fields, that AURA was an international business with access to hundreds of financiers, and that AURA could turn around funding to its clients in as little as 24 hours. AURA never made any money for any of its clients, and in fact, victims of the fraud suffered losses of at least $1.6 million. 

Mitchell’s business partner and co-conspirator, Armando Almirall, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to 63 months in prison in February.

Mitchell faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count of conviction when sentenced on Jan. 3, 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, and Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the verdict. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamar K. Walker and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell L. Carlberg 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-101.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A British shipping company pleaded guilty yesterday and was ordered to forfeit $175,000 for smuggling into the United States over 100 undeclared wildlife items, including items protected by the Endangered Species Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Keith Foster, 61, of Upperville, operated an antique store in Middleburg known as The Outpost. In December 2018, Foster and his business pleaded guilty to selling items that constituted or contained parts of endangered species and other wildlife illegally imported into the United States. According to court documents, Foster imported the wildlife items through a British shipping company, Thasi Limited, doing business as The British Shop (TBS). TBS employees in England helped Foster hide his wildlife imports from the Fish and Wildlife Service, which included items such as sea turtle shell, sawfish blades, crocodile skin bags, coral, and mounted birds of prey.

Between 2013 and 2018, TBS (on behalf of Foster) shipped from England to the United States at least 35 separate cargo shipments of merchandise for resale at The Outpost, which contained wildlife and wildlife parts of a market value that was more than $250,000 but less than $500,000. The wildlife within those shipments was not properly declared to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service upon import. To conceal the existence of wildlife pieces in the shipments, such wildlife pieces were, at Foster's direction, often labeled by TBS employees in a generic manner that failed to signal the true nature of the items.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Edward Grace, Assistant Director of Law Enforcement for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon D. Kromberg prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-281.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Bolivian woman who was recently convicted of aggravated sexual battery of a child family member was sentenced today to more than a year in prison for illegally reentering the United States.

“This case is yet another example of an individual who is here in the United States illegally and committing serious crimes,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Not only did Siles reenter this country illegally, but she used her time here to sexually abuse a vulnerable child. We will continue to investigate and prosecute these criminal immigration cases, especially those with defendants like Siles that pose a significant threat to the most vulnerable in our communities.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Lourdes Terrazas Siles, 39, is a native and citizen of Bolivia. Terrazas Siles was previously removed from the United States in 2000, after she attempted to enter the United States with a fraudulent passport. Sometime thereafter, Terrazas Siles reentered the United States without permission to do so. She was found in the United States in August 2016, when she was arrested for felony aggravated sexual battery by a parent, step-parent, grandparent, or step-grandparent of a victim at least 13 but less than 18 years of age. She was convicted in Virginia on aggravated sexual battery charges in June 2017.

“This woman attempted to thwart our immigration laws first by entering illegally and again by returning after she was removed,” said Lyle Boelens, Acting Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). “Her choice to return was not only a crime in itself, it gave her the opportunity to victimize the child she was meant to care for.”

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Lyle A. Boelens, Acting Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony W. Mariano and Assistant U.S. Attorney Danya E. Atiyeh prosecuted the case. This case was previously handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Kraft.

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-127.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Williamsburg man was sentenced today to six years in prison for travelling to North Carolina to sexually abuse a child, and receiving child pornography from a child in Nebraska.

According to court documents, Derek Thomas, 26, met Jane Doe #1 online and began a relationship during the summer of 2018 when she was 14 years old. During the summer, both Jane Doe #1 and Thomas sent nude images of themselves to one another over social media platforms. Eventually, Thomas travelled to North Carolina to engage in sexual activities with the child. Also, during the summer of 2018, he met Jane Doe #2 on-line. They sent nude images of themselves to one another. Thomas knew the age of each victim prior to engaging in criminal activity with the children.

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 Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa R. McKeel 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-12.

NORFOLK, Va. – A California man pleaded guilty today to organizing and running a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy and commercial sex ring from his state prison cell.

“Gaines directed a drug and sex trafficking organization from the confines of his state prison cell,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “His crime was brazen, dangerous, manipulative, and inflicted untold mental, emotional, and physical harm on some of our community’s most vulnerable individuals.”

According to court documents, Foster Shane Gaines, 42, was serving an eight-year sentence in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for prostituting an adult woman. Beginning in approximately 2016, Gaines launched a drug trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine from a source of supply in California to co-conspirators in the Tidewater area. Using cellphones smuggled into prison, Gaines directed co-conspirators in California, Nevada, and elsewhere to mail parcels of methamphetamine to co-conspirators in Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Petersburg, and elsewhere. Once the methamphetamine was distributed to customers that Gaines, at times, personally arranged using his contraband cellphones, the co-conspirators returned the proceeds from the sales to Gaines and his confederates by way of prepaid stored value cards or bulk cash sent through the mail.  

“Gaines didn’t learn his lesson. Even though he was already serving a prison sentence in California, he brazenly used contraband cell phones to lead a meth and sex trafficking conspiracy while incarcerated,” said Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Norfolk. “Thanks to HSI and our law enforcement partners, we were able to take down this drug and sex trafficking ring and rescue multiple minor victims.”

In addition to his methamphetamine trafficking, Gaines also organized and led a commercial sex ring that at times involved approximately 10 adult females and two juvenile girls. Again using his smuggled cellphones, Gaines recruited women and girls to work as prostitutes by contacting them over various social media platforms. In exchange for 40 to 50 percent of their commercial sex proceeds, Gaines created online advertisements for commercial sex, rented hotel and motel rooms, communicated with customers, organized transportation, and otherwise managed their commercial sex activities. Gaines also arranged for a professional photographer to take sexually suggestive photographs of some women for use in the commercial sex advertisements he created for them, and frequently directed his co-conspirators to provide cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and other drugs to the women and girls prostituting. As with the proceeds from the methamphetamine sales, Gaines directed that the women and girls transmit their commercial sex proceeds to him through bulk cash mailings or prepaid stored value cards.

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is determined to protect Postal employees and thwart illegal and dangerous use of the U.S. Mail,” said Peter R. Rendina, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “Postal Inspectors will work with our law enforcement partners to pursue anyone, even those already incarcerated, who corrupt the U.S. Postal Service to further their criminal enterprises.”

Gaines pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, commonly known as “ice,” and 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, and sex trafficking of a child. Each charge carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison when sentenced on Jan. 31, 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.

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, Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk, Peter R. Rendina, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, Col. K.L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police, Larry D. Boone, Chief of Norfolk Police, and Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darryl J. Mitchell and V. Kathleen Dougherty 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. 2:18-cr-143-1.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Henrico Police Athletic League, (Henrico PAL), which is a chapter of the National Police Athletic/Activities Leagues, Inc., has agreed to pay $5,000 to one child, provide tuition-free enrollment in its summer camp program to a second child, and take remedial action to resolve two complaints that Henrico PAL failed to modify its policies, practices, and procedures to allow children with diabetes to attend its programs.

The allegations involved two children with Type I diabetes.  When Henrico PAL was informed that the children had Type I diabetes and would need help with blood glucose monitoring, insulin administration, and other diabetes care tasks, it allegedly informed one parent that her child could no longer attend its after school program and informed another parent that her child could not attend its summer camp program.

“My office is committed to ensuring that children with disabilities have the same access to child care programs as their peers without disabilities,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Quality child care is essential to allowing parents to work or go to school. We are pleased that Henrico PAL has agreed to take steps to ensure that all of its programs will provide appropriate modifications to its policies, practices, and procedures to allow children with diabetes to attend its programs.”

The Henrico PAL serves over 2,500 youth each year through its after school and summer camp programs throughout Henrico County.

To resolve these complaints, Henrico PAL has agreed to adopt policies that will make its services accessible to children with diabetes; designate an ADA Administrator, who will be responsible for ensuring Henrico PAL’s compliance with the ADA; provide assistance with diabetes care tasks for children who need it; and provide training for its personnel on the ADA’s requirements and child-specific care for each child with diabetes.

The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Gordon, who is the Civil Rights Enforcement Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The civil claims settled by this Americans with Disabilities Act 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 Commonly Asked Questions About Child Care Centers and the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Justice Department has a toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383. Additionally, the National Institutes of Health has published a guide entitled Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed:  A Guide for School Personnel. ADA complaints may be filed by email to: ada.complaint@usdoj.gov.

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

RICHMOND, Va. – A Petersburg man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for trafficking narcotics and firearms.

“Armon Lee trafficked 21 firearms, including some that had obliterated serial numbers, to a felon he knew was prohibited from possessing them,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Lee knew that the guns were being sold for a nefarious purpose, and obliterated a number of serial numbers in an attempt to impede law enforcement’s ability to trace the firearms back to him. This successful investigation and prosecution is a testament to our terrific partnership with the ATF, and a reflection of our commitment to aggressively pursuing firearms traffickers in the Eastern District.”

According to court documents, Armon Lee, 26, was charged in a criminal indictment with seventeen counts of sale or disposal of firearms to a convicted felon and with distribution of “crack” cocaine between May 2018 and August 2018. In all, Lee trafficked 21 firearms to a felon who he knew was prohibited from possessing firearms. Four of the firearms that Lee sold had been previously reported stolen; seven of the firearms Lee trafficked were high capacity firearms in that each was capable of  holding more than 15 rounds of ammunition; two of the firearms Lee sold had their serial numbers obliterated. The criminal indictment also charged Lee with four counts of distribution or aiding and abetting in the distribution of “crack” cocaine.  In July 2018, Lee pleaded guilty to three of the counts set forth in the indictment, and was held responsible not only for illegally trafficking 21 firearms, but also for the distribution of more than 50 grams of cocaine base, commonly known as “crack.”

“Lee thought he could operate under the radar in Petersburg and evade detection. He was wrong,” said Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division. “ATF is putting all criminals engaged in firearms and narcotics trafficking on notice that we will continue to work with other law enforcement agencies, such as the Petersburg Police Department, to see to it that these dangerous individuals are brought to justice and held accountable under the law for their crimes. No longer will they threaten the safety and wellbeing of innocent citizens.”

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

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Kenneth A. Miller, Director of Public Safety, Petersburg Bureau of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Mastandrea-Miller 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-037.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to one and a half years in prison for straw purchasing a firearm.

According to court documents, Treyshard Jackson-Cooper, 25, was introduced to an individual from a Maryland Bike Crew who asked him to purchase a firearm for him, specifically a Glock, Model 30, semi-automatic pistol. In October 2018, Jackson-Cooper went to Superior Pawn, a licensed dealer of firearms, located in Hampton, and purchased the requested firearm. During the transaction, Jackson-Cooper completed an ATF Form 4473. Question 11(a) on ATF Form 4473 asks whether the individual filling out the form is the “actual transferee/buyer of the firearm.” Jackson-Cooper answered this question in the affirmative, though he subsequently admitted that he was not and knew he was not the actual transferee/buyer at the time he purchased the firearm and filled out the form.

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

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen S. Taylor 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-48.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for distributing cocaine and heroin while possessing a firearm.

According to court documents, Lorenzo Golden, 35, admitted that he had agreed to distribute and distributed more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than a kilogram of heroin, including two heroin sales to law enforcement in February and March 2018. Golden took over a residence in the 400 block of East Pembroke Avenue and used the residence to distribute cocaine and heroin. In July 2018, law enforcement executed search warrants on the residence and a storage unit connected to Golden. They recovered scales, cellular phones, five firearms, ammunition, packaging materials and other items used in the sale of drugs.

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

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, Terry L. Sult, Chief of Hampton Police Division, and Anton Bell, Hampton Commonwealth Attorney, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Cross 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. 4:18-cr-90.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An employee of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) was arrested today on charges related to his alleged disclosure of classified national defense information (NDI) to two journalists in 2018 and 2019.

“Henry Kyle Frese was entrusted with TOP SECRET information related to the national defense of our country,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Frese allegedly violated that trust, the oath he swore to uphold, and is charged with engaging in dastardly and felonious conduct at the expense of our country. This indictment should serve as a clear reminder to all of those similarly entrusted with National Defense Information that unilaterally disclosing such information for personal gain, or that of others, is not selfless or heroic, it is criminal.”

Henry Kyle Frese, 30, of Alexandria, is a DIA employee and holds a Top Secret//Sensitive Compartmented Information U.S. government security clearance. According to court documents, between mid-April and early May 2018, Frese allegedly accessed classified intelligence reports, some of which were unrelated to his job duties, and provided TOP SECRET information regarding a foreign country’s weapons systems to a journalist (Journalist 1).

According to court documents, Frese and Journalist 1 had the same residential address from August 2017 through August 2018 and, based on reviews of Frese’s and Journalist 1’s public social media pages, it appears that they were involved in a romantic relationship for some or all of that period of time. The unauthorized disclosure of TOP SECRET information could reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave harm to the national security of the United States.

“As laid out in today’s indictment, Frese was caught red-handed disclosing sensitive national security information for personal gain,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers.  “Frese betrayed the trust placed in him by the American people—a betrayal that risked harming the national security of this country. This is one of six unauthorized disclosure cases the Department has charged in just over two years, and we will continue in our efforts to punish and deter this behavior.”

According to the indictment, a week after Frese accessed one of the intelligence reports (Intelligence Report 1) for the second time, Journalist 1 wrote to Frese on April 27, 2018, and asked whether he would be willing to speak with another journalist (Journalist 2). Frese stated that he was “down” to help Journalist 2 if it helped Journalist 1 because he wanted to see Journalist 1 “progress.”

As alleged, in that same communication, Frese and Journalist 1 also discussed a story that Journalist 1 was working on, the subject matter of which was the topic of Intelligence Report 1. Several days after that communication, Frese searched on a classified United States government computer system for terms related to the topics contained in Intelligence Report 1. According to the indictment, in the hours after searching for terms related to the topic of Intelligence Report 1, Frese spoke by telephone with both Journalist 1 (twice) and Journalist 2, and within approximately a half hour after Frese’s conversations with the two journalists, Journalist 1 published an article (Article 1) through News Outlet 1, which contained NDI from Intelligence Report 1 classified at the TOP SECRET//SCI level.

“Mr. Frese allegedly disclosed highly classified national defense information, which puts our country and people at risk,” said Alan E. Kohler Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office Counterintelligence Division. “He violated his oath to serve and protect the United States.  The men and women of the FBI work hard every day to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution - we will not stand by while trusted government employees violate that trust in such an egregious way.”

In addition, as alleged in the indictment, on Sept. 24, 2019, Frese was captured on court-authorized surveillance of his cell phone orally transmitting classified NDI to Journalist 2. These disclosures contained NDI classified at the SECRET level, meaning that the unauthorized disclosure of the information could reasonably be expected to cause serious harm to the national security of the United States.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging Frese with two counts of willful transmission of national defense information to persons not entitled to receive it. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each count. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Danya E. Atiyeh and Trial Attorney Jennifer Kennedy Gellie of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-304.

An employee of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) was arrested today on charges related to his alleged disclosure of classified national defense information (NDI) to two journalists in 2018 and 2019.

“As laid out in today’s indictment, Frese was caught red-handed disclosing sensitive national security information for personal gain,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers.  “Frese betrayed the trust placed in him by the American people—a betrayal that risked harming the national security of this country. This is one of six unauthorized disclosure cases the Department has charged in just over two years, and we will continue in our efforts to punish and deter this behavior.”

Henry Kyle Frese, 30, of Alexandria, is a DIA employee and holds a Top Secret//Sensitive Compartmented Information U.S. government security clearance. According to court documents, between mid-April and early May 2018, Frese allegedly accessed classified intelligence reports, some of which were unrelated to his job duties, and provided TOP SECRET information regarding a foreign country’s weapons systems to a journalist (Journalist 1).  According to court documents, Frese and Journalist 1 had the same residential address from August 2017 through August 2018 and, based on reviews of Frese’s and Journalist 1’s public social media pages, it appears that they were involved in a romantic relationship for some or all of that period of time.  The unauthorized disclosure of TOP SECRET information could reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave harm to the national security of the United States.

According to the indictment, a week after Frese accessed one of the intelligence reports (Intelligence Report 1) for the second time, Journalist 1 wrote to Frese on April 27, 2018, and asked whether he would be willing to speak with another journalist (Journalist 2). Frese stated that he was “down” to help Journalist 2 if it helped Journalist 1 because he wanted to see Journalist 1 “progress.”

As alleged, in that same communication, Frese and Journalist 1 also discussed a story that Journalist 1 was working on, the subject matter of which was the topic of Intelligence Report 1.  Several days after that communication, Frese searched on a classified United States government computer system for terms related to the topics contained in Intelligence Report 1.  According to the indictment, in the hours after searching for terms related to the topic of Intelligence Report 1, Frese spoke by telephone with both Journalist 1 (twice) and Journalist 2, and within approximately a half hour after Frese’s conversations with the two journalists, Journalist 1 published an article (Article 1) through News Outlet 1, which contained NDI from Intelligence Report 1 classified at the TOP SECRET//SCI level.

In addition, as alleged in the indictment, on Sept. 24, 2019, Frese was captured on court-authorized surveillance of his cell phone orally transmitting classified NDI to Journalist 2. These disclosures contained NDI classified at the SECRET level, meaning that the unauthorized disclosure of the information could reasonably be expected to cause serious harm to the national security of the United States.

“Henry Kyle Frese was entrusted with TOP SECRET information related to the national defense of our country,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Frese allegedly violated that trust, the oath he swore to uphold, and is charged with engaging in dastardly and felonious conduct at the expense of our country. This indictment should serve as a clear reminder to all of those similarly entrusted with National Defense Information that unilaterally disclosing such information for personal gain, or that of others, is not selfless or heroic, it is criminal.”

"Mr. Frese allegedly disclosed highly classified national defense information, which puts our country and people at risk," said Alan E. Kohler Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office Counterintelligence Division.  "He violated his oath to serve and protect the United States.  The men and women of the FBI work hard every day to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution - we will not stand by while trusted government employees violate that trust in such an egregious way."

A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging Frese with two counts of willful transmission of national defense information to persons not entitled to receive it. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each count. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Danya E. Atiyeh and Trial Attorney Jennifer Kennedy Gellie of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

The Department of Justice today announced that it reached an agreement with the Commonwealth of Virginia to resolve its investigation of the Virginia Department of Corrections (VDOC), pursuant to the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), 42 U.S.C. §2000cc.  The investigation and agreement addressed VDOC’s five-person minimum for group worship and religious activities, its policy of preventing prisoners from attending religious services if they missed services in the past, and its restrictions on access to the religious diet. 

“This settlement will ensure that men and women in VDOC’s custody can practice their religions consistent with their sincerely held beliefs, including through group worship and an appropriate religious diet,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division.  “We commend the Commonwealth for its willingness to make changes to further its commitment to rehabilitating prisoners and preparing them for reentry into their communities.”

“The right to worship and engage in religious activities within correctional facilities is protected by the Constitution and federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas T. Cullen for the Western District of Virginia.  “We are pleased that the VDOC recognizes this and is taking appropriate steps to ensure that individuals under its supervision are better able to exercise this fundamental right.” 

“We are pleased that the Commonwealth of Virginia has reached this agreement with the Department involving the VDOC,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This settlement makes certain that those in VDOC installations will be able to exercise their religious beliefs, whatever they may be, as guaranteed by the United States Constitution.”

Before signing the agreement, VDOC made policy changes addressing all three issues.  The new policy (1) removes the five-person minimum requirement for religious services and activities; (2) prohibits removal from the religious diet for failing to pick up a minimum number of common fare meal trays per month; and (3) removes the requirement that prisoners regularly attend services in order to remain eligible to attend religious services and activities.

Under the agreement, VDOC affirmed the importance of protecting the rights of men and women in its custody to engage in religious practice and acknowledged that the policy revisions are consistent with its goals.  As part of its implementation efforts, VDOC will provide training to staff and chaplains involved in implementing the revised policy.

Additional information about the Civil Rights Division and the Special Litigation Section, please visit www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section. Those interested in finding out more about RLUIPA may visit https://www.justice.gov/crt/religious-land-use-and-institutionalized-persons-act-0.  The Department of Justice issued a Report on the Tenth Anniversary of RLUIPA in 2010, and an Update on RLUIPA Enforcement in 2016.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A woman formerly from McLean was sentenced today to more than four years in prison for stealing the identity of a woman from Alexandria, who had been her housemate. 

According to court documents, Sau Hoong Lee, 66 years old, is a native of Malaysia. Since first entering the United States at least 18 years ago, she has accumulated numerous convictions related to identity theft. Preying on other women with whom she either lived or ingratiated herself, Lee resided in this country under a series of assumed identities. Each of Lee’s identity theft schemes was built on the prior scheme’s foundation, as Lee would often introduce herself to her newest victim under the assumed name of her last victim.

In 2012, using the name of Cindy Tran (a housemate of Lee and a victim of the Lee’s earlier identity theft in California), Lee met and befriended Cindy Lin, and then stole her driver's license. Between 2014 and 2017, Lee used the identity of “Cindy Lin” to raise funds, travel around the country, and engage in various businesses, including multiple EIGC subsidiaries. Under the identity of Cindy Lin, Lee raised funds and engaged in negotiations in 2016 to purchase a controlling interest in Monumental Sports, owner of the Washington Wizards. 

Using the identity of Cindy Lin, Lee convinced individuals including YD, WH, and Alan Perez, to borrow money to purchase nine Porsche and six Ferrari automobiles in their names (with purchase prices totaling more than $2 million), but for her use, in return for her promise to give them money in excess of the vehicle payments. 

In June 2014, Lee was stopped for speeding in McLean, in a 2013 Ferrari, registered to WH. In September 2014, she was stopped for speeding on the Dulles Toll Road in a 2014 Porsche, registered to YD. In July 2015, she was stopped by Maryland State Police in Talbot County, while driving a 2015 Porsche 911 Turbo, registered to WH.  In November 2015, she was stopped by Fairfax County Police on the Dulles Toll Road, while driving a 2016 Ferrari, registered to WH. During each of the traffic stops, Lee provided to the police the Virginia driver’s license of Cindy Lin.

In June 2016, Lee was stopped by an officer of the Sheriff’s Office in Brunswick County, while driving a 2015 Porsche 911 Turbo registered to Alan Perez. During the traffic stop, Lee provided the police officer the Virginia driver’s license of Cindy Lin. 

According to Perez's letter to the Court, he was close friends with Lee and even lived with her. Perez told the Court that she reduced him and his family to financial ruin by convincing him and his parents to give her money for various activities, investments, sign over properties and buy exotic cars.

 In 2017, FBI agents executed a warrant on Lee’s $14,000/month rental apartment in Los Angeles, and found there the Virginia driver’s license of Cindy Lin. 

Upon her release from a California state prison in 2006, after conviction for an identity fraud offense, Lee was turned over to custody of federal immigration authorities. To avoid removal from the United States, Lee requested asylum. Under the name Sau Hoong Lee, and on the basis of an application which claimed that she had never used any other name, Lee was granted deferral of removal from the United States. 

According to evidence received from the government of Malaysia, a 66-year-old woman by the name of Sau Hoong Lee reported to Malaysian authorities that her identity was being used by a woman in America. Today, Lee admitted in Court that she was born Siew Im Cheah in 1959, and started using the name Sau Hoong Lee about 20 years ago.  

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Timothy R. Slater, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon D. Kromberg and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Attias prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-62.

A contracting officer with the U.S. Department of State was convicted today of conspiracy, bribery, honest services wire fraud and making false statements.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger of the Eastern District of Virginia, Special Agent in Charge Marc Meyer of the U.S. Department of State Office of Inspector General and Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.

Zaldy N. Sabino, 60, of Fort Washington, Maryland, was convicted of 13 counts of conspiracy, bribery, honest services wire fraud and making false statements.  Sentencing has been set for Feb. 14, 2020.

Sabino was indicted in April 2019.  According to the indictment, between November 2012 and early 2017, Sabino and the owner of a Turkish construction firm allegedly engaged in a bribery and procurement fraud scheme in which Sabino received at least $239,300 in cash payments from the Turkish owner while Sabino supervised multi-million dollar construction contracts awarded to the Turkish owner’s business partners and while Sabino made over a half million dollars in structured cash deposits into his personal bank accounts.  Sabino allegedly concealed his unlawful relationship by, among other things, making false statements on financial disclosure forms and during his background reinvestigation.

The Department of State’s Office of Inspector General, led by Steve A. Linick, and the FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case.  Trial Attorney Edward P. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Hanly of the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case. 

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

 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Maryland man pleaded guilty today to embezzling money from his employer, a Virginia business.

According to court documents, Reginald Zayas, 48, of Upper Marlboro, was the Controller at a Virginia-based company.  Over the course of almost four years, Zayas embezzled approximately $3.2 million from the company. Zayas embezzled the money by unlawfully transferring funds from the company’s bank account to his own bank account, and he then often transferred the money from his account to others. Zayas used the laundered money to pay for his own personal expenses.

Zayas pleaded guilty to violating the Travel Act and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 31, 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, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, and Jay N. Lerner, Inspector General of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC-OIG), made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cristina Stam and William Fitzpatrick 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-297.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Michigan man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for his role in running an advanced fee scheme involving phony Standby Letters of Credit supposedly issued by European banks. His co-defendant, also from Michigan, was sentenced to a lesser term.

According to court documents, Samuel John Abraham, 62, of Novi, and Kenneth Ross Thomas, 52, of Westland, conspired to defraud individuals and businesses desperate for credit by promising to arrange substantial lines of credit from European banks. In exchange for an up-front deposit of approximately $150,000 into an escrow account, Abraham, operating as Advanced Funding Group, using aliases such as “J. Samuel Ibrahim” and “Jamal S. Ibrahim,” and also posing as an attorney calling himself “John Wynn,” claimed that he could “lease” for clients a Standby Letter of Credit (SBLC) from a European Bank in the “face amount” of approximately $100 million. Of this large sum, clients were promised they could simply keep approximately $20 million as a “non-recourse loan.” A supposed “monetizer” would then use the remainder of the funds over the course of the year-long lease of the SBLC in order to engage in lucrative overseas trades (also known as “platform trading”), which would supposedly generate profits sufficient to repay the entire SBLC.

As part of the scheme, clients were directed to wire money to Escrow Agent Kenneth Thomas of “K. Thomas and Company Escrow Services.” In reality, the money was wired to the personal checking account of Kenneth Thomas, who was not an escrow agent, and who acted as Abraham’s chauffeur. Thomas promptly provided most of the money to Abraham. According to the Superseding Indictment, Abraham then spent large sums of the money gambling at the Motor City Casino in Detroit, and on vehicles and a condominium. According to the Superseding Indictment, Abraham took in approximately $1.2 million in proceeds from the fraud. Victims resided in Virginia, Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Alaska, New York, South Dakota, Peru, Australia, and other locations.

Standby Letters of Credit, as marketed by the defendants, do not exist and have long been the subject of public service announcements by the FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Abraham has a prior federal conviction and also a permanent injunction entered against him by the SEC for operating the same scheme.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. Special Assistant Russell L. Carlberg and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly R. Pedersen 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-111.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A California man was sentenced today to two years in prison and ordered to pay $332,000 in restitution to 35 victims for posing as a lawyer in order to defraud numerous car accident victims who were members of immigrant communities in Northern Virginia and elsewhere.

According to court documents, Tuan Duc Nguyen, 55, of Garden Grove, falsely held himself out to car accident victims and insurance companies alike as a lawyer for over four years. In the course of his scheme, Nguyen told victims he would represent their interests and they would receive settlement proceeds from insurance companies. But instead of disbursing funds to the victims, Nguyen kept the money for himself. Nguyen carried out the scheme by providing false address information to settling insurance companies so that the victims would not learn of the settlement and by signing documents with false signatures. When victims contacted Nguyen to inquire about the status of their claims, Nguyen often deceived them by stating that negotiations were ongoing when, in fact, the claims had already been settled and Nguyen had stolen the money.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Dober and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kellen S. Dwyer 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. 1:18-cr-329.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Washington, D.C. man was sentenced today to nearly 30 years in prison for his participation in three armed robberies and an armed carjacking.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Lamont Kortez Gaines, 29, participated in the armed robbery of an Advance America Cash Advance store in Alexandria and two 7-Eleven convenience stores in Arlington. During the robberies, a semi-automatic, submachine-gun style pistol with an extended and loaded magazine was brandished at the businesses’ employees.  Additionally, Gaines participated in an armed carjacking in Alexandria. Three of Gaines’ co-conspirators—Andrew Bernard Duncan, 28, Desmar Rashad Gayles, 27, and Anton Durrell Harris, 29, all of Washington, D.C.—previously pleaded guilty to charges of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and each was sentenced to 32 years in prison. 

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

This case was investigated by the Washington Field Office’s Violent Crime Safe Streets Task Force, which is composed of FBI Special Agents, and task force officers from the Arlington County Police, the Alexandria City Police, the Fairfax County Police, the Prince William County Police, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office, the Leesburg Police Department, the Herndon Police Department, the Fairfax City Police, and the Vienna Police, and works in partnership with the U.S. Marshals Service. The task force worked cooperatively and extensively with the City of Alexandria Police, Arlington County Police, and the Prince George’s County Police, Maryland, on this investigation. The task force is charged with identifying, investigating, disrupting and bringing to justice the most violent and egregious criminal enterprises and actors impacting the National Capital Region. 

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander E. Blanchard and Rebeca H. Bellows prosecuted the case.

Alexandria Police Department, Arlington County Police Department, Fairfax County Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Department, and the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, provided significant assistance during this investigation and prosecution.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-106.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Mexican citizen was sentenced today to one and a half years in prison for illegally reentering the United States subsequent to removal for an aggravated felony conviction.

“Gonzalez-Granillo committed burglary and a sex offense involving a minor victim, was deported at taxpayer expense, and then illegally returned to the country,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “His criminal actions have shown a complete disrespect for our nation’s laws and borders. Individuals like Gonzalez-Granillo represent a clear threat to the safety and security of our communities, and as such we will continue to prioritize criminal immigration enforcement cases across the Eastern District of Virginia.”

According to court documents, Marcos Gonzalez-Granillo, 40, originally illegally entered the United States in 1997. In 2002, he was convicted in state court in North Carolina of attempted second-degree rape and first-degree burglary, an aggravated felony. He was removed from the country at taxpayer expense in 2007 after serving his state prison sentence. Gonzalez-Granillo was next encountered by law enforcement authorities in Norfolk in 2019, when he was arrested for failure to register as a sex offender under Virginia law.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Lyle A. Boelens, Acting Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel P. Shean and Elizabeth M. Yusi 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-75.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Fairfax attorney today on charges of conspiring to defraud and to launder fraud proceeds totaling over $1.5 million, including funds embezzled from Virginia State Senator Richard Saslaw’s campaign account, a Canadian business, and an organization intended to support students with autism and other intellectual disabilities.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, David H. Miller, 70, conspired with his wife, Linda Diane Wallis, to defraud three categories of victims from 2011 through 2014. First, Miller, an attorney, conspired with Wallis to create two fake law firms, Federal Legal Associates and The Straile Group. Miller and Wallis used the two fake law firms to fraudulently bill Miller’s employer, SkyLink Air and Logistic Support, Inc. (SkyLink), a Canadian based aviation company that maintained an office in Dulles, for purported legal work that was never actually performed. Miller and Wallis caused approximately $368,400 in losses to SkyLink. 

Second, Miller and Wallis embezzled approximately $653,000 from the campaign account of Senator Saslaw. From June 2013 to September 2014, Wallis served as the treasurer of the Saslaw for State Senate campaign. During that time, Wallis issued over 70 fraudulent checks from the Saslaw for State Senate campaign bank account, which totaled approximately $653,000. All of the checks were issued without the knowledge or permission of Senator Saslaw or his campaign staff, and were ultimately deposited into accounts that were controlled by Miller or Wallis.

Third, Miller and Wallis misappropriated funds from an autism organization, which Miller co-founded and for which Wallis served as the Executive Director. The organization, known as The Community College Consortium on Autism and Intellectual Disabilities (CCCAID), claimed to provide assistance to community colleges to develop programs for individuals with autism and other intellectual disabilities. Between April 2010 and April 2013, community colleges located around the country and an individual donated approximately $783,000 to CCCAID. The funds contributed to CCCAID were supposed to be used to further the mission of the organization and not to enrich Miller or Wallis. Despite these restrictions, from 2011 through 2014, Miller and Wallis embezzled over $600,000 from CCCAID’s bank account and used the money to pay their own personal expenses.

Miller and Wallis laundered the proceeds of their crimes through multiple bank accounts and ultimately spent the funds on lavish personal expenses, including mortgage payments on a million-dollar home in Fairfax, renovations to an oceanfront property owned by Miller in Bethany Beach, Delaware, dues payments to the Country Club of Fairfax, and travel on private aircraft from Manassas to Montego Bay, Jamaica for a family vacation at a luxury oceanfront resort.

Miller’s co-conspirator and wife, Linda Diane Wallis, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 56 months in prison on Mar. 18, 2016.

Miller faces a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison on each of ten counts of conviction when sentenced on Jan. 24, 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, and Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III accepted the verdict. Assistants U.S. Uzo E. Asonye and Samantha P. Bateman 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. 1:17-cr-213.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Air Force Colonel pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography.

According to admissions made in connection with his plea agreement, between November 2015 and June 2016, Mark Visconi, 48, of Fairfax, received and attempted to receive child pornography using the Internet. Visconi used an online bulletin board dedicated to the sharing of child pornography that operated on the anonymous TOR network to download child pornography. A forensic review of his laptop showed that Visconi downloaded and viewed numerous child pornography images and videos.

According to court documents, Visconi used his cell phone to create hundreds of pictures focused on the clothed buttocks of minor girls. In a smaller subset of these pictures, Visconi appeared to take “upskirting” images of some of the girls. It does not appear that any of the girls were aware that pictures were being taken.

Visconi pleaded guilty to receiving and attempting to receive child pornography and faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 31, 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.

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, Brian A. Benczkowski, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Marc Meyer, Special Agent In Charge, U.S. Department of State’s Office of Inspector General, 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 T.S. Ellis III accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Russell and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and Trial Attorney of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section Gwendelynn Bills 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-258.

An Air Force colonel pled guilty today to receiving child pornography.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia, Special Agent In Charge Marc Meyer of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Inspector General and Special Agent in Charge Raymond Villanueva of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. made the announcement.

According to admissions made in connection with his plea agreement, between November 2015 and June 2016, Mark Visconi, 48, of Fairfax, Virginia, received and attempted to receive child pornography using the Internet. Visconi used an online bulletin board dedicated to the sharing of child pornography that operated on the anonymous TOR network to download child pornography. A forensic review of his laptop showed that Visconi downloaded and viewed numerous child pornography images and videos.

Separately, the plea documents also note that Visconi used his cell phone to create hundreds of pictures focused on the clothed buttocks of minor girls. In a smaller subset of these pictures, Visconi appeared to take “upskirting” images of some of the girls. It does not appear that any of the girls were aware that pictures were being taken. 

U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III for the Eastern District of Virginia scheduled the sentencing for Jan. 31, 2020.

The case was investigated by HSI.  Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Russell of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

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

 

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond woman was sentenced today to nearly 13 years in prison for aiding and abetting multiple robberies, and aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm during one of those robberies. 

According to court documents, Christina Pilgrim, 37, met Ali Cousins, Jr. around the year 2017 when Cousins brought his son to Pilgrim’s daycare center which she operated out of her home. The two entered into a romantic relationship shortly after meeting. Pilgrim was married at the time.  While also operating the daycare center, Pilgrim worked at the Dollar Tree at 8920 Patterson Avenue, Henrico. So, when Cousins began to suffer financial difficulties in 2018, Pilgrim suggested to him that he could rob the Dollar Tree where she worked. She assured him that the business would be easy to rob. Cousins decided to rob the store and relied on information Pilgrim provided, particularly the store employees who would work on a given night and the location of safes and cameras in the store, to carry out the robberies. Additionally, Pilgrim provided Cousins access to a firearm that her husband owned and left in her home which Cousins could use during the robberies.  Cousins would rob the store five times between the months of March and September 2018.

During one robbery which occurred in August 2018, Pilgrim informed Cousins that the store manager to the Dollar Tree would make the nightly bank deposit at a nearby Wells Fargo bank.  Cousins decided that he would rob the store manager as the manager made the deposit, and Pilgrim drove Cousins to the Wells Fargo to wait for the store manager to arrive. Pilgrim watched as the store manager left the Dollar Tree and informed Cousins when the manager was on his way to the bank. When the manager arrived, Cousins completed the robbery and Pilgrim picked Cousins up afterward. 

For the last robbery in September 2018, Pilgrim provided Cousins access to her husband’s vehicle which Cousins used to complete the robbery. Cousins and an accomplice, Bryant Williams, then traveled to the Dollar Tree and entered the store just before closing. Pilgrim, who was working at the store at the time, saw Cousins and Williams arrive and enter the restroom of the store to wait for the right opportunity to complete the robbery. While Cousins and Williams waited, Pilgrim sent text messages to Cousins regarding others in the store being suspicious of them when they came to the store. Soon after that text message, Cousins and Williams completed the robbery and fled the store.  Law enforcement would arrest Cousins the same night and would arrest Williams several months later. 

Cousins pleaded guilty and admitted to having committed the five robberies. Also, Williams, and another accomplice, Anthony Simmons, who Cousins recruited for the first robbery, pleaded guilty to their roles in the individual robberies they performed with Cousins.

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

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 Humberto I. Cardounel, Jr., Chief of Henrico County Police Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. 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. 3:19-cr-50.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man was sentenced yesterday to over seven years in prison after for distributing cocaine and heroin in Hampton Roads.

According to court documents, in May a federal jury convicted Erick Allen Osby, 24, of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin.

In September 2018, Osby, who had active warrants for his arrest regarding narcotics distribution charges out of Hampton at the time, was observed by law enforcement approaching multiple vehicles parked in a residential area of 72nd Street in Newport News and acting in a manner consistent with drug trafficking. Osby appeared to be distributing and receiving items to and from a white shoulder bag that he was wearing. Upon entering the back seat of one of the vehicles, law enforcement moved in and arrested Osby. Inside the white shoulder bag was a bag of heroin, suspected narcotics packaging material, and Osby’s identification card. A bag of cocaine was also found on top of the shoulder bag and Osby had nearly $2,000 in cash and a digital scale on his person.

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

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Terry L. Sult, Chief of Hampton Police Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. 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-9.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to nearly five years in prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. 

According to court documents, Christopher Nelson, aka Fabian Ellington III, 42, was part of a group that defrauded the Virginia Credit Union (VACU), a federally insured financial institution, through a sophisticated scheme. In the first step, Nelson, doing business as Financial Solutions, LLC, and others, recruited and paid financially needy individuals to open bank accounts, in their own name, and thereafter turn over to Nelson and his conspirators, the account numbers, debit cards, PINs, and starter checks associated with the new accounts.

In the next step, Nelson and his conspirators would then deposit fraudulent checks into the newly-opened accounts to inflate the account balances. Shortly after the deposits, Nelson or a conspirator would go to an ATM machine or drive-up window, and fraudulently use the debit cards to withdraw currency generated by the fraudulently inflated balances. Nelson and his conspirators also would use the debit cards to purchase items at commercial establishments. After the financial institution detected the scheme and deactivated a fraudulent account, Nelson simply opened a new fraudulent account in the name of a new person, and continued the scheme.

The loss sustained by the Virginia Credit Union was approximately $40,000 from the Spring 2017 until June 2018.

 

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Jerald W. Page, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Maguire 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. 3:18-cr-09.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk woman was sentenced yesterday to more than four years in prison for her role in a conspiracy to prepare false tax returns for her customers.

According to court documents, Tinesha L. Bert, 33, was the assistant manager of a now-closed, Virginia Beach-based tax preparation service known as Express Tax Preparation Services. From December 2014 to February 2016, Bert was responsible for using false information in her customers’ tax returns in order to generate a higher refund amount. In some cases, she falsely stated that the customer had dependent children so that the customer would qualify for beneficial tax credits. She also filed returns using the names and social security numbers of real persons without their knowledge. The court found that she was responsible for a tax loss of approximately $174,000.  Last month, the manager of the tax business, Markita D. Simon, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison.

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 sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy C. Stoker prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:18-cr-149.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach dentist was sentenced today to nearly eight and a half years in prison for conspiracy to distribute prescription opioids and muscle relaxant pills without a legitimate medical purpose.

According to court documents, Gary Hartman, 48, has been a licensed dentist in Virginia since 2002. From 2014 to 2018, Hartman was involved in an elaborate scheme to prescribe opioids such as hydrocodone and oxycodone pills for his personal use and the use of his co-conspirators, who fell into three different categories of individuals. The first category of co-conspirators were close friends of Hartman since high school. Hartman would write prescriptions for oxycodone to his friends without a legitimate medical purpose, the friends would fill the prescriptions, bring back most of the pills for Hartman’s personal use and keep the remainder for their personal use.

The second category of co-conspirators was another dentist. Hartman and the other dentist would write prescriptions to each other for oxycodone and muscle relaxants for the personal use of Hartman and the other dentist.

The third category of co-conspirators were people who were impoverished. Hartman would promise to perform free dental work on these individuals in exchange for the service of filling prescriptions of oxycodone pills written by Hartman and bringing the pills back to Hartman for his personal use. This conspiracy involved 766 prescriptions written for non-medical reasons and almost 40,000 oxycodone pills.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Jesse R. Fong, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Muhr and V. Kathleen Dougherty 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-48.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Suffolk man pleaded guilty today to making a false statement in a matter within the jurisdiction of the United States.

According to court documents, in November 2012, Joseph Powell, 29, was hired by Newport News Shipbuilding to be a Non-Destructive Test (NDT) Inspector, in Newport News. As an NDT Inspector, Powell performed weld inspections on vessels such as Virginia Class Submarines and Aircraft Carriers. Powell had extensive training on and familiarity with the proper protocol for types of weld inspections. To track and ensure quality control with inspections, NDT Inspectors certify their inspections using NNS’s Electronic Record System (“ERS”).  ERS falls within the jurisdiction of the United States Navy and the Department of Defense.

In June 2016, NNS received information that Powell appeared to have certified the inspection of a weld joint in ERS without conducting the requisite inspection protocol. As a result of this information, NNS initiated an inquiry/inspection. Various welds certified by Powell in ERS subsequently were investigated by NNS in June 2016, which led to the identification of additional welds that were not in acceptable condition for inspection, did not contain the required physical markings indicating an inspection had been completed, nor had residue or powder on or around the job from the inspection equipment.

Numerous NDT weld joints certified by Powell in ERS were re-inspected. The re-inspections revealed that a number of weld joints previously certified by Powell as being satisfactory were, in the opinion of the personnel who did the re-inspections, in fact, unsatisfactory, as these weld joints contained indications or defects subject to rejection, and specifically required repair by a welder. Powell agreed, for sentencing purposes, that the estimated loss to the United States attributable to his false certifications of weld inspections from in or about December 2015 through June 2016 is approximately $43,500.

Powell pleaded guilty to false statements and faces a maximum of five years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 15, 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, Cliff Everton, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Norfolk Field Office, and Robert Craig, Special Agent in Charge for Defense Criminal Investigative Service Mid-Atlantic Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson 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. 4:19-cr-40.

WHAT: Federal, state, and local law enforcement leaders and community partners will hold the Tri-Cities Violent Crime Summit today at Good Shepherd Baptist Church in Petersburg.

WHERE: Good Shepherd Baptist Church, 2223 S Crater Rd, Petersburg, VA 23805

WHEN: Media check in at 2:45 p.m.

DETAILS: Members of the media are invited to attend the final wrap-up of the event from approximately 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Audio and video recording is permitted.

Following the wrap-up, co-hosts of the summit will hold a brief press conference and take questions. After the press conference, select law enforcement officials will be available for one-on-one interviews. Community partners may also be available for one-on-one interviews.

RSVP: Please RSVP by Noon today to: joshua.stueve@usdoj.gov

CO-HOSTS: G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kenneth A. Miller, Director of Public Safety, Petersburg Bureau of Police; Kamran Afzal, Chief of Hopewell Police; Jeffrey W. Faries, Chief of Colonial Heights Police; Cheryl J. Wilson, Petersburg Commonwealth’s Attorney; Richard K. Newman, Hopewell Commonwealth’s Attorney; Alfred Gray Collins, III, Colonial Heights Commonwealth’s Attorney.

LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS: Virginia State Police; Prince George County Police; Prince George County Commonwealth’s Attorney; Chesterfield County Police; Chesterfield County Commonwealth’s Attorney; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division; Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division; FBI’s Richmond Field Office; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Virginia ABC Bureau of Law Enforcement; Virginia State University Police; Richard Bland College Police; Dinwiddie County Sheriff’s Office.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Alexandria woman pleaded guilty today to straw purchasing multiple firearms.

According to court documents, Joni Maria Metcalf, 34, straw purchased five firearms from federal firearm licensees on behalf of a man she was dating at the time and his friend. These individuals provided Metcalf with money and instructions on how to purchase the firearms. Police in Washington, D.C. recovered one of the illegally purchased firearms from her boyfriend’s friend, 11 days after Metcalf straw purchased the firearm.

Metcalf pleaded guilty to making false statements with respect to the purchase of firearms and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 24, 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.

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

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas U. Murphy II and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Annie Zanobini 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-286.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to over five years in prison for conspiring to defraud several banks and identity theft.

According to court documents, Troy Murchison, 23, conspired with several others for more than three-and-a-half years to defraud at least five different banks by depositing counterfeit payroll checks and other worthless financial instruments into dozens of compromised bank accounts and then quickly withdrawing the credited funds. Murchison used social media to recruit at least 40 accountholders of different financial institutions to provide their debit cards and PINs in exchange for promised payment. Murchison then created counterfeit payroll checks purportedly issued by more than a dozen local businesses, which he and others acting on his instruction then deposited into the compromised accounts. 

These deposits fraudulently induced the targeted financial institutions to credit thousands of dollars to those accounts, which Murchison and others immediately withdrew. Between 2014 and 2017, Murchison and others deposited over 100 worthless checks and money orders totaling more than $95,000 into at least 40 compromised accounts and successfully withdrew nearly $40,000 of the credited proceeds. During that same period, Murchison was charged in three separate state cases for conduct related to this conspiracy. Murchison was on probation, awaiting trial, and a fugitive in these cases when he was ultimately arrested in November 2017. 

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 Henry E. Hudson. 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 No. 3:18-cr-122.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Maryland man was sentenced today to two years in prison for illegally accessing his former employer’s network systems, stealing critical servers and information, and causing a loss of over $1.1 million.

According to court documents, Barrence Anthony, 40, of Waldorf, was a systems engineer for Federated IT, a federal contractor that was providing technology services for the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps. After being tipped that his employment was going to be terminated, Anthony engaged in a scheme to sabotage Federated IT’s contract with the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps including by deleting all user and administrator accounts except his to give him sole access to network systems, changing domain name registration information, deleting numerous files belonging to Federated IT, and unlawfully sharing proprietary information belonging to Federated IT with his personal accounts.

Anthony was an insider who intimately knew the victim company’s network and infrastructure. He specifically targeted his actions to do harm to one of the company’s most lucrative contracts with the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps. The proprietary information that Anthony took was specifically built for the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps and the victim company assigned it a value of over $1 million.  The cyber sabotage also disrupted a Chaplaincy Resource Management Course in Jackson, South Carolina, impacting 19 chaplain corps students.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Edward LaBarge, Director of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Cybercrime Unit, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Smith III prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-166.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former pharmacy owner was sentenced today to four years in prison for fraudulently filling and dispensing thousands of prescription medications, including opioids, outside the usual course of professional practice.

“Chowdhury blithely violated his position of trust,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Chowdhury’s warped business philosophy led him to illegally distribute a significant number of prescription medications, including dangerous, addictive opioids. Moreover, his reckless actions add to the financial cost of health care as he fraudulently billed at least $500,000 to health insurance programs for prescriptions that were never filled.”

According to court documents, Latif Mohamed Chowdhury, aka Gulam Latif Chaudhury, 29, operated and controlled two now-defunct pharmacies known as Alexandria Care Pharmacy LLC (ACP-1) and Alexandria Care Pharmacy Store #2 LLC (ACP-2). Chowdhury has never been a licensed pharmacist and has no medical qualifications. Nonetheless, between August 2015 and February 2016, Chowdhury fraudulently operated ACP-1 and ACP-2 by personally filling and dispensing thousands of dosage units of medications, including opioids, without a licensed pharmacist on-site. Chowdhury used the identities of licensed pharmacists, without their permission, to carry out his scheme.

“Chowdhury used his trusted position to enrich himself at the expense of others," said Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office. “Today's sentencing makes it clear that the illegal distribution of opioids will not be tolerated. The FBI will work closely with our partners to continue to investigate allegations of healthcare fraud.”

Chowdhury admitted to fraudulently billing health insurance benefit programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, for refills of prescription medications that were not delivered to customers even though his pharmacies received payment for these prescriptions. Chowdhury also submitted fraudulent health insurance claims in the names of pharmacy customers for medications that were not authorized by any physician, and were not dispensed to any of the customers, in order to enrich himself through illicit profits generated by ACP-1 and ACP-2. 

“We are committed to protecting the public and the people of Virginia,” said Jesse R. Fong, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division. “We will continue to track down and bring to justice criminals who are fueling the opiate crisis at every level including pill writers, pill fillers, and drug dealers in the area.”

In addition, Chowdhury dispensed Schedule II controlled substances in the names of minors, including children as young as 7 and 8-years-old, outside the usual course of professional practice. During the execution of a search warrant, a loaded Colt .38-caliber firearm that belonged to Chowdhury was located in plain view on the pharmacy department shelves.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, Maureen Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Jesse R. Fong, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, and Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of Virginia State Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raj Parekh and Monika Moore prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-203.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Newport News man late yesterday on charges of Hobbs Act robbery and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Antoine Dion Harris, aka “Fattwan,” 31, robbed a Hampton ABC Liquor Store in February 2019. Harris walked into the store, picked up a bottle of Hennessey liquor from the shelf, and before the victim could ring up the purchase, Harris pulled out a black handgun, pointed it at the victim and told her that she had 30 seconds to give him all of her money before he began counting down. The victim complied with Harris’s demands and Harris ultimately got away with $88 and the bottle of Hennessey.

Harris faces a mandatory minimum of seven years and a maximum of life in prison when sentenced on Jan. 14, 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.

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

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Terry L. Sult, Chief of Hampton Police Division, and Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith accepted the verdict. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen S. Taylor and 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-65.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for firearm and witness tampering crimes.

“Deaton is a convicted felon who exploited his relationship with his girlfriend to straw-purchase multiple firearms and ammunition,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We are doubling down on our efforts across the District to prosecute any and all straw purchasing cases. We cannot allow prohibited individuals to purchase, possess, or traffic firearms. To all those being asked to purchase a firearm for someone else, do not lie for the other guy – It is a felony.”

According to court documents, Christopher Allen Deaton, 22, a previously convicted felon, was part of a straw-purchasing and gun-trafficking scheme in which he had his girlfriend purchase five handguns for him, so he could resell them at a profit to out-of-state buyers. He drove with his girlfriend to the gun store, told her which guns and ammo to buy, and directed her to commit multiple felonies by lying about being the actual buyer of the guns on a federal form regulating gun transactions. He then took possession of the handguns.

“Gun traffickers do not simply commit paperwork violations when illegally purchasing, selling and transporting firearms,” said Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division. “These criminals put guns into the hands of serious criminals who pose a significant threat to the safety of our communities. ATF will therefore continue working with our law enforcement partners to combat this illegal practice.”

While in jail on unrelated crimes, Deaton used the jail phone to convince his girlfriend not to cooperate with federal agents or testify in the proceedings against him. He started witness-tampering hours after ATF agents met him at a jail visit to discuss his knowledge about the criminal scheme.

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

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, 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. 2:19-cr-37.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Maryland man pleaded guilty today to aiding and abetting the straw purchase of multiple firearms.

According to court documents, between July and September 2018, Lawrence Paul Chambers, 21, of Silver Spring, aided and abetted the straw purchase of five firearms from federal firearm licensees in the Eastern District of Virginia by providing a woman he was dating money and counsel to illegally purchase firearms on his behalf. Police in Washington, D.C. recovered one of the illegally purchased firearms from a co-conspirator, 11 days after it was straw purchased.

Chambers pleaded guilty to making false statements with respect to the purchase of firearms and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 24, 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.

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

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas U. Murphy II and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Annie Zanobini 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-285.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two Washington, D.C. area men were sentenced to nearly four years in prison combined for their roles in a firearm trafficking conspiracy.

“Giles and Pearce went to extraordinary lengths to illegally traffic dozens of firearms from Virginia to Maryland and Washington, D.C.,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “EDVA has made a commitment to do all we can to attack straw purchasing and firearms trafficking across the Commonwealth and in the National Capital Region. This case is proof positive of the resources we have dedicated and will continue to surge to fight this dangerous conduct.”

According to court documents, Darius Antonio Giles, 22, and his half-brother Daryl Antonio Pearce, 22,  conspired together to travel from Maryland and Washington, D.C.—where they resided—to Virginia to acquire firearms with the intent to engage in the business of dealing firearms. During the course of this conspiracy, Pearce and Giles purchased well over 33 firearms within the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere. After they purchased these firearms, they transported them from Virginia to Maryland and Washington, D.C., where Pearce and Giles resold the firearms to various individuals for profit. Seventeen of the firearms have been recovered by law enforcement in Washington, D.C. and Maryland, including from a convicted felon. Giles was arrested in February following a controlled firearm buy with undercover ATF agents.

“Those who buy guns to sell them illegally in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere, as Giles and Pearce did here, are not simply committing paperwork violations. These criminals are providing an iron pipeline of potentially lethal weapons to individuals who are prohibited under the law from possessing firearms,” said Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division. “We will therefore continue to vigorously pursue and arrest anyone involved in the illegal trafficking of firearms to protect our communities.”

Giles was sentenced to more than two and half years in prison, and Pearce was sentenced to more than a year in prison.

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

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel H. Feil and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas U. Murphy II prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-139.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two Falls Church men were sentenced today to a combined six years in prison for their roles and participation in a violent gang-related assault of a victim with multiple bats.

“Barrera and Melendez both participated in a violent assault whose reasons were as senseless as the brutality of the crime itself,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “MS-13 follows a warped code of violence to enforce the gang’s rules, and seeks to instill fear in those who would dare cross them. The involvement of Barrera and Melendez demonstrate their contempt for the law and their total disregard for the safety of the people who make up this community. I want to thank our investigative partners for their terrific work on this case, working to bring these violent criminals to justice. Hopefully, this lengthy sentence will achieve some measure of justice for the victim and his family, who have suffered the awful consequences of MS-13’s violent ideology and practice.” 

According to court documents, in October 2018, Kevin Barrera Barrera, 20, a paro to the Silvas clique of MS-13, and Denis Oklides Martinez Melendez, 20, a member of the Chilangueras clique of MS-13, conspired with several other members and associates of MS-13 to lure the victim to James Lee Park, in Falls Church, so that they could assault the victim. Barrera, Melendez, and other members and associates of MS-13 believed the victim was cooperating with law enforcement, falsely representing himself as a member of MS-13, and disparaging the Silvas clique of MS-13. After luring the victim to the park under false pretenses, Barrera, Melendez, and approximately 10 other members and associates of MS-13 beat the victim with bats, fists, and feet for approximately three minutes.  As a result of the beating, the victim suffered multiple broken limbs and was hospitalized for several days.

“Today’s sentencing demonstrates that the FBI and the Department of Justice will work to ensure that our message is clear: We will not tolerate this brutal and pointless violence in our community,” said Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division. “The FBI, alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively disrupt gang activity to prevent other acts of violence at the hands of MS-13.”

Martinez Melendez was sentenced to more than three years in prison, and Barrera was sentenced to three years in prison.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas U. Murphy II and Cristina Stam prosecuted the case.

This matter was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Safe Streets/HIDTA Task Force which is composed of FBI Agents, Agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, along with task force officers from the Fairfax County Police, the Prince William County Police, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Department, the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Department, the Leesburg Police Department, the Alexandria City Police Department, the Vienna Police Department, the Fairfax City Police Department, and the Herndon Police Department.  The task force further coordinates its efforts with ATF, USMS and DEA, FBI-Baltimore, along with law enforcement officers from Prince George’s County and Montgomery County, Maryland   The task forces is charged with identifying, disrupting and dismantling the most egregious gangs operating in the Capital Region which includes MS-13, a transnational violent gang.  

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-129.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Attorney General William P. Barr today announced the appointment of the following nine U.S. Attorneys to serve on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC):

Zach Terwilliger, Eastern District of Virginia; David Anderson, Northern District of California; Scott Brady, Western District of Pennsylvania; Maria Chapa Lopez, Middle District of Florida; Halsey Frank, District of Maine; Erica MacDonald, District of Minnesota; Christina Nolan, District of Vermont; Tom Kirsch, Northern District of Indiana; and Nicholas Trutanich, District of Nevada.

“I am pleased to appoint these nine outstanding U.S. Attorneys to this key advisory committee. I am confident that they will serve with distinction,” said Attorney General Barr. “The U.S. Attorneys who comprise the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee play a critical role in carrying out the Department of Justice’s important work, including its efforts to reduce violent crime, combat the opioid crisis, protect the most vulnerable, and enforce the rule of law.”

 The Attorney General also thanked the following U.S. Attorneys who have completed their terms and are rotating off the committee: Louis Franklin, Middle District of Alabama; Robert Higdon, Eastern District of North Carolina; John Huber, District of Utah; Rob Hur, District of Maryland; Jeff Jensen, Eastern District of Missouri; Andrew Lelling, District of Massachusetts; Joshua Minkler, Southern District of Indiana; Richard Moore, Southern District of Alabama; Bryan Schroder, District of Alaska; and David Weiss, District of Delaware.  

Chaired by U.S Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jessie K. Liu, the AGAC represents the voice of the U.S. Attorneys and provides advice and counsel to the Attorney General on policy, management, and operational issues impacting U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.

Attorney General Barr also announced that U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox, a current member, will replace U.S. Attorney John Huber as the Vice Chair of the AGAC.

The bios of all U.S. Attorneys are available here.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Fredericksburg man was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for distributing heroin and fentanyl over a 14-month period.

According to court documents, Aaron J. Talley, 34, conspired with several others to distribute heroin in the Fredericksburg area from January 2018 until March 2019. Federal agents from the FBI, in partnership with the Fredericksburg Police Department, conducted an undercover investigation into Talley’s heroin distribution ring. During 2018, law enforcement working in an undercover capacity set up multiple purchases of heroin from Talley and his associates. In all, the task force conducted 20 undercover buys of heroin, many samples of which, although relatively small in weight, also contained fentanyl.

For sentencing purposes, Talley admitted to distributing between 80–100 grams of heroin as part of the conspiracy. Moreover, for purposes of the federal sentencing guidelines, Talley was determined to be a career offender and a leader or organizer of the conspiracy. As such, the advisory guideline range was substantially increased.

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 David W. Nye, Chief of Fredericksburg Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Duffey 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-66.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man pleaded guilty today to charges of mail fraud and acting as an unregistered commodity pool operator, both stemming from his execution of an investment fraud scheme he operated for nearly a decade.

According to court documents, Leonard J. Cipolla, 71, was the founder, owner, and operator of Tate Street Trading, Inc. in Richmond. Between 2009 and 2019, Cipolla solicited more than $7 million in investment funds from more than 30 individuals located in Virginia, New York, and Washington, D.C. Cipolla convinced these individuals to provide him with their savings by assuring the investors that he was a highly experienced, highly successful trader in commodity futures and options. Cipolla promised his investors that he could guarantee them significant fixed rates of return on their investments, and that Cipolla’s management fee would be drawn only from the profits that Cipolla made over and above each investor’s promised rate of return. He also assured investors that Cipolla was qualified to manage tax-deferred retirement accounts, and that he would roll the investor’s existing Individual Retirement Account (IRA) into a Tate Street-managed, tax-deferred IRA. As time passed, Cipolla provided many of his investors with account statements that purported to show the investor’s principal was safely intact, and growing at the promised rate of return.

In reality, Cipolla pooled his investors’ savings as soon as those individuals’ personal checks, IRA roll-overs, and wires were deposited into his bank accounts. Cipolla used only a fraction of those pooled investment funds to trade in the futures market, and he ultimately lost nearly the entire amount of investor funds that he actually invested. Cipolla further dissipated the remainder of his investors’ savings on unauthorized expenses, to include making payments to earlier investors, and paying his own personal expenses.

Cipolla pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud and unregistered commodity pool operator and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 28, 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, David W. Archey, Special Agent In Charge of the Richmond Field Office, and Peter R. Rendina, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Martin and Thomas Garnett are prosecuting the case.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Virginia State Corporation Commission Division of Securities provided significant assistance during this investigation.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:19-cr-126.

NORFOLK, Va. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging six southern Florida men for their respective roles in a bank fraud and aggravated identity theft conspiracy.

According to the indictment, the defendants, all of whom are Cuban nationals, placed skimming devices on gas pumps located in the Eastern District of Virginia. The skimming devices were capable of recording the credit and debit card numbers, along with their PINs, of the customers that used their cards at the gas pumps. In April and May 2018, using the stolen card information, the defendants traveled between Harris Teeter store locations, among other destinations, to withdraw money from the victims’ bank accounts and purchase prepaid debit cards. 

Below is a table which lists the name, age, hometown of each defendant. They have all been charged with bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Name, Age

Hometown

Pedro Emilio Duran, 40

Miami, Florida

Yariel Monsibaez Ruiz, 28

Hialeah, Florida

Ariel Mora Quijada, 25

Miami, Florida

Guillermo Bello Fuentes, 33

Miami, Florida

Jorge Bello Fuentes, 30

Homestead, Florida

Luis Miguel Fernandez Cardente, 28

Coral Gables, Florida

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

The Northampton County Sheriff’s Office has provided significant and ongoing assistance with the investigation.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-109.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced today to six years in prison for exploiting an elderly man’s diminished mental capacity to defraud him of nearly $157,000.

According to court documents, John Michael Gatchell, 55, facilitated a marriage between the elderly man and a woman with whom Gatchell had a long-term relationship in order to gain access to the elderly man’s money and property. Gatchell induced the elderly man to make a down payment on a Jaguar that Gatchell and a family member drove for about 10 months before it was repossessed by the lender when the loan went into default.

Gatchell also induced the elderly man to obtain two mortgage loans and then diverted most of the proceeds to the benefit of himself and others. He subsequently induced the elderly man to sell the property that secured the loans and again diverted most of the proceeds to himself and others. Gatchell used these monies that he fraudulently diverted to himself to purchase concert series tickets, pay delinquent bills, and make a security deposit for a house he leased, among other things.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Martin Culbreth, 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 U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen. 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. 2:19-cr-49.

RICHMOND, Va. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a Richmond man with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to the indictment, in May 2017, Travis Aaron Ball aka “Wiz,” 30, possessed a .25 caliber firearm after previously being convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. 

Ball is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erik S. Siebert and Stephen E. Anthony 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. 3:19-cr-128.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

RICHMOND, Va. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging a Richmond man with the armed robbery of Call Federal Credit Union in Midlothian.

According to the indictment, Okello Chatrie, 24, entered the Call Federal Credit Union in Midlothian, in May, demanding money at gunpoint. Chatrie robbed the Credit Union of nearly $200,000. 

Chatrie is charged with forced accompaniment and brandishing a firearm during the armed robbery. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison for the forced accompaniment and a mandatory minimum of seven years in prison for brandishing a firearm during the robbery. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

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. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Simon and Peter S. Duffey 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. 3:19-cr-130.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The United States today filed a lawsuit against Edward Snowden, a former employee of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA), who published a book entitled Permanent Record in violation of the non-disclosure agreements he signed with both CIA and NSA.

The lawsuit alleges that Snowden published his book without submitting it to the agencies for pre-publication review, in violation of his express obligations under the agreements he signed. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that Snowden has given public speeches on intelligence-related matters, also in violation of his non-disclosure agreements.

The United States’ lawsuit does not seek to stop or restrict the publication or distribution of Permanent Record. Rather, under well-established Supreme Court precedent, Snepp v. United States, the government seeks to recover all proceeds earned by Snowden because of his failure to submit his publication for pre-publication review in violation of his alleged contractual and fiduciary obligations. 

The lawsuit also names as nominal defendants the corporate entities involved in publishing Snowden’s book. The United States is suing the publisher solely to ensure that no funds are transferred to Snowden, or at his direction, while the court resolves the United States’ claims. Snowden is currently living outside of the United States.

“Intelligence information should protect our nation, not provide personal profit,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This lawsuit will ensure that Edward Snowden receives no monetary benefits from breaching the trust placed in him.”

“Edward Snowden has violated an obligation he undertook to the United States when he signed agreements as part of his employment by the CIA and as an NSA contractor,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “The United States’ ability to protect sensitive national security information depends on employees’ and contractors’ compliance with their non-disclosure agreements, including their pre-publication review obligations. This lawsuit demonstrates that the Department of Justice does not tolerate these breaches of the public’s trust.  We will not permit individuals to enrich themselves, at the expense of the United States, without complying with their pre-publication review obligations.”

This lawsuit is separate from the criminal charges brought against Snowden for his alleged disclosures of classified information. This lawsuit is a civil action, and based solely on Snowden’s failure to comply with the clear pre-publication review obligations included in his signed non-disclosure agreements. 

This matter is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. 

The claims asserted by the United States are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.

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

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Maryland political consultant pleaded guilty today to wire fraud as a result of his fraudulent scheme to solicit millions of dollars in political contributions through several scam-PACs that he founded and advertised as supporting candidates for office and other political causes.

“Rogers preyed upon his victims political beliefs with the intent of enriching his companies, his business partners, and himself,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Individuals like Rogers, who engage in sophisticated fraud schemes will be held accountable for their actions. We have a long history of investigating and prosecuting fraud cases here in the Eastern District, and we remain committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who choose to engage in fraud activity are held accountable and brought to justice.”

According to court documents, from August 2012 through 2018, Kelley Rogers, 55, of Annapolis, operated multiple PACs, including Conservative StrikeForce (CSF), Conservative Majority Fund, and Tea Party Majority Fund.  In that role, Rogers engaged vendors to send e-mail solicitations and make telemarketing phone calls to prospective donors seeking political contributions to his PACs.  Rogers approved the text and other content of all solicitations, and determined how CSF spent the contributions individual donors gave in response to the solicitations.

“Rogers defrauded countless citizens across the country who sought to participate in the political process, and instead used the money to benefit himself and to perpetuate his fraudulent scheme,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s guilty plea shows that the Department of Justice is committed to investigating and prosecuting those who undermine the integrity of our democratic institutions, including those who commit fraud to line their own pockets along the way.” 

During the course of his scheme, Rogers solicited contributions from the general public for his PACs based on materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises. For example, in or around 2013, Rogers, working with an email vendor, represented through CSF that money contributed by donors would be used to support the campaigns of a candidate for Governor and a candidate for Attorney General of Virginia through, among other things, get-out-the-vote efforts and the hiring of attorneys to ensure the integrity of the elections. In or around 2014, Rogers represented that donations to the PAC would be spent on assistance and support for military veterans. In truth and in fact, Rogers never intended to spend, and never actually spent, any of the money raised by Rogers’ PACs on get-out-the-vote efforts or lawyers to protect the integrity of the 2013 Virginia and Attorney General elections, or on assistance and support for military veterans. Instead, Rogers spent nearly all of the money raised from donors to benefit himself, his associates, and his PACs, including by pouring the majority of donor money into the solicitation of more donations.

 “Rogers swindled millions of dollars from individuals attempting to participate in our democratic process,” said Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.  “Instead of using donations to provide assistance and support to military veterans, as he advertised, Rogers used the money to benefit himself and his associates.  I commend the dedication and hard work of our FBI agents and analysts who investigated this egregious fraud against innocent U.S. citizens.”

In addition to the misrepresentations that Rogers made to donors, Rogers and others fraudulently billed his PACs for services that were not performed, thereby misappropriating donor money that had been contributed to the PACs by individuals across the country. Rogers and his associates also made false statements to the Federal Election Commission about how they were spending PAC money. 

Finally, Rogers admitted that he and several others also participated in a scheme to use conduits (“straw donors”) to make contributions to a candidate running to represent a district in the U.S. House of Representatives that exceeded the limits placed on individual campaign contributions under federal law. 

As part of his guilty plea, Rogers agreed to pay $491,299 in restitution to victims of his fraud scheme, as well as a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $208,954. 

Rogers pleaded guilty to wire fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 17, 2020. 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, Brian A. Benczkowski, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Timothy R. Slater, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Pedersen and Trial Attorneys John Taddei and Bill Gullotta of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-270.