Eastern District of Virginia

A Rockville, Maryland man pleaded guilty today to exploiting a 12-year-old Virginia girl by using the Internet to coerce and entice her to engage in illegal sexual activity. 

Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick of the Eastern District of Virginia and Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Lechleitner of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), Washington, D.C., made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga of the Eastern District of Virginia. 

Jose Adalberto Sandoval Quinonez, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.  According to admissions made in connection with his guilty plea, Sandoval initiated contact with the 12-year-old victim over Instagram and the two later began chatting over Google Hangouts.  Over the course of several months in 2017, Sandoval used Google Hangouts to groom, persuade, and entice the minor to engage in sex acts, including sexual intercourse.  In addition, he repeatedly asked her to produce and send him sexually explicit photos of herself, and he succeeded in persuading her to send him such a photo.  Sandoval also sent the victim an image of his penis.  During these interactions, Sandoval, who was 25 at the time, pretended to be 16 years old.

Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 10.

HSI investigated the case with the assistance of the City of Manassas Park Police Department.  Trial Attorney Kyle P. Reynolds of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney D. 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.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Rockville, Maryland man pleaded guilty today to exploiting a 12-year-old Virginia girl by using the Internet to coerce and entice her to engage in illegal sexual activity.

According to court documents, Jose Adalberto Sandoval Quinonez, 26, initiated contact with the 12-year-old victim over Instagram and the two later began chatting over Google Hangouts. Over the course of several months in 2017, Sandoval used Google Hangouts to groom, persuade, and entice the minor to engage in sex acts, including sexual intercourse. In addition, he repeatedly asked her to produce and send him sexually explicit photos of herself, and he succeeded in persuading her to send him such a photo. Sandoval also sent the victim an image of his penis. During these interactions, Sandoval, who was 25 years old at the time, pretended to be 16 years old.

Sandoval Quinonez pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on August 10. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, John P. Cronan, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Patrick J. Lechleitner, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), Washington, D.C., made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Doherty Russell and Trial Attorney Kyle P. Reynolds of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) are prosecuting the case.

HSI investigated the case with the assistance of the City of Manassas Park Police Department.

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.

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 is 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-145.

NORFOLK, Va. – A former U.S. Navy senior chief was sentenced today to two years in prison for his involvement in a procurement fraud scheme that resulted in a $2.3 million loss to the U.S. Navy.

According to court documents, Clayton Pressley III, 42, of Chesapeake, conspired with two others to form a sham government contracting firm in May 2014. The company, known in court documents as “Firm G,” was ostensibly formed to provide “inert training aids” to local Navy units. However, Firm G had neither the capability nor intention to provide the Navy with any supplies at all. Instead, the conspirators manipulated the government procurement process to contract with themselves, and signed fraudulent documentation with the Navy indicating that Firm G had delivered product when it had not. The conspirators used legitimate vendors as intermediaries through which they would fraudulently subcontract business from the Navy to Firm G. The Navy would pay Firm G, through these intermediaries, and ultimately the conspirators would simply distribute the proceeds amongst themselves.   

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Robert E. Craig, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of  the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office, Cliff Everton, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Norfolk Field Office, Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, and Kelly R. Jackson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Henry C. Morgan, Jr.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Layne and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Haynie 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-152.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Armenian national and resident of Glendale, California, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with his involvement in obtaining and using thousands of stolen credit and debit card numbers.

According to court documents, Armen Saplekchian, 37, conspired with at least six other individuals to steal at least 18,000 credit and debit cards numbers, as well as the personal identification numbers associated with many of the stolen card numbers, through the use of electronic devices known as “skimmers.” Specifically, conspirators attached skimmers to gas pump payment systems, collected the information captured when payment cards were swiped at the compromised gas pumps by unwitting customers, and encoded the stolen card numbers onto physical payment cards. Thereafter, conspirators used the physical cards encoded with stolen card information throughout northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland, making thousands of dollars’ worth of fraudulent ATM withdrawals and U.S. Postal Service money order purchases.

On April 4, a federal grand jury returned a 13-count indictment charging Saplekchian, Timburek Khasanov, 37, and Mushegh Melkonyan, 28, with bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, as well as Anatoly Zinchenko, 47, with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud.  In addition to Saplekchian, whose sentencing is scheduled for August 31, the following four individuals have pleaded guilty to offenses arising from their unlawful participation in the gas pump skimming scheme described above:

Name, Age

City, State

Convictions

Sentencing Date

Rudolf Mekhakian (aka Rudolph Mekhakain), 31

Santa Monica, CA

Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Theft

August 10

Radik Karapetyan, 25

North Hollywood, CA

Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Theft

July 20

Siranush Yengibaryan, 23

Van Nuys, CA

Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Theft

July 27

Anatoly Zinchenko, 47

Philadelphia, PA

Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud

August 3

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Patrick J. Lechleitner, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Joseph W. Cronin, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Col. Edwin Roessler, Jr. Chief of Fairfax County Police Department made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander P. Berrang, Kellen S. Dwyer, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy A. Edwards 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:18-cr-136, 1:18-cr-143, 1:18-cr-144, and 1:18-cr-149.

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. – A Jamaican citizen pleaded guilty today to orchestrating a lottery fraud that scammed elderly victims out of approximately $385,000.

According to court documents, Tessicar Karelle Jumpp, 34, conspired with several of her family members and associates to scam elderly victims out of their savings. From her home in Jamaica, Jumpp contacted victims in the United States and used an alias to pretend to be a representative of Publishers Clearing House. Jumpp falsely informed her victims that they had won a lottery prize of millions of dollars, but that in order to collect their winnings, they would need to pay taxes and advance fees. Jumpp then instructed her victims to send funds through wire transfers and in packages of cash mailed to her co-conspirators in the United States. Those co-conspirators would keep a portion of the funds and then send the remainder to Jumpp and others in Jamaica. Jumpp’s victims included an 85-year-old woman from Great Falls who was scammed out of over $335,000, and an 85-year-old Massachusetts man who was defrauded out of almost $50,000.

Earlier this year, the Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners coordinated the largest sweep of elder fraud cases in history. The cases involved more than 250 defendants from around the globe who victimized more than a 1 million Americans, most of whom were elderly. The cases include criminal, civil, and forfeiture actions across more than 50 federal districts.

Jumpp was extradited to the United States from Jamaica and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on August 10. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Joseph Cronin, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Brian A. Michael, Acting Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Bateman 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:14-cr-416.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two Hyattsville, Maryland men were each sentenced today to 26 years in prison for sex trafficking three minors throughout the East Coast from September through November 2016.

According to evidence presented at trial and court documents, Dennis Davis Jr. aka Dee, 26, and Ivan Williams aka Lucci, 28, sex trafficked three underage girls while working with their convicted co-conspirators, Chelsea Canterbury aka Katt, 26, and Rebecca Hamilton aka Becca, 22, also of Hyattsville. Davis, Williams, and their co-conspirators recruited the three underage girls, whom they trafficked in numerous locations, including Northern Virginia, Richmond, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia. They worked together to post online advertisements of the victims offering them for commercial sex with men throughout the region, reserved hotel rooms at which they and the victims would stay when traveling to engage in commercial sex acts, drove the victims to the hotels and other locations where the commercial sex acts occurred, and collected the money given to the victims by the commercial sex customers. The evidence further showed that when two of the minors tried to leave the group, Davis and Williams resorted to violence, including physical force and brandishing firearms. Davis and Williams used the money earned by the victims to create rap music where they bragged about exploiting females, and to fund their day-to-day living expenses.      

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, John P. Cronan, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, and Humberto I. Cardounel Jr., Chief of Henrico County Police Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen C. Cain of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Jessica L. Urban of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) prosecuted the case.

The FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force investigated the case with substantial assistance from the Fairfax County Police Department and the Henrico County Police Department.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is 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-196.

Two Hyattsville, Maryland men were both sentenced today to 26 years in prison for sex trafficking three minors throughout the East Coast from September through November 2016.

Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Fairfax County Chief of Police Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr. and Chief Humberto I. Cardounel Jr. of Henrico County Police Division, made the announcement.

Dennis Davis Jr. aka Dee, 26, and Ivan Williams aka Lucci, 28, were sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Judge Ellis ordered Davis and Williams to serve 10 years of supervised release following their 312-month prison sentence.  Both defendants were ordered to register as sex offenders.  Davis and Williams were each found guilty by a federal jury on Jan. 10, 2018, of three counts of sex trafficking and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.

According to evidence presented at trial and court documents, Davis and Williams sex trafficked three underage girls while working with their convicted co-conspirators, Chelsea Canterbury aka Katt, 26, and Rebecca Hamilton aka Becca, 22, also of Hyattsville, Maryland.  Davis, Williams and their co-conspirators recruited the three underage girls, whom they trafficked in numerous locations, including Northern Virginia; Richmond, Virginia; Maryland; Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, Georgia.  They worked together to post online advertisements of the victims on websites such as Backpage.com offering them for commercial sex with men throughout the region; reserved hotel rooms at which they and the victims would stay when traveling to engage in commercial sex acts; drove the victims to the hotels and other locations where the commercial sex acts occurred; and collected the money given to the victims by the commercial sex customers.  The evidence further showed that when two of the minors tried to leave the group, Davis and Williams resorted to violence, including physical force and brandishing firearms.  Davis and Williams used the money earned by the victims to create rap music where they bragged about exploiting females, and to fund their day-to-day living expenses.      

The FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force investigated the case with substantial assistance from the Fairfax County Police Department and the Henrico County Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen C. Cain of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Jessica L. Urban of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) prosecuted the case.

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

Reynaldo B. Regis, 53, of Fort Washington, Maryland, and a former CIA contractor, pleaded guilty today to unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials, and making material false statements to federal law enforcement officers.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick for the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady accepted the plea.

According to court documents, Regis is a former employee of a government contractor who was assigned to the CIA between August 2006 and November 2016.  During his time at the CIA, Regis conducted unauthorized searches in classified databases and copied classified information into personal notebooks, which he removed from his workspace at the CIA and stored in his home without authorization.  When initially interviewed by federal law enforcement, Regis lied about having done so.  During a search of his home, FBI agents recovered approximately 60 notebooks containing classified information.  The classified information contained in the notebooks included information relating to highly sensitive intelligence reports, disclosure of which could cause serious damage to the national security.

Regis faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.  Regis is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 21.  The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes.  The sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Trial Attorney Scott A. Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Danya E. Atiyeh of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting this case.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) contractor pleaded guilty today to unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials, and making material false statements to federal law enforcement officers.

According to court documents, Reynaldo B. Regis, 53, of Fort Washington, Maryland, is a former employee of a government contractor who was assigned to the CIA between August 2006 and November 2016. During his time at the CIA, Regis conducted unauthorized searches in classified databases and copied classified information into personal notebooks, which he removed from his workspace at the CIA and stored in his home without authorization. When initially interviewed by law enforcement, Regis lied about having done so. During a search of his home, FBI agents recovered approximately 60 notebooks containing classified information. The classified information contained in the notebooks included information relating to highly sensitive intelligence reports, disclosure of which could cause serious damage to the national security.

Regis pleaded guilty to unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, and making material false statements. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when sentenced on September 21. 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.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and Nancy McNamara, 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 Danya E. Atiyeh of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Scott A. Claffee 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 is 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-209.

NORFOLK, Va. – A former Navy sailor was sentenced today to five years in prison for possession of child pornography.

According to court documents, Michael A. Eiker, 40, of Virginia Beach, is a former Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy. Eiker came to the attention of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service when he submitted his government-assigned computer for software upgrades. His command noticed child pornography on the computer, which ultimately led to a search warrant for Eiker’s home where additional media containing similar material was found. In total, Eiker maintained a collection of over 1,000 images of child sexual abuse. Also found in Eiker’s home was a journal he recorded documenting his involvement in child pornography dating back nearly 10 years.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Cliff Everton, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney David Layne prosecuted the case.

This case is 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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources” for more information about Internet safety education.

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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-72.

A former contractor at the Military Sealift Command was sentenced to 87 months for his role in a bribery and fraud conspiracy through which he received nearly $3 million in bribes from approximately 1999 to approximately 2014. 

Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting United States Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick for the Eastern District of Virginia; Special Agent in Charge Martin Culbreth of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Craig, Jr. of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Clifton J. Everton, III of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement.

Scott B. Miserendino, Sr., 59, formerly of Stafford, Virginia, pled guilty on January 24, 2018, to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and honest services mail fraud, one count of bribery, and three counts of honest services mail fraud.  

Miserendino was a government contractor at MSC, an entity of the U.S. Department of the Navy that provides support and specialized services to the Navy and other U.S. military forces.  According to the plea agreement, Miserendino and Joseph P. Allen, the owner of a government contracting company, conspired to use Miserendino’s position at MSC to enrich themselves through bribery. 

Specifically, beginning in or around 1999, Miserendino used his position and influence at MSC to help Allen and his company obtain and expand a commission agreement with a telecommunications company that sold maritime satellite services to MSC.  With that agreement in place, for more than a decade, Miserendino used his influence at MSC to take official acts to benefit the telecommunications company, which, through the commission agreement, also benefited Allen and his company. 

Unknown to MSC or the telecommunications company, Allen then paid half of the commission payments from the telecommunications company to Miserendino as bribes.  In total, between approximately 1999 and approximately 2014, Allen received more than $6 million from the telecommunications company, and in turn paid more than $2.8 million to Miserendino in bribes.

For his role in the scheme, Allen, 57, formerly of Panama City, Florida, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery in April 2017, and was sentenced on July 28, 2017, to five years in prison by U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen, in Norfolk.

The FBI, DCIS, and NCIS are investigating the case.  Trial Attorneys Sean Mulryne and Molly Gaston of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Haynie for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) case officer with one count of conspiracy to gather or deliver national defense information to aid the People’s Republic of China, and two counts of unlawfully retaining documents related to the national defense.

“The allegations in this case are troubling,” said Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Conspiring with foreign agents poses a real and serious threat to our national security. The United States will hold accountable those who conspire to compromise our national security.”

Jerry Chun Shing Lee, 53, of Hong Kong, is a U.S. citizen who speaks fluent Chinese. According to allegations in the indictment, Lee was a case officer for the CIA until 2007. After leaving the CIA, Lee resided in Hong Kong. In April 2010, two Chinese intelligence officers (IOs) approached Lee and offered to pay him for information. The taskings allegedly requested that Lee provide documents and information relating to the national defense of the United States. According to the indictment, the IOs provided Lee with a series of email addresses so that he could communicate covertly with them. The indictment further alleges that Lee prepared documents responsive to the taskings, made numerous unexplained cash deposits, and repeatedly lied to the U.S. government during voluntary interviews when asked about travel to China and his actions overseas. Lee received taskings from the Chinese IOs until at least 2011.

“When government officials violate their oath to defend our nation and protect its secrets, the National Security Division will hold them accountable,” said John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “Lee, a former CIA case officer, allegedly conspired to provide information to the Chinese government about the national defense of the United States. Lee’s alleged actions betrayed the American people and his former colleagues at the CIA. We will not tolerate such threats to our country or its national security.”

In August 2012, Lee and his family left Hong Kong to return to the United States to live in northern Virginia. While traveling back to the United States, Lee and his family had hotel stays in Hawaii and Virginia. During each of the hotel stays, FBI agents conducted court-authorized searches of Lee’s room and luggage, and found that Lee was in unauthorized possession of materials relating to the national defense. Specifically, agents found two books containing handwritten notes that contained classified information, including but not limited to, true names and phone numbers of assets and covert CIA employees, operational notes from asset meetings, operational meeting locations and locations of covert facilities. Agents also found a thumb drive on which was stored a document later determined to contain information classified at the Secret level. During voluntary interviews with the FBI, Lee admitted preparing the document in response to taskings from the IO.

“Espionage is a serious crime that can expose our country to grave danger” said Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “The FBI will continue to aggressively pursue all allegations of espionage.”

Lee is charged with one count of conspiracy to gather or deliver national defense information to aid a foreign government, and two counts of unlawfully retaining documents related to the national defense. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, if convicted. 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.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Hammerstrom of the Eastern District of Virginia, and Trial Attorneys Patrick T. Murphy and Adam L. Small 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 is 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-89.

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 Justice Department announced today that Jerry Chun Shing Lee, 53, of Hong Kong, was indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in the Eastern District of Virginia with one count of conspiracy to gather or deliver national defense information to aid a foreign government, and two counts of unlawfully retaining documents related to the national defense.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office announced the charges.       

“When government officials violate their oath to defend our nation and protect its secrets, the National Security Division will hold them accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers.  “Lee, a former CIA case officer, allegedly conspired to provide information to the Chinese government about the national defense of the United States.  Lee’s alleged actions betrayed the American people and his former colleagues at the CIA.  We will not tolerate such threats to our country or its national security.”

“The allegations in this case are troubling,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Doherty-McCormick.  “Conspiring with foreign agents poses a real and serious threat toward our national security.  The United States will hold accountable those who conspire to compromise our national security.”

“Espionage is a serious crime that can expose our country to grave danger” said Assistant Director in Charge McNamara.  “The FBI will continue to aggressively pursue all allegations of espionage.”

Lee is a U.S. citizen who speaks fluent Chinese.  According to the indictment, Lee was a case officer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) until 2007.  After leaving the CIA, Lee resided in Hong Kong.  The indictment alleges that in April 2010, two Chinese intelligence officers (IOs) approached Lee and offered to pay him for information.  The indictment alleges that Lee received taskings from the IOs until at least 2011.  The taskings allegedly requested that Lee provide documents and information relating to the national defense of the United States.  According to the indictment, the IOs provided Lee with a series of email addresses so that he could communicate covertly with them.  The indictment further alleges that Lee prepared documents responsive to the taskings, made numerous unexplained cash deposits, and repeatedly lied to the U.S. government during voluntary interviews when asked about travel to China and his actions overseas.

In August 2012, Lee and his family left Hong Kong to return to the United States to live in northern Virginia.  While traveling back to the United States, Lee and his family had hotel stays in Hawaii and Virginia.  During each of the hotel stays, FBI agents conducted court-authorized searches of Lee’s room and luggage, and found that Lee was in unauthorized possession of materials relating to the national defense.  Specifically, agents found two books containing handwritten notes that contained classified information, including but not limited to, true names and phone numbers of assets and covert CIA employees, operational notes from asset meetings, operational meeting locations and locations of covert facilities.  Agents also found a thumb drive on which was stored a document later determined to contain information classified at the Secret level.  During voluntary interviews with the FBI, Lee admitted preparing the document in response to taskings from the IO.

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.  If convicted, Lee faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.  The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes.  If convicted of any offense, the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Adam L. Small and Patrick T. Murphy of National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Hammerstrom of the Eastern District of Virginia.

A Purcellville, Virginia man, who was a member of a website dedicated to the advertising and sharing of child pornography on an online anonymous network, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release.

Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick of the Eastern District of Virginia, and Patrick J. Lechleitner, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations HSI Washington, D.C. made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia.

Nikolai Bosyk, 40, a repair shop owner, was charged on Oct. 17, 2017, and pleaded guilty on Feb. 12, 2018.  According to admissions made in conjunction with the guilty plea, Bosyk was a member of an online bulletin board dedicated to the sharing of child pornography, that operated on the TOR anonymity network. Bosyk admitted to downloading child pornography, from that website and other places on the Internet.  A forensic review of his laptop discovered thousands of images and videos of child pornography.  

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case, with assistance from the High Technology Investigative Unit (HTIU) of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and the Northern Virginia-Washington, D.C. Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

CEOS Trial Attorney Lauren E. Britsch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Smith III of the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.

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

The owner of a Virginia auto repair shop pleaded guilty today to failing to account for and pay over employment taxes, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick for the Eastern District of Virginia.  

According to court documents, Michael Ragsdale resided in Ashburn, Virginia, and owned and operated Foreign Service Auto (FSA), an auto repair business located in McLean, Virginia.  Ragsdale had decision-making authority over the business’s activities and controlled the business’s finances.  He was responsible for withholding employment taxes from FSA’s employees, paying the taxes over to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and filing its employment tax returns.  Despite this obligation, Ragsdale did not pay to the IRS employment taxes withheld from employee paychecks.  In total, between 2008 and 2014, Ragsdale’s conduct caused a total tax loss to the IRS of approximately $370,848. 

U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady scheduled sentencing for September 7, 2018.  Ragsdale faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison.  He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and Acting U.S. Attorney of Justice Doherty-McCormick commended special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Tax Division Trial Attorney Melanie Smith and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Burke, who are prosecuting this case.

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

A member of the Nine Trey Gangsters was sentenced today in the Eastern District of Virginia to life in prison for his role in four murders and several additional non-fatal shootings.

According to plea documents, Anthony Foye, 26, of Suffolk, Virginia, is a member of the Nine Trey Gangsters, a street gang with members in states across the East Coast that is affiliated with the United Blood Nation. Foye and another gang member convicted of multiple murders, Nathaniel Mitchell, were trying to gain a reputation within the gang as “shooters.” In furtherance of his membership in the gang, Foye murdered Al-Tariq Tynes, Vandalet Mercer, Linda Lassiter, and Wayne Davis, shot into a residence in Portsmouth, Virginia and shot several other individuals across South Hampton Roads, Virginia.

Foye pleaded guilty on Sept. 8, 2017, to four counts of murder in aid of racketeering activity, and faced a mandatory life sentence on each count.

Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick for the Eastern District of Virginia; Attorney General of Virginia Mark R. Herring; Special Agent in Charge Martin Culbreth of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Chief of Norfolk Police Larry D. Boone; Chief of Portsmouth Police Tonya D. Chapman; Chief of Virginia Beach Police James A. Cervera; Col. K.L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police; and Chief of Suffolk Police Thomas E. Bennett made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. 

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

Trial Attorney Teresa A. Wallbaum of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph E. DePadilla, Andrew C. Bosse and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

NORFOLK, Va. – A member of the Nine Trey Gangsters was sentenced today to life in prison for his role in four murders and several additional non-fatal shootings.

According to court documents, Anthony Foye, 26, of Suffolk, is a member of the Nine Trey Gangsters, a street gang with members in states across the East Coast that is affiliated with the United Blood Nation. Foye and another gang member convicted of multiple murders, Nathaniel Mitchell, were trying to gain a reputation within the gang as “shooters.” In furtherance of his membership in the gang, Foye murdered Al-Tariq Tynes, Vandalet Mercer, Linda Lassiter, and Wayne Davis, shot into a residence in Portsmouth, and shot several other individuals across South Hampton Roads. Almost none of the shooting victims had any affiliation with the Nine Trey Gangsters or any other street gang, and three of Foye’s murder victims were the parents or grandparents of young children.

Foye pleaded guilty on Sept. 8, 2017, to four counts of murder in aid of racketeering activity, and faced a mandatory life sentence on each count.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Larry D. Boone, Chief of Norfolk Police; Tonya D. Chapman, Chief of Portsmouth Police; James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police; Col. K.L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police; and Thomas E. Bennett, Chief of Suffolk Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph E. DePadilla, Andrew C. Bosse, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler, and Trial Attorney Teresa A. Wallbaum of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, are prosecuting the case.

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

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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-130.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The owner of a sham welding school in Newport News was sentenced today to 40 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to defraud the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of $1.4 million and filing false tax returns.

According to court documents, Dr. Wilbert J. McNair, Jr., 54, of Chesapeake, was an owner of the Hampton Roads Skills Center (HRSC), located in Newport News. The HRSC purported to be a welding training facility that was approved by the VA to provide education and training to military veterans, including veterans who received tuition assistance under the Post-9/11 GI Bill and other VA educational assistance programs. The HRSC also contracted with two other federally-funded agencies to provide welding training to students receiving tuition assistance from those entities. McNair represented that HRSC provided full-time schooling to nearly 100 veteran students beginning in March 2013. Most veterans enrolled in HRSC received few, if any, hours of instruction, and the majority of students did not take a final exam or attend lecture or practical, hands-on coursework.  Indeed, most students were not even physically present at HRSC during the hours their courses were purportedly held, and some students never once entered the building during any point during the period of their enrollment. Nonetheless, McNair reported to the VA that the veteran students were enrolled in and attending the school, such that HRSC received tuition payments for each veteran from the VA. Based on McNair’s provision of false information to the VA, HRSC received over $1.4 million in VA tuition payments between March 2013 and June 2017.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Michael J. Missal, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General; Kim Lampkins, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Special Agent in Charge, Mid Atlantic Field Office; and Kimberly Lappin, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys V. Kathleen Dougherty and Kaitlin C. Gratton 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-107.

RICHMOND, Va. – A previously convicted felon was sentenced today to five years in prison for his possession of a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and over a kilogram of marijuana in an apartment near the Mosby Court public housing community.

According to court documents, Timothy Carrington, 57, of Richmond, was arrested on Oct. 18, 2017, after Richmond police officers responded to Carrington’s apartment located in the 1300 block of Coalter Street based on a drug distribution complaint. After a brief discussion with the officers, Carrington admitted to possessing a small amount of marijuana on his person. Carrington was placed under arrest and the officers obtained a search warrant for his apartment. The following day, officers executed the search warrant and discovered 1.1 kilograms of marijuana, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, $165,052 in cash, multiple vacuum sealers, digital scales, and drug packaging materials.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-153.

RICHMOND, Va. – An Alexandria man pleaded guilty today to bank fraud in connection with a $1.2 million ATM skimming and cloned card scheme.

According to court documents, Roberto De Miranda Martinez, 43, was apprehended in the process of installing a card reading ATM skimming device and camera on an ATM in Colonial Heights. In skimming schemes, the reader picks up data from bank customers using the ATM and then the perpetrators use the data to clone duplicate cards to obtain funds from the customer’s account. An FBI investigation has uncovered approximately $1.2 million in losses from the scheme.

De Miranda Martinez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and bank fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when sentenced on August 1. 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.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, Jerald W. Page, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Richmond Field Office, Colonel Jeffrey W. Faries, Chief of Colonial Heights Police, and Ron Camacho, Chief of Chambersburg (PA) Police Department, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney S. David Schiller 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 is 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-49.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Sterling man pleaded guilty today to intentionally damaging his former employer’s computer network.

According to court documents, Martin Mehran Taheri, 33, worked as an information technology operations manager at a data optimization company located in northern Virginia until November 2016. Following his termination from the company, Taheri repeatedly accessed his former employer’s network without authorization between December 2016 and February 2017. Then, in late July 2017, Taheri logged into his former employer’s network, powered off the company’s servers, and partially cleared an event log. Taheri’s actions rendered his former employer’s websites and commercial services unavailable until power to the servers was restored.

Taheri pleaded guilty to intentionally damaging a computer by knowing transmission. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when sentenced on July 27. 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.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Berrang 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 is 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-125.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced today to eight years in prison for receiving images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

According to court documents, Stuart Aaron Burgess, 43, was found distributing child pornography via the Internet using peer-to-peer file-sharing software. After law enforcement seized Burgess’ computer pursuant to a search warrant, a forensic analysis showed he had more than 11,000 images and videos of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Of those, a significant percentage depicted the abuse of infants and toddlers.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting 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, and James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth M. Yusi prosecuted the case.

This case is 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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources” for more information about Internet safety education.

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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-153.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Atlanta man was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for providing a fraudulent travel document to Transportation Security Authority (TSA) screeners at Dulles International Airport in January while attempting to flee from federal prosecution.

According to court documents, Marlon Matthew Pittman, 44, attempted to enter the TSA check point at Dulles International Airport on January 23 to gain access to the outbound passenger terminal and board an international flight to Guinea. Pittman presented a purported Guinea travel document to the TSA officers who suspected it to be fraudulent. United States Customs and Border Protection officers took custody of Pittman and his travel documents, and conducted a biometric verification, which confirmed Pittman as a U.S. citizen and the Guinea travel document as fraudulent. While the travel document appeared to be issued by the Guinea consulate in New York, it contained another individual’s identifying information. Pittman’s photo was spliced onto the document and it contained a false authentication feature.

Pittman was attempting to flee from prosecution in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, where he has been indicted for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and money laundering (Case No. 1:17-cr-274-AT).

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Patrick J. Lechleitner, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., and Casey Owen Durst, Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Reilly and Assistant U.S. Attorney Grace L. Hill 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 is 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-91.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Mechanicsville dentist was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for defrauding Medicaid and four dental insurers of approximately $783,000.

According to court documents, Maryam E. Zarei, 47, of Glen Allen, was the owner and operator of Atlee Station Family Dentistry located in Mechanicsville. As such, Zarei controlled the submission of claims to insurance companies for reimbursement. From 2013 to 2016, Zarei admitted to defrauding Medicaid, Delta Dental, AETNA, Met Life, and U.S. Healthcare of $783,680.

Zarei’s fraud scheme involved three parts: 1) She fraudulently billed Medicaid and the insurers for services never rendered, such as for a variety of services when Zarei was out of the country; 2) She billed insurers for services rendered using inappropriate billing codes that resulted in higher bills than were justified by the actual service; 3) She billed insurers for services performed after the termination of the patients’ insurance coverage and then backdated the claims documents to make it appear that the services occurred when the insurance policies were in effect.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring, and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Maguire and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Tooker prosecuted the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-157.

NORFOLK, Va. – A New Jersey man was sentenced today to life in prison for leading, organizing, and supplying a heroin and fentanyl trafficking conspiracy that resulted in more than a dozen overdoses and at least two deaths.  

According to court documents, Kenneth Stuart, aka “Bones,” 44, of Newark, served as the out-of-state source of supply for a Virginia based heroin and fentanyl drug distribution ring led by Chesapeake ringleader, Erskine Dawson, Jr. aka “June,” “Junior.”  From March to December 2016, Stuart supplied between three and ten kilograms of heroin and fentanyl, which equates to approximately 7,500 to 25,000 individual doses. The narcotics, which were often concealed in stuffed animals, were trafficked by Stuart and several others at his direction from New Jersey to Virginia. The heroin and fentanyl was distributed in wax baggies stamped “King of Death,” “Last Call,” “Mad Max,” and “Chef Curry,” among many others. Stuart informed his co-conspirators about new labels and his desire to have them promoted. 

Stuart, who had 10 prior out-of-state drug convictions, was aware that at least two Virginians died from his fentanyl and that several others had suffered non-fatal overdoses. After hearing of at least one fentanyl death, Stuart laughed about it and told a co-conspirator that “another one bit the dust.” One co-conspirator told him “people go to life in prison for this,” yet Stuart instructed his co-defendants to continue selling his product and two months later another Virginian died from his drugs.

On Sept. 7, 2016, H.D. consumed fentanyl supplied by Dawson via Stuart and co-conspirator Clark and suffered a fatal overdose.  On Nov. 14, 2016, G.M. consumed heroin supplied by Dawson via Stuart and co-conspirator Clark and suffered a fatal overdose.  On Dec. 8, 2016, the DEA in partnership with officers from the Virginia Beach and Chesapeake police departments executed search warrants on motels in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Norfolk, made arrests, and seized cash, guns, and over 1,800 wax baggies of heroin and fentanyl. 

As of today eight people involved with this trafficking organization were indicted, convicted, and sentenced. Stuart’s seven co-conspirators have been sentenced to a combined 122 years in prison.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia, Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, and Col. K.L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel T. Young, William D. Muhr, and Andrew C. Bosse prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-61.

NORFOLK, Va. – Approximately 14 months ago over 150 law enforcement agents and officers executed a massive takedown, arresting dozens of individuals for their respective roles in selling drugs and guns in Norfolk. 

Today, the 17th and final federal defendant, Kenneth Robinson, 51, of Norfolk, was sentenced to 37 months in prison. The Operation Riptide defendants have collectively been sentenced to a total of over 106 years in prison.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) began Operation Riptide in the Fall of 2016, and in collaboration with the Norfolk Police Department, Virginia State Police, and prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, identified more than 30 individuals throughout Hampton Roads who were illegally selling firearms, heroin, and/or other narcotics. Operation Riptide resulted in the recovery of over 60 firearms (including at least 3 assault rifles, 2 sawed off shotguns, and over 50 hand guns, 18 of which had obliterated serial numbers or were stolen), over 175 grams of heroin, 65 grams of powder cocaine, 337 grams of crack cocaine, over three pounds of marijuana, and two bulletproof vests.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia, Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of Virginia State Police, and Larry D. Boone, Chief of Norfolk Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr.

This case was investigated by the ATF’s Norfolk Field Office, the Norfolk Police Department, and the Virginia State Police with the assistance of the Virginia Beach and Chesapeake Police Departments, the Norfolk and Chesapeake Sheriff’s Offices, and the Virginia National Guard. 

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew C. Bosse, Kevin M. Comstock, Joseph E. DePadilla, Kevin Hudson, William B. Jackson, William D. Muhr, and Daniel T. Young, Assistant Attorney General James F. Entas, Office of the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Norfolk Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Catherine Paxson are prosecuting these cases.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:17-cr-21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 54, 64, 128.

Name, AKA

Age, Hometown

Pleaded Guilty to the Following Charge(s)

Sentence

Darryl Moore,

aka “Little Darryl”

28, Norfolk

Felon in Possession of a Firearm

60 months

Kejuan Dante Perry,

aka “KP”

25, Chesapeake

Distribution of a Controlled Substance; Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

87 months

Maurice Owen Johnson,

aka “Dink”

28, Norfolk

Distribution of a Controlled Substance; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

120 months

Leonard Lee Brickhouse,

aka “Leo Brixx”

24, Norfolk

Distribution of a Controlled Substance; Possession of Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

66 months

Evrick Speight

aka “P”

23, Virginia Beach

Distribution of a Controlled Substance; Possession of Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

100 months

Jason Gilliard,

aka “Hoodro Wilson”

32, Virginia Beach

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

50 months

Lamare Pierre Jordan,

aka “L”

30, Norfolk

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

84 months

James Andre Martin,

aka “Big Buff”

44, Norfolk

Distribution of a Controlled Substance; Felon in Possession of a Firearm

105 months

Keone Devon Perry

23, Chesapeake

Transfer of Firearm to Prohibited Person

18 months

Carl Lee Walton,

aka “CJ”

22, Virginia Beach

Felon in Possession of a Firearm

36 months

Demetrius Lamont, Davis

aka “Meat”

39, Norfolk

Distribution of a Controlled Substance; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

90 months

James Curtis Lamb

28, Chesapeake

Felon in Possession of a Firearm

84 months

Adrean Lamont Hall

25, Virginia Beach

Felon in Possession of a Firearm

46 months

James Edward Hill

43, Norfolk

Distribution of a Controlled Substance; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

93 months

Joseph Maurice Dobey

38, Norfolk

Distribution of a Controlled Substance; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

137 months

Michael Ovall Jackson

34, Norfolk

Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base

60 months

Kenneth Robinson

51, Norfolk

Felon in Possession of a Firearm

37 months

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – An Atlanta man was sentenced today to 116 months in prison for recruiting individuals from local homeless shelters to cash counterfeit business checks worth nearly $105,000.

According to court documents, David Mero, 58, traveled from Georgia to Virginia and other states on at least three occasions between September 2015 and June 2016, and recruited at least six homeless individuals to cash at least 40 counterfeit business checks. Mero and his conspirators compromised these accounts by stealing the account holders’ mail from local business parks, then lured homeless individuals into the scheme by offering to hire them as day laborers for construction jobs. After transporting these homeless great distances from shelters to which they were required to return, Mero told them they would be cashing checks instead of performing the work initially offered. Mero obtained their identifying information and sent it to other conspirators, who used the information to make the counterfeit checks payable to the homeless recruits. Mero gave checks to the homeless and directed to cash them at nearby banks before returning them to their shelters. On at least one occasion, Mero held a homeless recruit at gunpoint after he refused to cash checks in furtherance of the scheme. Faced with threats to both himself and his family, the homeless man attempted to cash four counterfeit check at Mero’s direction. Mero was arrested in Texas in June 2016 while engaged in this activity. He was previously prosecuted in 2009 in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina for conspiring to carry out this same scheme. 

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Robert B. Wemyss, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Michael C. Grinstead, Acting Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin C. Gratton 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-13.

WASHINGTON - A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia returned a nine-count indictment today charging a Manassas Park, Virginia man with seven counts of production of child pornography in addition to counts of distribution and possession of child pornography.

Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick of the Eastern District of Virginia, and Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement. 

According to the indictment, Michael Gerald Moody, 44, among other things, used, employed, and coerced a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing images of that conduct.  He also distributed those images to others through the use of the mobile messaging application Kik Messenger. 

The case is being investigated by the FBI with the assistance of the Manassas Park Police Department.  Trial Attorney Kyle P. Reynolds of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay V. Prabhu 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 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.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Norfolk woman was sentenced today to 129 months in prison for operating multiple fraud schemes that included stealing the identities of local prisoners.

According to court documents, less than a month after her release from federal prison for a prior fraud scheme, Teresa Gallop undertook two new sophisticated frauds. In the first, Gallop created a fake legal services company that she used to lure inmates of local jails to disclose their identifying information and to release their personal property. Gallop used her son, who was then serving multiple state sentences for theft, to identify and prime inmate victims. Once she had their information and property, Gallop forged powers of attorney naming her conspirators as attorneys in fact for the inmates. Gallop and her co-conspirators used these documents to access and open inmate bank accounts, which they used to cash worthless checks.

In the second fraud, Gallop recruited others to open bank accounts at several financial institutions. She then used these accounts to negotiate checks she had stolen from the mail and elsewhere, ultimately disbursing the funds to herself in a variety of transactions. The total intended loss for both schemes exceeds $130,000.

Name

Age, Hometown

Conviction(s)

Info

Teresa Gallop

50, Norfolk

4:16cr86

18 U.S.C. § 1349

18 U.S.C. § 1028A

4:16cr88

18 U.S.C. § 1349

18 U.S.C. § 1028A

Sentenced to 129 months

Delanio Vick

32, Norfolk

4:16cr88

18 U.S.C. § 1349

18 U.S.C. § 1028A

Sentencing May 14

Jessie Davis

21, Portsmouth

4:16cr86

18 U.S.C. § 1349

18 U.S.C. § 1028A

4:16cr88

18 U.S.C. § 1349

18 U.S.C. § 1028A

Sentencing June 14

Aaren Ivey

22, Portsmouth

4:16cr86

18 U.S.C. § 1349

Sentencing June 25

Gloria Vick

60, Norfolk

Pending Trial

Trial July 10

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Robert B. Wemyss, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Larry D. Boone, Chief of Norfolk Police, and Michael C. Grinstead, Acting Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin C. Gratton prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 4:16-cr-86 and 4:16-cr-88.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to 13 years in prison for drug trafficking and his role in stealing 52 firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer in February 2017.

According to court documents, Xavier Justice Lee Greenauer-Mattox, was part of a robbery crew that stole 52 firearms from Hunter’s Heaven Gun Store in Hayes on Feb. 12, 2017. Approximately nine days later, law enforcement apprehended all four defendants, including Greenauer-Mattox, who fled in a vehicle travelling at over 100 miles per hour with co-defendant Philip Thomas Evans.

Name, Age

City

Charges

Result

Angel Lewis Bruno, 19

Newport News

Pleaded guilty to: Possession of a Stolen Firearm; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

8 years in prison

Xavier Justice Lee Greenauer-Mattox, 23

Newport News

Pleaded guilty to: Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine; Possession of a Stolen Firearm; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

13 years in prison

Philip Thomas Evans, 23

Yorktown

Pleaded guilty to: Possession of a Stolen Firearm; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

Sentencing set for April 30, 2018

Alissha Shalee Faulks, 28

Newport News

Pleaded guilty to: Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine; Possession of a Stolen Firearm

3 years’ probation

Law enforcement has recovered 18 of the stolen firearms to date. The investigation into the whereabouts of the outstanding firearms continues.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, Michael C. Grinstead, Acting Chief of Newport News Police, and Darrell W. Warren, Jr., Gloucester County Sheriff, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan M. Cowles 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-72.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal jury convicted three men late yesterday for their respective roles in a 2009 murder in Newport News.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Joseph J. C. Benson, 36, of Boston, Massachusetts, Mark X. Wallace, 36, of Williamsburg, and Bryan L. Brown, 31, of Newport News, were convicted of murder resulting from the home invasion and attempted drug robbery of Louis E. Joseph, Jr. of Newport News on March 13, 2009. Wallace recruited Benson, who traveled from Massachusetts to Virginia to help perpetrate the drug robbery. During the robbery, Benson and another individual entered the home and murdered Joseph, who was shot multiple times. Benson was linked to the crime by DNA evidence found at the scene. Wallace, who was waiting in the car during the crime, left the scene and following the murder Bryan Brown caused the murder weapons to be transported to New York, where they were recovered in an undercover operation.

The men were each convicted of use of a firearm resulting in death, and face a maximum penalty of life in prison when they are sentenced. Bryan Brown’s sentencing is scheduled for July 19, 2018, Joseph Benson’s sentencing is set for July 24, 2018, and Mark Wallace’s sentencing is set for August 6, 2018. 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.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, and Michael C. Grinstead, Acting Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson accepted the verdict. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard J. Zlotnick and Lisa R. McKeel 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-45.

NORFOLK, Va. – Two illegal aliens, one of whom was previously convicted of an aggravated felony in Arizona and has been deported at least three times, have been sentenced to prison for dealing methamphetamine in Norfolk.

According to court documents, Jaime Sanchez-Huerta, aka “Carlos Slim,” 23, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.  Alejandro Rodriguez-Vargas, 34, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and illegal reentry by a deported alien. 

According to court documents, on April 25, 2017, Norfolk Police arrested Sanchez-Huerta on his way to a drug deal in Norfolk. Sanchez-Huerta, an illegal alien, was in possession of a loaded .45 caliber pistol. Norfolk Police searched Sanchez-Huerta’s vehicle and hotel room and discovered $4,000 in cash, 4.5 grams of methamphetamine, marijuana, digital scales, and a box of .45 caliber ammunition. The following day, Norfolk Police searched a second hotel room tied to Sanchez-Huerta and discovered Rodriguez-Vargas, another illegal, and 137 grams of “Ice.” Rodriguez-Vargas has been deported at least three times before and he was previously convicted of re-entry by a deported alien subsequent to a conviction for an aggravated felony in Arizona in 2013.

Sanchez-Huerta was sentenced to 12 years and four months in prison today. Rodriguez-Vargas was sentenced to 10 years in prison on February 16. Both men will be deported upon completion of their sentences.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting 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, and Larry D. Boone, Chief of Norfolk Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Assistant U.S. Attorney Darryl J. Mitchell prosecuted the case.

ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Virginia Beach Police Department provided significant assistance with this investigation.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-129.

WASHINGTON — Terry J. Albury, a former Special Agent of the FBI, pleaded guilty today in the District of Minnesota in connection with his unauthorized disclosure and retention of classified national defense information.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Assistant Director Bill Priestap of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division announced the plea.  The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright. 

“Today, Terry Albury admitted to violating his oath to protect our country by disclosing to a reporter classified information that, as an FBI agent, he was entrusted to protect,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers.  “Albury admitted that his actions put America at risk.  As this prosecution demonstrates, we will not waver in our commitment to pursue and hold accountable government officials who violate their obligations to protect our nation’s secrets and break the laws they have sworn to uphold.” 

“Terry Albury betrayed the trust bestowed upon him by the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Doherty-McCormick.  “Today’s guilty plea should serve as a reminder to those who are entrusted with classified information that the Justice Department will hold them accountable.” 

“Mr. Albury was entrusted by the FBI with a security clearance, which included a responsibility to protect classified national defense information. Instead, he knowingly disclosed that material to someone not authorized to receive it,” said Assistant Director Priestap.  “The FBI will work tirelessly to bring to justice those who would expose America’s secrets.  Today, as the result of the hard work of dedicated special agents, analysts, and prosecutors, Mr. Albury has taken responsibility for his illegal action.” 

“In violating his oath of office Terry Albury not only betrayed the American people, but also his fellow FBI employees who work to safeguard sensitive information on a daily basis," said Special Agent in Charge Laycock.  “No one is above the law and the FBI will continue to investigate individuals who disclose classified material to those who are not authorized to receive it.” 

Albury, 39, worked as an FBI Special Agent in the Minneapolis field office at the time of the disclosures.  At the time, Albury also worked as a liaison with Customs and Border Protection at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.   In connection with his FBI employment, Albury held a Top Secret//Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance, and his daily duties provided him access to sensitive and classified FBI and other U.S. government information.  According to court documents, beginning in 2016 and continuing through August 2017, Albury knowingly and willfully disclosed national defense information, classified at the Secret level, to a reporter.  Albury employed methods to avoid detection, including printing documents that he created by cutting and pasting portions of an original document into a new document so as to avoid leaving a record of having printed the original, classified document.  Albury also accessed documents on a classified computer and took pictures of the computer screen in order to photograph certain classified documents.   Those additional classified documents were recovered on an electronic storage device found during a search of his home. 

As set forth in the plea agreement, Albury was never authorized to retain the documents at issue at his residence or to transmit them to any person not entitled to receive them.  Albury knew that he was not authorized to remove documents containing National Defense Information and classified information from secure locations, and further knew that he was not authorized to retain them at his residence or to transmit them to any person not authorized to receive them.  

Albury pleaded guilty to one count of making an unauthorized disclosure of national defense information and one count of unlawful retention of national defense information.  Albury faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison per count.  The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the assigned judge. 

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.  The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Danya E. Atiyeh of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorneys Patrick T. Murphy and David C. Recker of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

Terry J. Albury, a former Special Agent of the FBI, pleaded guilty today in the District of Minnesota in connection with his unauthorized disclosure and retention of classified national defense information.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Assistant Director Bill Priestap of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division announced the plea.  The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright.

“Today, Terry Albury admitted to violating his oath to protect our country by disclosing to a reporter classified information that, as an FBI agent, he was entrusted to protect,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers.  “Albury admitted that his actions put America at risk.  As this prosecution demonstrates, we will not waver in our commitment to pursue and hold accountable government officials who violate their obligations to protect our nation’s secrets and break the laws they have sworn to uphold.”

“Terry Albury betrayed the trust bestowed upon him by the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Doherty-McCormick.  “Today’s guilty plea should serve as a reminder to those who are entrusted with classified information that the Justice Department will hold them accountable.”

“Mr. Albury was entrusted by the FBI with a security clearance, which included a responsibility to protect classified national defense information. Instead, he knowingly disclosed that material to someone not authorized to receive it,” said Assistant Director Priestap.  “The FBI will work tirelessly to bring to justice those who would expose America’s secrets.  Today, as the result of the hard work of dedicated special agents, analysts, and prosecutors, Mr. Albury has taken responsibility for his illegal action.”

“In violating his oath of office Terry Albury not only betrayed the American people, but also his fellow FBI employees who work to safeguard sensitive information on a daily basis," said Special Agent in Charge Laycock.  “No one is above the law and the FBI will continue to investigate individuals who disclose classified material to those who are not authorized to receive it.”

Albury, 39, worked as an FBI Special Agent in the Minneapolis field office at the time of the disclosures.  At the time, Albury also worked as a liaison with Customs and Border Protection at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.   In connection with his FBI employment, Albury held a Top Secret//Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance, and his daily duties provided him access to sensitive and classified FBI and other U.S. government information.  According to court documents, beginning in 2016 and continuing through August 2017, Albury knowingly and willfully disclosed national defense information, classified at the Secret level, to a reporter.  Albury employed methods to avoid detection, including printing documents that he created by cutting and pasting portions of an original document into a new document so as to avoid leaving a record of having printed the original, classified document.  Albury also accessed documents on a classified computer and took pictures of the computer screen in order to photograph certain classified documents.   Those additional classified documents were recovered on an electronic storage device found during a search of his home.

As set forth in the plea agreement, Albury was never authorized to retain the documents at issue at his residence or to transmit them to any person not entitled to receive them.  Albury knew that he was not authorized to remove documents containing National Defense Information and classified information from secure locations, and further knew that he was not authorized to retain them at his residence or to transmit them to any person not authorized to receive them.

Albury pleaded guilty to one count of making an unauthorized disclosure of national defense information and one count of unlawful retention of national defense information.  Albury faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison per count.  The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the assigned judge.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.  The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Danya E. Atiyeh of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorneys Patrick T. Murphy and David C. Recker of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Haitian national was sentenced today to seven years in prison for filing fraudulent tax returns using stolen personal identifying information from hundreds of individuals around the United States.

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, Jimmy Lord Calixte, 37, participated in a Miami-based stolen identity refund fraud scheme. He and three co-conspirators traveled repeatedly to Richmond in the early part of 2012 and used stolen personal identifying information to file hundreds of fraudulent tax returns, utilizing online tax preparation programs and seeking over $2 million in fraudulent refunds. Calixte and his accomplices claimed significant refunds on those fraudulent returns, and requested that those refunds be placed on pre-paid debit cards, which were later mailed to Richmond addresses selected by the conspirators. The other co-conspirators also took steps to obstruct the investigation by providing them with false information and refusing to testify before a grand jury. The other co-conspirators have been sentenced as follows:

Name, Age

Hometown

Convictions

Sentence

Ramoth Jean, 37

Miami, Florida

Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Theft; Contempt of Court

122 months

Junior Jean Merilia, 36

Miami, Florida

Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Theft; Obstruction of Official Proceedings

133 months

Eddie Blanchard, 40

Miami, Florida

Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud; Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft; Obstruction of Official Proceedings

204 months

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Kimberly Lappin, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Robert B. Wemyss, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael C. Moore and Thomas A. Garnett 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 3:13-cr-136; 3:14-cr-73; 3:14-cr-139; and 3:15-cr-39.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Chesapeake man was sentenced today to eight years in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release, for possessing hundreds of thousands of images of child sexual abuse.

According to court documents, Charles McClung, 64, was a member of an online bulletin board dedicated to trading child pornography. The board was hosted on the dark net and had over 1,500 members. Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began an investigation into the board in September 2015, and McClung was identified downloading content from the board in December 2015. As a result of the investigation, HSI and other law enforcement executed a federal search warrant of McClung’s residence in Chesapeake and found hundreds of thousands of images of child pornography.

This case is 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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources” for more information about Internet safety education.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Assistant U.S. Attorney 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-105.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for money laundering in connection with a fraud scheme that resulted in a loss of at least $3.9 million.

According to court documents, Edward Zinner, 58, operated Ocean Equity, a collection of businesses that engaged in credit card processing and merchant cash advances. In operating Ocean Equity, Zinner and others acting on his behalf, provided false representations to private investors/lenders to obtain over $4.5 million in funds.

In addition to the $4.5 million from private investors/lenders, Zinner obtained six business loans for Ocean Equity in the amount of $3 million. In obtaining these loans, Zinner falsely represented that the loans would not be used for personal, family, or household purposes. However, Zinner spent large amounts of company money on personal expenditures, including, travel, vehicle expenses, gambling, day-trading, mortgage payments, renovations to his personal residence, medical bills, personal credit cards, a rock band, and other expenditures. From 2011 to 2016, approximately $2 million was transferred from the Ocean Equity accounts to Zinner’s personal accounts.

Zinner closed down Ocean Equity in early 2016, and at the time he still owed at least $3.9 million in business loans and loans from private investors/lenders.

The Court sentenced Zinner to the statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Zinner was also ordered to pay over $4 million in restitution to his victims.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kimberly Lappin, 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 Henry Coke Morgan, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Samuels and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bethany J. Lipman 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-3.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Fredericksburg man was sentenced today to 16 1/2 years in prison for possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

According to court documents, Marcellus White, 31, was under surveillance for suspicion of drug trafficking when, on April 13, 2017, law enforcement performed a traffic stop on his vehicle. During the traffic stop, a narcotic canine alerted to the odor of narcotics in the car, leading law enforcement to find White in possession of over $7,000 in cash. Subsequently, law enforcement learned that just prior to the traffic stop, White delivered six ounces of cocaine to a location in Woodbridge, and White admitted that the cash on his person were proceeds from narcotics sales. Law enforcement then performed a search of White’s home and found another $36,000 in cash, more than 600 grams of marijuana, and 500 grams of cocaine.

Due to White’s prior criminal convictions for trafficking cocaine, the sentencing court found him to be a “Career Offender” under the federal sentencing guidelines.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, and Roger L. Harris, Spotsylvania County Sheriff, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen E. Anthony prosecuted the case.

This case was investigated by the Fredericksburg FBI Narcotics Task Force, which includes DEA, FBI, Department of the Treasury, Virginia State Police, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, and Fredericksburg Police Department.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-147.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced today to 74 months in prison for receiving images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. 

According to court documents, Jesse Courtemanche, 38, was found to be sharing images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct by FBI agents using peer-to-peer file-sharing software in an undercover capacity. When interviewed, Courtemanche stated he started looking at these images online when he was in his mid-teens. A review of his electronic media revealed his collection of thousands of images and videos of child sexual abuse. 

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting 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 Robert G. Doumar. Assistant U.S. Attorney 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-139.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to 78 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the Mosby Court public housing community.

According to court documents, on July 29, 2017, Tiwan Parham, 29, was approached by several Richmond Police Department (RPD) Officers in the 1400 block of Coalter Street, Richmond, inside the Mosby Court public housing community. After a brief discussion, Parham consented to a pat down and officers discovered within his waistband a .40 caliber, Glock pistol, with an extended magazine containing 31 rounds of ammunition. RPD Officers later determined Parham was a convicted felon, related to a 2004 second-degree murder conviction. As part of his plea agreement, Parham further admitted to a March 2017 incident within Mosby Court in which he pistol whipped a victim and shot into an occupied vehicle.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Alfred Durham, Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-122.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Manassas man pleaded guilty today to using the Internet to pay women to sexually abuse children as young as six years old in the Philippines while he produced numerous images of the abuse.

According to court documents, from at least October 2011 until February 2012, Dwayne Stinson, 53, used an electronic payment service to pay women in the Philippines he was chatting with to sexually abuse children while he directed the abuse. He admitted that some of the children were as young as six or seven years old. Stinson contemporaneously produced numerous screenshot images of the abuse and stored them on his computer.

Stinson pleaded guilty to production of child pornography and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison when sentenced on August 24. 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.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, John P. Cronan, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Patrick J. Lechleitner, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Doherty Russell and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Burke IV are prosecuting the case.

The Prince William County Police Department and Northern Virginia/District of Columbia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (NOVA/DC ICAC) assisted in the investigation.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is 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-211.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Sterling man pleaded guilty today to obstructing a counterterrorism investigation and receipt of child pornography.

According to court documents, Sean Andrew Duncan, 22, altered, destroyed, mutilated, concealed, and covered up a thumb drive and memory chip with the intent to impede and obstruct an FBI terrorism investigation. He also knowingly and unlawfully received images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and possessed thousands of such images including images of infants being sexually abused.

Obstruction of Justice

In June 2017, the FBI learned that Duncan had been in contact with an individual who had been detained in a foreign country for actively planning to travel to join ISIS. In or around February 2015, Duncan told the individual that he wanted to make “hijrah” to Syria and that he wanted her to go with him. Later in February 2016, Duncan was denied entry into Turkey and returned to the United States.

Around this same time, the individual told Duncan she was upset at work due to non-Muslim women wearing shorts that exposed their bodies. Duncan replied with a link to a website, and a message saying she could “try this.” The link contained pictures and instructions on how to make weapons and bombs. The link was to an article titled, “How to build a bomb in the kitchen of your Mom” from Inspire magazine. In December 2016, Duncan contacted the individual and told her that he had come back from Turkey, where he and his wife were deported back to the United States. Duncan said he thought the FBI was monitoring him.

In or around October 2017, law enforcement authorities of a foreign government arrested one of their citizens (Recruiter 1) for inciting rebellion.  Recruiter 1 is an ISIS recruiter who is suspected of drawing foreign fighters from around the world to Recruiter 1’s home country using social media.  Recruiter 1 kept names and telephone numbers of individuals who had requested to join her social media and/or communication application groups. Recruiter 1’s notes included a handwritten name appearing to be “Sean Ibn Gary Duncan,” with Duncan’s known previous phone number and known previous mobile messaging account.

On or about Oct. 6, 2017, the Allegheny County Police Department (ACPD) provided a copy of Duncan’s phone to the FBI. ACPD had obtained this copy during an investigation surrounding the recent death of Duncan’s infant child (the cause of death in the autopsy was inconclusive). The FBI’s review of Duncan’s imaged phone revealed numerous internet searches for ISIS-related material, ISIS attacks, weapons, and body armor.

On Dec. 29, 2017, FBI agents executed the search warrant at Duncan’s residence. Upon execution of the warrant, the agents knocked on the door, identified themselves as FBI, and announced that they were there to execute a search warrant. Moments before the FBI agents entered the residence through the front door, Duncan ran out the back door, barefoot, and with something clenched in his fist. FBI agents guarding the back door yelled at Duncan to stop. Before stopping, Duncan threw a plastic baggie in the air and over the heads of the agents. FBI agents recovered the baggie thrown by Duncan. The baggie contained a memory chip from a thumb drive that had been snapped into pieces, and placed in a liquid substance that produced frothy white bubbles. Upon searching Duncan, agents recovered a broken casing for a thumb drive from Duncan’s pants pocket.

Receipt of Child Pornography

In December 2017, Duncan possessed a smartphone containing images of pre-pubescent minors that appeared to be engaged in sexually explicit conduct with adult males. Other images on the phone were of pre-pubescent minors posed to expose their genitalia in a sexual manner. Several of the images of child pornography were screen shots that Duncan had taken of websites containing child pornography that he had visited. The pre-pubescent minors in the photos were as young as infants, and the total number of images was in the thousands.

One image on his phone consisted of Duncan's hand exposing the genitalia of an infant in a sexual manner. Also found on several of Duncan’s phones and electronic devices were thousands of videos and images of children and women that Duncan took in a voyeuristic manner. Several of the videos and images are taken in public venues such as stores, metros, parks, and restaurants.

Duncan pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and receipt of child pornography, and will be sentenced on July 6. By accepting the plea, the Court is bound to sentencing Duncan within 15-20 years in prison.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gordon D. Kromberg, Colleen E. Garcia, Jay V. Prabhu, and Trial Attorneys B. Celeste Corlett and Rachel Hertz of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism 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 is 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-19.

A local transportation operator was sentenced to 14 months today for stealing federal funds intended for a foreign exchange program maintained by the U.S. Department of State.  Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick of the Eastern District of Virginia, Inspector General Steve A. Linick of the U.S. Department of State and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.

Denon T. Hopkins, 49, of Germantown, Maryland, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III of the Eastern District of Virginia.  Hopkins pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and theft of public money on Dec. 21, 2017.

According to admissions made in connection with his plea, Hopkins was the operator and de facto owner of a transportation company that contracted with the State Department to provide bus and limousine services to a State Department component devoted to sports diplomacy and which sponsored a foreign exchange program for emerging athletes and coaches from various countries.  The exchange program was managed by George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, through a federal grant and cooperative agreement with the State Department.  During a time period when Hopkins received $247,200 in grant funds for legitimate transportation services, he and a State Department official conspired to steal portions of the federal money allocated to the exchange program by, among other things, falsifying vendor-related invoices and making fraudulent checks payable to Hopkins.  In total, Hopkins stole approximately $17,335 from the State Department.  He also admitted that he used portions of the funds to pay kickbacks to the State Department official to retain his transportation contract. 

The Department of State’s Office of Inspector General 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 Kimberly R. Pedersen of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case. 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Florida man was sentenced today to 25 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for sex trafficking a 16-year-old girl throughout the United States in 2017.  

According to court documents, Andrew Lee Thompson II, aka “Slim,” 34, met the minor victim in Arizona and began sex trafficking her with his two co-defendants, Delberta Rose McKenzie and Rachel Lynn Robillard. Thompson posted prostitution advertisements on the Internet, and from February through June 2017, he drove and flew the minor victim across the country for prostitution, including to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. After the prostitution dates, he collected all the money.  

While in Arlington, a security guard called police after seeing multiple men go in and out of two rooms at a hotel on Glebe Road. When law enforcement investigated, they found evidence of prostitution related activity in the hotel rooms and recovered the minor victim. After arresting Thompson, law enforcement found tattoos on his body bragging about his pimping activities, including on his arm and across his chest.

McKenzie and Robillard were each previously sentenced to five years in prison for sex trafficking of a minor. 

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and M. Jay Farr, Chief of Arlington County Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen C. Cain 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 is 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-168.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Maryland man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to engage in dogfighting, as well as a separate role as a ringleader in a credit card fraud and identity theft scheme.

According to court documents, Rodriguez Rodney Lomax Norman, 31, was fully immersed in the world of dog fighting in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area. Norman and his associates bred, trained, and exhibited dogs in organized fights where animals suffered severe bites, gashes, and other injuries, and were expected to fight nonetheless. When law enforcement searched Norman’s Maryland and D.C. properties in August 2017, they found over a dozen dogs, an animal treadmill, heavy dog chains, shock collars, lunge whips, performance-enhancing animal pharmaceuticals, and medical supplies like syringes and skin staplers.

“Dog fighting is a crime marked by brutality and cruelty,” said Acting United States Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick. “Those who choose to brutalize animals for entertainment, sport, and profit must know that their criminal conduct will be severely punished. This complex investigation was a success due to the expertise and skill of our investigative partners. I want to thank them for their outstanding work on this important case.”

In court documents, Norman admitted that also found on his Maryland property was a fighting ring that bore traces of animal blood, and a noose-like contraption that was apparently put on a dog’s neck and used to hang him to build muscle. Norman continued to fight his dogs for years after law enforcement officials first contacted him about dog fighting, even though he knew that doing so was illegal.

“Dog fighting is a barbaric spectacle that has no place in any civilized society,” said Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office. “Today’s sentencing highlights our continuing efforts to investigate and prosecute organized crime, and those who seek to profit from the abuse and suffering of helpless animals.”

In separate criminal activity, Norman helped organize and lead a conspiracy where for over two and a half years, members purchased thousands of stolen credit and debit card numbers, encoded those numbers onto fraudulent credit cards, and used those cards to buy merchandise including gift cards and cartons of cigarettes.  During the conspiracy, the group made hundreds of thousands of dollars from selling cigarette cartons to buyers from New York City.

Norman was sentenced today to 108 months in prison for his role as a ringleader in the credit card fraud and identity theft scheme, and 12 months in prison for dogfighting. He was also ordered to forfeit $143,605.

Norman is one of 12 defendants who were arrested in the credit card fraud and identity theft case in August 2017 (and the only defendant charged with dogfighting). All pleaded guilty and have now been sentenced.

Name, Age

Hometown

Convictions

Sentence

Rodriguez Norman, 31

Temple Hills, Maryland

Conspiracy to Engage in an Animal Fighting Venture;

Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud, Conspiracy to Traffic in Contraband Cigarettes, Aggravated Identity Theft

120 months

Travon Williams, 33

Portsmouth

Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud, Conspiracy to Traffic in Contraband Cigarettes, Aggravated Identity Theft

108 months

Jamar Johnson, 31

Portsmouth

Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft

84 months

Nathaneal Williams, 25

Manassas

Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud, Conspiracy to Traffic in Contraband Cigarettes, Aggravated Identity Theft

84 months

Marvin Mitchell, 33

Virginia Beach

Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft

Awaiting sentencing

Ashley Carrillo Howell, 34

Bowie, Maryland

Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft

70 months

Gentle Tyson, III, 33

Virginia Beach

Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft

25 months

Ebony Coe, 29

Virginia Beach

Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft

25 months

Ronnie Beale, 33

Fort Washington, Maryland

Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud

14 months

Ryan McNeil, 32

District Heights, Maryland

Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud

14 months

Eugene Cuffee, 34

Norfolk

Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud

12 months

Denae Horton, 25

Chesapeake

Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud

2 months

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maya D. Song, Whitney Russell, and Katherine Rumbaugh prosecuted the case, with significant assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon D. Kromberg and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan N. Turgeon.

The Manassas Park Police, Fairfax County Police, and Arlington County Police 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:17-cr-214, 226, 227, 240, 252, 251, 254, 312.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Florida man was sentenced today to four years in prison for defrauding investors in his company of more than $5 million.

According to court documents, David Webb, 59, of North Palm Beach, made false statements to more than 70 investors from Virginia and other states. Webb told them that he had a very successful government contracting business, G4i Capital Partners, and that he would only use the investors’ money to pay subcontractors between the times when contracts were awarded and when the government started to pay invoices. Webb also told the investors that their investments were safe. Webb claimed that if his company failed, a trustee would collect the money the government owed for the work already done and repay the investors. Webb provided many false documents and emails to support his fraud scheme. In fact, Webb used later investors’ money to make “interest” payments to earlier investors. Webb lent a large portion of the money to a friend who was trying unsuccessfully to start his own government contracting business. Finally, Webb paid himself a salary and used other money collected from investors on various personal expenses. Webb’s company never obtained a single government contract.

In addition to the prison sentence, Webb was ordered to pay full restitution to his victims and sentenced to three years of supervised release.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jack Hanly and Grace L. Hill 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 is 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-46.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Laurel man was sentenced today to over five years in prison for conspiracy to distribute heroin.

According to court documents, Jeffrey Okyere, 32, was living in a luxury apartment building in National Harbor, Maryland, while he was a member of a drug conspiracy that was transporting heroin from Texas to the Washington, D.C. area for distribution. Okyere and another member of the conspiracy cut heroin inside his apartment in National Harbor, and Okyere supplied the conspiracy with heroin after members of the conspiracy stopped transporting heroin to the area from Texas. 

Okyere has several prior felony convictions and was deported to Ghana in 2010. He was caught attempting to reenter the country illegally in 2011, but after serving prison time for that offense, he was not deported again. He was sentenced today to 63 months in prison, and three years of supervised release.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Tyler McGaughey and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Peters prosecuted the case.

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

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 is 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-159.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for drug distribution and possession of multiple firearms.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Benitez Auguarius Moody, 35, distributed crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl in Portsmouth from the summer of 2015 through March 2016. Moody was arrested on Aug. 10, 2016, after the Portsmouth Police Department conducted a series of controlled buys of heroin with Moody and executed a search warrant at his residence. During the search, law enforcement recovered 97 grams of crack cocaine, two grams of heroin and fentanyl mixture, four firearms (two special revolvers and two semi-automatic pistols), and $4,000 in cash.

Moody was convicted by a federal jury on April 28, 2017, of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, heroin, and fentanyl; possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, and Tonya D. Chapman, Chief of Portsmouth Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherrie Capotosto 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-124.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A man who was a former resident of Fairfax pleaded guilty today to depositing over $1.33 million in stolen checks belonging to an Arlington businessman.

According to court documents, Charles Whitman, 40, who has most recently been living in Bogota, Colombia, filled out the two stolen checks, one for $369,000 and another for $968,850, before depositing them in February 2014. Whitman deposited the checks into a bank account for Devaplex LLC, a Virginia company that he owned. After depositing the checks, Whitman withdrew over $15,000 in cash and transferred over $270,000 to his other bank accounts. Whitman then fled to Columbia, where he was ultimately arrested in November 2016. 

Whitman pleaded guilty to wire fraud and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on July 20. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, 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 Katherine L. Wong 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-297.

NORFOLK, Va. – A New Jersey man was sentenced today to 37 years in prison for supplying a Chesapeake drug dealer with heroin and fentanyl known as “King of Death.”

According to court documents, Clark supplied local ringleader, Erskine Dawson, Jr., with heroin and fentanyl from September to December 2016 while co-supplier, Kenneth Stuart, aka “Bones,” aka “Brutal,” was incarcerated on state charges. Clark concealed the narcotics in stuffed animals and trafficked them from New Jersey to Virginia where he would stay for days at a time to oversee Dawson’s operation, which was based out of a Studios 4 Less motel in Virginia Beach. Clark supplied Dawson with thousands of wax baggies containing heroin and fentanyl stamped with labels like “King of Death,” “Last Call,” “Mad Max,” “Bentley,” “No Evil,” “Black Dynamite,” “Superman,” “Tango Cash,” “Moneybag,” “Tower of Power,” and “Steph Curry.”

On Sept. 7, 2016, H.D. consumed fentanyl supplied by Dawson via Clark and suffered a fatal overdose. On Nov. 14, 2016, G.M. consumed heroin supplied by Dawson via Clark and suffered a fatal overdose. On Dec. 8, 2016, the DEA in partnership with officers from the Virginia Beach and Chesapeake police departments executed search warrants on motels in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Norfolk, made arrests, and seized guns and over 1,800 wax baggies of heroin and fentanyl.  From September to December 2016 over $70,000 cash was deposited by members of this conspiracy into a Wells Fargo account controlled by Clark.

Seven of the eight co-conspirators have been sentenced. Clark’s co-defendant, Kenneth Stuart, faces a mandatory term of life imprisonment when he is sentenced on April 24.

Name, Age

Hometown

Sentencing Date

Sentence

Rashad Clark, 38

Elizabethport, New Jersey

April 2

444 months (37 years)

Erskine Dawson, Jr., 33

Chesapeake

Nov. 1, 2017

432 months (36 years)

Christopher Boone, 31

Chesapeake

Nov. 16, 2017

186 months (15 ½ years)

Thomas Jennings, 33

Virginia Beach

Sept. 25, 2017

180 months (15 years)

David Thomas, 33

Chesapeake

Oct. 18, 2017

51 months (4 ¼ years)

Frank Harris, 23

Chesapeake

January 11

78 months (6 ½ years)

Carolyn Freeman, 28

Newark, NJ

March 29

96 months (8 years)

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia, Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, and Kelvin L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew C. Bosse, Daniel T. Young, and William D. Muhr 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-61 and 2:17-cr-92.