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11 July 2023
Ulster County Sex Offender Sentenced to 10 Years for Child Pornography PossessionRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Shawn Wetzel, age 39, of Highland, New York, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
Wetzel previously pled guilty before Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe. Wetzel admitted that he had previously pled guilty in Georgia to receipt of child pornography and was sentenced to 67 months of incarceration, to be followed by 5 years of post-release supervision. In September 2021, approximately 16 months after his release from prison, and while he was under supervised release, Probation officers conducted an inspection of Wetzel’s residence in Ulster County. In the course of that inspection, Wetzel was found to be in possession of approximately 10 child pornography image files and one child pornography video, depicting children as young as 7 years old.
After Wetzel is released from prison, he will be required to serve a 30-year term of post-release supervision.
This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department and New York State Police. Former Assistant United States Attorney Rachel L. Williams and Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Two Navajo Men Charged with Carjacking Resulting in Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Brian Levi and Daryl Levi were arraigned on an indictment charging them with carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury. Brian, 37, of Shiprock, and his brother, Daryl, 40, of Shiprock, enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, will both remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
A federal grand jury indicted the Levi brothers on Nov. 23, 2022. According to the indictment and other court records, on May 17, 2020, the victim, John Doe, was parked in his car at the Gulf Gas Station in Shiprock when Brian and Daryl attacked Doe through the car window and removed him from the car before one of them got into the driver’s seat and drove away. Doe suffered serious bodily injury including a stab wound.
An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, both brothers face up to 25 years in prison.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander F. Flores is prosecuting the case.
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Tax preparer gets 12 years for illegally filing tax returnsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A local woman has been ordered to federal prison following her convictions on seven counts of aiding and assisting in preparing false tax returns, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
A federal jury sitting in Houston returned a guilty verdict April 3 against Cheryl Christin Kissentaner following a four-day trial.
Today, U.S. District Judge David Hittner ordered her to serve 144 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay restitution of $71,180.
At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence describing her history of failing to pay her own personal taxes, civil fraud penalties associated with them and penalties for failing to use due diligence in preparing tax returns.
The total amount Kissentaner owes to the United States from her criminal and civil cases is in excess of $1.9 million. She used some of the monies accrued from the scheme to purchase a Bentley and Maserati as well as for cosmetic surgery. In addition, the court also heard about Kissentaner’s violation of her conditions of release and her failure to cooperate with pre-trial services.
“Kissentaner was convicted by a jury for preparing fraudulent tax returns on behalf of her clients and will now spend significant time behind bars,” said Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Lucy Tan, of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Houston Field Office. “She criminally abused her role as a tax return preparer and violated the trust that the American taxpayers have bestowed upon her. We all pay our taxes, but when you decide to cheat, remember, we have a 100-percent conviction rate in our office for criminal tax cases over the past 20 years.”
At trial, the jury heard from federal agents as well as five of Kissentaner’s clients.
Testimony and evidence revealed individuals paid Kissentaner to prepare tax returns from 2016 through 2019 through her company First Financial Tax Services. However, she was not legally allowed to do so. The jury heard that a paid tax preparer is required to have paid all of his or her own tax returns, but Kissentaner had failed to pay her 2012-2017 tax returns until late 2019. This was after the tax returns she prepared and filed for a fee.
From 2016 through 2019, Kissentaner prepared at least nine tax returns in which she created fake businesses that allegedly operated at losses. They also claimed false fuel tax credits, state income tax deductions for Texas residents (who did not pay a state income tax), false medical expenses, unemployed reimbursement expenses, false contributions to charity, other false expenses for businesses and failed to report IRA distributions.
Kissentaner also claimed that, pursuant to an engagement letter she prepared for her clients, she owed no duty to examine their returns for fake claims. However, Kissentaner filed numerous certificates under oath with the IRS in which she promised the government she would exercise due diligence in examining the tax returns she prepared and filed. She also charged tax preparer fees well in excess of other firms that provided the same services and asked potential clients to identify a reference and offered them a fee if they referred individuals themselves.
At trial, evidence showed that 98 percent of her clients obtained a refund even though several owed as much as $25,000 and did not pay any income taxes throughout the year. One such client had been obtaining a refund in excess of $8,000 each year. However, after Kissentaner became aware she was under investigation, that client was informed she owed over $10,000. When she inquired as to the change, Kissentaner untruthfully claimed that it was due to a change in the tax law and due to the client’s son now attending college on a full-time basis.
Further, a large percentage of Kissentaner’s clients claimed fuel tax credits despite the fact that only 0.2 percent of all tax payers would be eligible for that benefit.
She has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
IRS-Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Laurence Goldman and Tyler White prosecuted the case.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison, Ordered to Pay $66,000 to Child Pornography VictimsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a man from St. Louis County, Missouri who possessed more than 63,000 images and videos containing child pornography to 10 years in federal prison.
Judge White also ordered Christopher D. Cotton, 33, to pay $66,000 in restitution to known victims who appeared in Cotton’s collection.
In letters to the court, victims wrote about the pain that defendants like Cotton continue to cause them and the fear that they will be recognized by someone who has seen the pictures.
One who uses the pseudonym Andy wrote, “My sexual abuse occurred from the ages of 6-12. During this time my victimization was documented and shared across the country, and is continuously being shared.”
“I feel that every single criminal that is found with mine or another child’s images should be held accountable for the highest amount possible to help us victims repair our lives,” Andy wrote.
The parents of another wrote, “Aside from the horrible truth that my daughter was horrifically abused from the ages of four to seven and her innocence was literally stolen, one of the ongoing concerns that plagues my child is that literally any person she meets on the street (or any teenage boy in her class) might have seen photos of her being cruelly debased and abused.”
The victims are notified when their photos are found in the possession of a defendant. One victim said 22,000 notifications had been received in her case. Another wrote, “Each victim notification envelope represents someone who sexually enjoys seeing me hurt…. When a market exists for child pornography, it will continue. I am constantly victimized, knowing the awful truth that I can never escape these photos.”
“I am so angry that the images are out there and can’t be taken down. I feel like the images will always be out there. I think I am too broken to be fixed,” another wrote.
Cotton pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in April to one count of receiving child pornography and admitted uploading files containing child pornography to Dropbox. That triggered a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and sparked an investigation.
On July 13, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a court-approved search warrant at Cotton’s home in St. Louis County near Florissant. Cotton admitted both viewing and collecting child pornography. He also told officers that he’d received child pornography from “maybe fifteen or more” minors with whom he had contact via social media, the youngest of which Cotton said was 13 years old.
Investigators would later find a total of at least 16,677 images and 46,414 videos of child pornography stored online and on Cotton’s electronic devices, including a laptop and three cell phones.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Special Investigations Unit, the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson 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 the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for the sexual exploitation of a 14-year-old victim.
Jared Neal Gonzales, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Gonzales to 10 years of supervised release following incarceration. Gonzales will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.
On Nov. 8, 2022, Gonzales pleaded guilty to one count of using a minor to produce child pornography. Gonzales admitted he was in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl. Gonzalez also admitted they used a cell phone to record themselves having sexual intercourse. On at least two occasions, at Gonzales’s request, the child victim used her cell phone to send him videos of the couple engaged in sexual intercourse.
Gonzales has also been charged in the Circuit Court of Greene County, Mo., for sexual misconduct involving a child and attempted statutory sodomy in the second degree in relation to this conduct.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the FBI and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
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 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 . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
South Bend Man Sentenced to 228 in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Archie Taylor, 37 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to 3 counts of robbery affecting commerce, 1 count of bank robbery, and 1 count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Taylor was sentenced to 228 months in prison, 3 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $5999 in restitution.
According to documents in the case, over the course of a week in September 2022, Taylor robbed 3 convenience stores and a bank in the Elkhart and Mishawaka areas. During all of the robberies, Taylor pointed a handgun at the convenience store clerks and bank employees. He robbed each location of either cash or merchandise.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Elkhart Police Department and the Mishawaka Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joel Gabrielse.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Shannon Man Sentenced to 63 Months for Armed Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
Verona, MS – A Shannon, Mississippi man was sentenced yesterday to 63 months in prison for the armed bank robbery of the Renasant Bank located in Verona, Mississippi.
According to court documents, Antonia Cannon, 57, entered the Renasant Bank in Verona on December 30, 2022, wearing a hoodie and a “Covid” mask, approached the teller, and demanded money while brandishing what appeared to be a black firearm. The teller provided Cannon $4,700 from the teller drawer and Cannon fled from the bank with the money. Cannon was later apprehended by law enforcement officers on the Natchez Trace Parkway. The $4,700 taken by Cannon was recovered in his automobile still wrapped in the bank’s money wrappers with the teller’s initials on them. The gun used by Cannon during the robbery was later determined to be a black Daisy .177 caliber BB gun modeled after a Beretta M9.
Cannon has a lengthy criminal history of committing armed robberies that spans decades from the Mississippi Delta to North Mississippi. Cannon also has a previous armed bank robbery conviction in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi from 1998 for which he served 70 months.
U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner of the Northern District of Mississippi and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations, along with the Verona Police Department, Tupelo Police Department, and the United States National Park Service investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Feleica Wilson prosecuted the case.
Senior Adviser to the Operator of the Silk Road Online Black Market Sentenced to 20 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ROGER THOMAS CLARK, a/k/a “Plural of Mongoose,” a/k/a “Variety Jones,” a/k/a “VJ,” a/k/a “cimon,” was sentenced to 20 years in prison today for conspiring to distribute massive quantities of narcotics, arising out of his role as the top adviser to Ross Ulbricht, a/k/a “Dread Pirate Roberts,” the owner and operator of the “Silk Road” online illicit black market. During its operation from 2011 until 2013, Silk Road was used by thousands of drug dealers and other unlawful vendors to distribute illegal drugs and other illicit goods and services to more than 100,000 buyers and to launder hundreds of millions of dollars derived from those unlawful transactions. CLARK advised Ulbricht on all aspects of the enterprise, including urging and facilitating an attempted murder-for-hire. CLARK’s sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein. CLARK previously pled guilty before the late U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III on January 30, 2020.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Silk Road was a secret online marketplace for illegal drugs, computer hacking services, and a host of other criminal activity. Roger Thomas Clark was a central figure in helping to lead Silk Road and in advocating violence, even murder, to protect this digital drug empire. Today’s sentence is another reminder that criminal marketplaces, like Silk Road, are a road to prison.”
According to the allegations in the Superseding Indictment, court filings, statements made in court, and evidence presented during the 2015 trial of Ross Ulbricht, Silk Road’s founder:
Ulbricht created Silk Road in approximately January 2011 and owned and operated the underground website until it was shut down by law enforcement in October 2013. Silk Road emerged as the most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace on the Internet at the time and one of the first online marketplaces to exclusively use cryptocurrency to facilitate illegal transactions. Silk Road was massive in scope; there were more than 1.5 million transactions on the site, involving more than 115,000 buyer accounts and 3,000 seller accounts. These transactions had a total value of approximately $213 million, including more than $183 million in drug sales. The drugs sold on Silk Road included more than 82 kilograms of cocaine and 26 kilograms of heroin. Silk Road was also used to launder hundreds of millions of dollars deriving from these unlawful transactions. Silk Road was specifically designed to allow its users to buy and sell drugs and other illegal goods and services anonymously and outside the reach of law enforcement through the use of the Tor network and a Bitcoin-based payment system.
In his journal, Ulbricht described CLARK as a “real mentor” who advised Ulbricht about, among other things, security vulnerabilities in the Silk Road site, technical infrastructure, the rules that governed Silk Road users and vendors, and the promotion of sales on Silk Road, including the sales of narcotics. CLARK also provided advice to Ulbricht on developing a “cover story” to make it appear as though Ulbricht had sold Silk Road. In addition, CLARK assisted Ulbricht with hiring a programmer to help improve and maintain the infrastructure of Silk Road. CLARK also was responsible for gathering information to counter law enforcement’s efforts to investigate Silk Road. CLARK advised Ulbricht on how to protect the Silk Road criminal empire. For instance, when a Silk Road staff member was suspected of stealing approximately $350,000 in Bitcoin from the site, CLARK suggested to Ulbricht that Ulbricht commission a murder-for-hire. Ulbricht took that suggestion. Although the attempted murder-for-hire did not result in any harm to the intended target, Ulbricht paid the purported hitman $80,000 for the job.
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In addition to his prison sentence, CLARK, 61, a citizen of Canada, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $1,606,150.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding joint efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation’s New York Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Chicago-O’Hare, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York Field Division, and the New York City Police Department. Mr. Williams also thanked the HSI Attaché Bangkok, the Royal Thai Police, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for their support and assistance.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Neff and Vladislav Vainberg are in charge of the prosecution.
School Employee Sentenced to Prison for Stealing over $130,000 from Barnstead and Hampton School DistrictsRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A bookkeeper from Barnstead was sentenced today in federal court for stealing money from both Barnstead and Hampton School Districts, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Amy Burley, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Paul J. Barbadoro to 12 months and one day in federal prison and 2 years of supervised release. Burley was also ordered to pay $131,261.81 in restitution. On February 23, 2023, Burley pleaded guilty to two counts of Theft from a Program Receiving Federal Funds.
“These public-school districts placed trust in Burley as their bookkeeper, and she blatantly abused that trust by stealing funds intended for the school children in these districts,” U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young said. “I’m proud that we were able to bring restitution to the taxpayers while sending a deterrent message that this type of thievery will result in incarceration.”
“Instead of working honestly on behalf of two financially struggling school districts, Amy Burley took advantage of them, betraying the trust they placed in her, by stealing tens of thousands of dollars to line her own pockets,” said Christopher DiMenna, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Her selfish greed is an affront to all the hard-working students and taxpayers struggling to make ends meet, and today’s sentence ensures she’s held accountable for her criminal conduct.”
Burley was employed as a bookkeeper for Barnstead School District and then Hampton School District. In her role, Burley processed payroll and handled the payment of invoices.
Burley used her access at Barnstead School District to alter her payroll information, make personal student loan payments and payments to personal creditors, and pay for an Amazon account charged to Barnstead but controlled by Burley, totaling $110,295.26. Following her termination from Barnstead, Burley was hired as a bookkeeper at Hampton School District, where she used again her position to use district funds to pay student loans and credit cards belonging to her or her family members, totaling $20,966.52
Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Department of Education Office of the Inspector General, the Barnstead Police Department, and the Hampton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Kennedy prosecuted the case.
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Romanian National Pleads Guilty to $5 Million Covid Relief FraudRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – July 11, 2023
SAN DIEGO – Constantin Sandu of Romania pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he masterminded a scheme to steal more than $5 million in California unemployment insurance benefits intended to help workers impacted by the pandemic.
According to his plea agreement, Sandu conspired with an uncharged co-conspirator identified as “D.C.” plus 213 unnamed Romanian co-conspirators across California and in Romania to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars in California unemployment insurance benefits by fabricating documents, creating fictitious accounts and businesses, and filing bogus claims with California’s Economic Development Department, which administers the state’s unemployment benefits. Sandu wired $16,000 of proceeds from the fraud to Romania to renovate his house.
In a forfeiture addendum, Sandu agreed to forfeit $214,950 of proceeds that he personally received from the offenses.
“This defendant has admitted to presiding over a vast network of people who exploited a program that was meant to help Californians during the pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “The scheme alleged in this case diverted millions of dollars from those who truly needed it. We will continue to zealously prosecute perpetrators of COVID relief fraud.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and the investigating agencies for their excellent work on this case.
“I am extremely proud that San Diego’s law enforcement partners were able to successfully apprehend Sandu,” said FBI San Diego Field Office Special Agent in Charge, Stacey Moy. “Unfortunately, this was an elaborate scheme that involved many alleged fraudsters. We will continue to tirelessly work to bring all those involved to justice.”
“Millions of dollars of unemployment benefits and pandemic-related aid were fraudulently obtained by individuals who falsified information and redirected the funds for their own personal gain,” said Tyler Hatcher, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office. “Constantin Sandu is now being held accountable for this $5 million scheme. IRS-CI will not tolerate criminal networks that prey on vulnerable communities and exploit resources meant for those in need. IRS-CI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners locally and internationally to locate and hold criminal organizations accountable for their crimes.”
The plea agreement said that beginning in July 2020 and continuing until late summer of 2022, Sandu and hundreds of unnamed co-conspirators, including the one identified as D.C., learned and developed a process to receive the most benefits possible by using fraudulent identifications, falsified utility bills, falsified earnings statements, falsified W2s, fraudulent health insurance cards and non-existent companies. Additionally, Sandu learned to “backdate” or modify the EDD applications with an earlier unemployment start date to generate even bigger pay days.
Co-conspirators across California would share information, knowledge and resources with Sandu, for Sandu to file claims for regular unemployment insurance and expanded pandemic unemployment insurance benefits from California EDD. Co-conspirators communicated with Sandu via Facebook or other electronic means or met with him in person to provide their Personal Identifying Information, known as PII.
According to the California Franchise Tax Board, none of the companies named in the various W2s submitted for conspirators’ EDD applications was real. According to Blue Cross Blue Shield, none of the member identification numbers submitted for conspirators’ EDD applications was real.
In total, Sandu conspired with D.C. and unnamed co-conspirators to fraudulently obtain no less than $5,207,687 in California unemployment insurance benefits.
Sandu is scheduled to be sentenced on October 16, 2023, at 10 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Larry Burns.
DEFENDANT Case Number: 23-cr-00386-LAB
Constantin Sandu, aka Bobi Sandu, aka Ionut Mihai Age: 33 Transient, Romanian
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Title 18, U.S.C. § 1349 and 1343 - Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
Maximum penalty: Thirty years in prison, a fine of $1 million or both;
Title 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(2)(A) — Laundering Monetary Instruments
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $500,000 fine or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved in the transportation, transmission, or transfer, whichever is greater;
Title 18 U.S.C. §§ 981(a)(1)(C) and 982(a)(1), and Title 28, U.S.C. § 2461(c) - Criminal Forfeitures
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
San Diego Police Department Economic Crimes Unit
Internal Revenue Service
California Employment Development Department Investigative Division
Homeland Security Investigations
Department of Labor Office of Investigator General
Rochester Man Going to Prison on Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Janard D. Warnick, 30, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, was sentenced to serve 72 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Kocher, who handled the case, stated that Warnick sold cocaine for profit and maintained a Clifford Avenue residence for the purposes of his drug trafficking activities. On February 23, 2022, investigators executed a search warrant at the residence and recovered approximately 61 grams of cocaine, 1.8 grams of fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl, 2 grams of crack cocaine, and drug paraphernalia. In addition, three firearms and a variety of ammunition were also recovered.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino.
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Pittsburg County Resident Pleads Guilty to Distribution of FentanylRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Damian Michael Murguia, age 20, of McAlester, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Distribution of Fentanyl.
The superseding indictment alleged that on October 20, 2022, Murguia distributed fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
According to investigators, Murguia sold counterfeit Roxicodone (M30) tablets containing fentanyl to an undercover DEA special agent in McAlester, Oklahoma.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Murguia will remain in custody of the U.S. Marshal pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Zachary W. Parsons represented the United States.
Parkersburg Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Shawn David White, 41, of Parkersburg, was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 8, 2018, law enforcement officers visited White’s residence while investigating a firearm theft and found a Winchester Model 12, 12-gauge shotgun, in White’s bedroom. White admitted to the officers that he possessed the shotgun.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. White is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his convictions for grand larceny and driving while his license was suspended or revoked for DUI-third offense in Wood County Circuit Court on February 10, 2017.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Parkersburg Police Department.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-150.
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Operation Smoke and Mirrors Update: Two Kanawha County Men Plead Guilty to Role in Methamphetamine Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Michael Allen Roberts Jr., 40, of St. Albans, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine, and Les Van Bumpus, 34, of Charleston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Roberts and Bumpus each admitted to their roles in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in the Charleston area.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between November 2022 and March 15, 2023, Roberts conspired with other individuals to distribute quantities of methamphetamine. Roberts admitted to purchasing methamphetamine from a co-defendant who often fronted the methamphetamine to him and allowed Roberts to pay him back after he sold it. Roberts further admitted that he typically paid $2,000 for a pound of methamphetamine, and used his cell phone to arrange transactions with the co-defendant.
Roberts admitted that this co-defendant delivered 50 pounds of methamphetamine to Roberts’ residence a couple of weeks prior to March 15, 2023. Roberts further admitted that he intended to sell this methamphetamine to other people.
On March 15, 2023, law enforcement officers searched a property on Smith Street in St. Albans and seized approximately 44 pounds of methamphetamine. Roberts admitted that he had placed the methamphetamine at the property a day or two before the search.
Between December 2022 and March 22, 2023, Bumpus was living in Dunbar and conspired with others to distribute what he believed was heroin but now knows was fentanyl. Bumpus admitted to purchasing fentanyl from a co-defendant who often fronted the fentanyl to him and allowed Bumpus to pay him back after he sold it.
On March 22, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Bumpus’ Dunbar residence and found approximately 89 grams of fentanyl and a loaded Smith & Wesson .40-caliber pistol.
Roberts is scheduled to be sentenced on November 8, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, five years to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $10 million fine. Bumpus is scheduled to be sentenced on November 6, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
Roberts and Bumpus are among 30 individuals indicted as a result of Operation Smoke and Mirrors, a major drug trafficking investigation that has yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history. Law enforcement has seized of well over 200 pounds of methamphetamine as well as 28 pounds of cocaine, 20 pounds of fentanyl, 18 firearms and $747,000 in cash.
More than a dozen of the defendants have pleaded guilty. Indictments against the other defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-31.
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Oklahoma City Man Pleads Guilty to Causing Two Deaths During DUI Hit-and-Run in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday, ANTONIO MARQUES MITCHELL, 25, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter in Indian Country, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On December 20, 2022, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Mitchell with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. The indictment alleges that Mitchell caused the death of two people while in the commission of multiple misdemeanor offenses—including, fleeing the scene of an accident and driving under the influence.
According to an affidavit filed in the case, Mitchell was driving westbound on NW 16th St in Newcastle, Oklahoma, on December 30, 2021, when he collided with another vehicle at the intersection of Highway 76 and NW 16th St. The affidavit alleges that a witness told a 911 operator that Mitchell was smoking marijuana and that other witnesses also told police that Mitchell fled the scene of the collision after being asked for proof of insurance. Minutes after leaving the scene of the first collision, the affidavit alleges Mitchell swerved into oncoming traffic and again collided with a second car while Mitchell was driving approximately 80 mph eastbound on Highway 37 in a 55-mph zone. It is alleged that the driver of the second car died at the scene, as did Mitchell’s own passenger. A sample of Mitchell’s blood tested positive for a combination of alcohol, amphetamine, and marijuana.
At a hearing before United States District Judge Stephen P. Friot yesterday, Mitchell pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter, as charged in the indictment. As part of his plea, Mitchell admitted that he was driving approximately 77 mph in a 55 mph zone eastbound when his car collided with another car in the westbound lane, causing the death of his passenger and the driver of the other car. Mitchell further admitted that it was foreseeable that his conduct was a threat to the lives of others.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled in approximately 90 days. At sentencing, Mitchell faces up to eight years in federal prison for each count and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count.
This case is in federal court because Mitchell is a citizen of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and the alleged crime occurred within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation.
This case is a result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office Safe Trails Task Force, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police Department, the Newcastle Police Department, the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation, and the McClain County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allison B. Christian and Mark R. Stoneman are prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to public filings for more information.
Ohio Resident Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – Kaylor Brown was sentenced to 60 months in prison for conspiring to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Brown, age 31 of Warren, Ohio, was sentenced by United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan. Judge Horan ordered that Brown serve four years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Judge Horan also ordered that Brown’s 60-month federal prison sentence be served consecutively to the federal prison sentence he was serving at the time he committed the crime for which he was sentenced in this case.
Brown was convicted in this case for conspiring to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine between January 2020 and January 2021. He committed this cocaine trafficking crime from a federal prison. He was in federal prison as a result of a 70-month sentence that was imposed in 2018 in the Eastern District of Michigan for a prior cocaine trafficking crime.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
The Farrell Police Department, the Mercer Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, and the federal Bureau of Prisons led the investigation that resulted in the conviction and sentence in this case.
Ohio Financial Planner Pleads Guilty to Promoting Illegal Charitable Contribution Tax SchemeRead the Press Release
A financial planner from the Cleveland-area pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to defraud the United States and assisting in the filing of a false tax return.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Rao Garuda, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Associated Concepts Agency, Inc. (“ACA”), engaged in a scheme -- known as the Advanced Legacy Plan or the Ultimate Tax Plan -- to assist high-income individuals in unlawfully reducing their taxes using a plan organized, marketed and sold by a coconspirator, Individual A. ACA’s former Chief Operating Officer previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States on Sept. 26, 2022.
To accomplish the scheme, Garuda, Individual A, and other coconspirators instructed clients to (a) transfer assets to an LLC in exchange for 100% ownership interest in the LLC, (b) assign the 100% ownership interest to a charity controlled by co-conspirators, and (c) claim a charitable contribution tax deduction for the purported donation. Garuda and others marketed the scheme as a way for clients to receive the tax deduction without relinquishing control over the LLC or its assets. After executing the scheme, clients could access the assets inside the LLCs through tax-free loans. Garuda marketed the scheme despite being warned by several attorneys over the years that the scheme was illegal, such as one attorney describing the scheme as “clearly fraudulent.”
Garuda, Individual A, and others also assisted clients in claiming charitable contribution tax deductions after the close of the tax year by backdating documents to make it look as if clients executed the scheme in a prior year. To do so, Garuda and others directed clients to use preexisting LLCs (sometimes referred to as “Shelf LLCs”) that Individual A had created and formed at the end of the prior year and backdate documents to make it appear as if the clients owned and assigned ownership interests in the Shelf LLCs in the prior year.
For his role in the scheme, Garuda caused or intended to cause a tax loss of more than $2.7 million, which he agreed to pay back as restitution to the United States.
After the Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit against Individual A in 2018 to stop Individual A from organizing, marketing, and selling the scheme, Garuda, Individual A, and other coconspirators sought to obstruct the case by providing clients with false, backdated documents to turn over to the government in response to civil subpoenas.
Garuda is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 14, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and three years in prison for the false return count. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler of the Northern District of Ohio made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant Chief Michael Boteler and Trial Attorneys Casey S. Smith and Andrew Ascencio of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliott Morrison of the Northern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.
Money Mule Sentenced for Laundering $2,886,578Read the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Concord man was sentenced yesterday to 60 months in prison, 3 years’ supervised release, $10,822 restitution, and $100,000 forfeiture for one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of aggravated identity theft. On April 11, 2023, Derrick Donahue Davis pled guilty to the charges pursuant to a plea agreement.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Davis, 51, came to the attention of law enforcement when one of his bank accounts received a $120,000 wire that was sent to his account by a victim of a scam who was acting under the belief the funds were being used towards closing on a home purchase. Davis withdrew that money immediately and transferred it to a number of other individuals and the victim lost the home and thousands of dollars. Investigation ultimately revealed that Davis laundered over two and a half million dollars over three years for an individual he had met online and whom he believed was a female but was actually a Nigerian male engaged in numerous scams. In addition, Davis received 43 debit cards in other people’s names and sent images of those cards to the Nigerian. Davis continued to launder the money even after explicitly being informed by law enforcement that the money he was moving was from criminal activity.
Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. FBI investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad DeVoe prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-CR-141.
Minneapolis Felon Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man was sentenced to 120 months in prison for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on June 22, 2022, law enforcement officers observed a firearm in plain view during a routine traffic stop on Lyndale Avenue North at Lowry Avenue. Law enforcement subsequently recovered another firearm, cocaine, and fentanyl pills from the vehicle. John Lee Jones, 39, a passenger in the vehicle, admitted to officers that the drugs and weapons were his and that he acquired them during a “lick” a few days prior.
Jones was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court before Judge Joan N. Ericksen.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Violent
Offender Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Minneapolis Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha H. Bates prosecuted the case.
Man to Appear Today in Federal Court After Being Arrested for Trafficking 25 Pounds of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Narquin Antonio Sanchez-Unbes, 23, will appear before Magistrate Judge Andrea K. Johnstone for an initial appearance in federal court today at 4:00pm for trafficking approximately 25 pounds of alleged crystal methamphetamine to New Hampshire from Massachusetts, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
According to the charging documents, Sanchez-Unbes delivered 25 pounds of crystal methamphetamine to law enforcement on Monday, July 10, 2023 in Rochester. Sanchez-Unbes took an Uber from Massachusetts to traffic the package containing 25 pounds of alleged crystal methamphetamine in exchange for $58,000 in U.S. currency, of which $3000 was a delivery fee.
Sanchez was charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The charging statute has a penalty of not more than 20 years of imprisonment.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Man Admits Fleeing from St. Louis Police with Gun, DrugsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS– A man from St. Louis, Missouri who fled from police with drugs and a gun pleaded guilty Tuesday to three federal felonies.
Anthony B. Jones, 29, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
On July 18, 2021, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers on patrol in O’Fallon Park spotted Jones, who was wearing a mask and appeared to be carrying a gun. The officers made a U-turn, at which point Jones ran across the road and hid behind a car before running away. Police found a .223-caliber, CBC Industries AR-style pistol with a brass catcher and a large-capacity magazine in the car. Jones had left the car door open, his plea agreement says.
Jones then dropped a messenger-style bag that contained a baggie of fentanyl and 46 capsules containing fentanyl. Police ultimately had to use a Taser to take Jones into custody, his plea says.
On October 8, 2021, St. Louis police saw Jones accelerate and run a red light in the College Hill neighborhood. Jones, who was in a gray Pontiac Grand Prix, refused to stop and instead accelerated to a high speed after police activated their lights and siren. Officers used a spike strip to deflate Jones’ rear tires, but he drove another three miles before bailing out of the car on College Avenue and running into the backyard of a home.
Officers found Jones crouching in a small stairwell at the back of the house. He was holding a pistol with a large-capacity magazine raised in the direction from which he expected the police to approach, but dropped it when several officers simultaneously converged on the area, his plea agreement says. He also had a satchel containing methamphetamine and fentanyl. Jones told officers that he ran the red light because he saw the police and was concerned that the Grand Prix had been stolen.
At his sentencing in October, both prosecutors and Jones’ lawyer have agreed to recommend 15 years in prison. The gun charge carries a mandatory minimum term of five years consecutive to any other sentence.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.
Man Accused of Fatal Hit and Run in St. Louis Charged with Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS– A man accused of a fatal hit and run in St. Louis appeared in court Monday after being arrested on a federal gun charge.
Martez D. Lindsey, 31, was indicted June 14 on one felony count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. A motion seeking to have him held in jail until trial says police found the gun in April while investigating a November 22, 2022 hit and run and while conducting a court-approved search of his home. It also says “Lindsey continued joyriding through downtown St. Louis in a reckless manner” after the November incident.
Lindsey pleaded not guilty to the charge in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Monday.
Lindsey is currently facing charges in St. Louis Circuit Court of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.
Macon Man Sentenced to Prison for Brandishing a Firearm at Walmart CustomersRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A Macon resident with a lengthy criminal history who carried a gun into a Macon Walmart and waved it aggressively at customers was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison.
Selma Oliver-Smith, 45, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self III on July 10. Oliver-Smith was convicted on April 11 of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon following a two-day trial that began on April 10.
“We are thankful that no shots were fired, and no one was hurt when Selma Oliver-Smith—a convicted felon—brandished a firearm inside a Macon store, terrifying customers and employees,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “The penalty is steep for convicted felons who illegally carry guns.”
“When offenders such as this use firearms to threaten individuals, ATF takes this very seriously,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. “ATF remains on the frontline of preventing violent crime along with our law enforcement partners and will continue to pursue those who violate the law.”
“Selma Oliver-Smith’s arrest, conviction and sentencing shows that the justice system will not tolerate dangerous career criminals using a firearm to menace innocent shoppers in a busy Walmart,” said Bibb County Sheriff David Davis.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Bibb County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call from the Walmart on Harrison Road in Macon on Aug. 17, 2021, about a man aggressively waving a gun at people who approached him inside the store. Because of Oliver-Smith’s criminal record, he was known to officers, and he was located thereafter at a nearby motel. Oliver-Smith was found inside his hotel room, where officers found two firearms hidden inside the toilet bowl tank. One of the firearms, a Jennings Firearms Bryco .380, looked identical to the one in the photo provided by Walmart. Oliver-Smith has a lengthy criminal history to include convictions for burglary, theft by taking and second-degree criminal damage. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean S. Deitrick and Sonja Profit prosecuted the case for the Government.
Lynnwood, Washington, man sentenced to 30 months in prison for tech support of dark web drug dealingRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 39-year-old Lynnwood, Washington, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 30 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Jonathan E. Williams handled the technology side of the darknet drug dealing operation while co-defendants Linus Lee and Joyce Oldrich were involved in packaging and mailing packets of LSD and MDMA. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge James L. Robart noted that "MDMA, in the court's experience, is specifically marketed to young people," -- the drugs could end up in the hands of vulnerable people.
“Mr. Williams used his computer skills to make dangerous drugs available to anyone with a computer,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Gorman. “He may have physically kept his hands off the drugs but, using his computer keyboard, he enriched himself while putting others at risk.”
According to records filed in the case, the three defendants in this case were indicted in July 2022, following an investigation by the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service of dark web drug dealing. Working on the dark web, investigators placed online orders for drugs. Based on the packages they received, investigators first identified 70-year-old Joyce Oldrich of Marysville, Washington as the person who had mailed the drugs. Tracking Oldrich, investigators identified 51-year-old Linus Lee of Shoreline, Washington. When law enforcement served a search warrant on Lee’s home, they seized more than 5,000 tabs of LSD, and more than four kilos of MDMA. Some of the drugs were already in parcels ready for mailing.
Information on Lee’s and Oldrich’s cell phones led investigators to Williams. In various encrypted messages, Lee and Williams discussed the market price for their drugs. When Williams’ residence was searched, law enforcement found no drugs, but linked $21,000 in cash to his drug selling activity. On Williams’ phone, they found evidence of his role managing the drug business on the dark web.
Both Lee and Williams have now been sentenced to 30 months in prison with three years of supervised release to follow. Oldrich was sentenced to a time served sentence, with three years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yunah Chung.
Loudonville Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Cocaine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jesus Baez, age 32, of Loudonville, New York, was sentenced today to 5 years in prison for his role in a Capital Region cocaine distribution conspiracy. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Postal Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward made the announcement.
Baez previously pled guilty before Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. As part of his plea, Baez admitted that between June 2021 and December 2021, in Albany and Rensselaer Counties, he and three others engaged in a conspiracy to ship cocaine from Puerto Rico and distribute it in the Capital Region. The cocaine was shipped via U.S. mail in one-kilogram bricks, and transported to a stash house maintained by Baez on Fifth Avenue in Troy, where it was processed for distribution, along with other drugs.
Judge Sharpe also imposed a 4-year term of supervised release, to begin once Baez is released from prison.
Baez’s three co-defendants have also pled guilty for their roles in the conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing. They are:
- Jan Lopez-Colon, age 28, of Troy;
- Ilvin Batista-Figueroa, 31, of Albany; and
- Sam Calderon, 20, of Troy.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Capital Region Task Force, led by the USPIS and including the Albany Police Department, the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, and the Schenectady Police Department, as well as the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark is prosecuting the case.
Local Doctor and Son Sentenced for Illegally Accumulating and Selling Scarce N95 Respirator MasksRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – July 11, 2023
SAN DIEGO – University City Dermatologist Mona Zohdi Mofid was sentenced in federal court today to two years’ probation after pleading guilty in April to misdemeanor hoarding of N95 respirator masks that had been designated scarce during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her son, Adam Zohdi Mofid, who previously pleaded guilty to misdemeanor accumulation of N95 respirator masks to sell for price-gouging prices was also sentenced to two years’ probation, including 60 days of home confinement. Additionally, Adam Mofid was fined $1.2 million dollars, and Dr. Mona Mofid was fined $100,000. Both were ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.
Throughout 2020 and into early 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the demand for N95 respirator masks to explode far beyond their supply. In response, on March 25, 2020, N95 respirator masks and other personal protective equipment items were designated as scarce pursuant to the Defense Production Act of 1950 (DPA), which authorizes the president to do so during times of national emergency. This triggered the DPA’s criminal anti-hoarding and anti-price-gouging provisions found at Sections 4512-4513 of Title 50 of the United States Code.
According to Dr. Mona Mofid’s plea agreement, from May 2020 to January 2021, she willfully purchased over 375,000 N95 respirator masks from medical supply companies despite knowing that doing so was unlawful at the time. Adam Mofid admitted in his plea agreement that during the same time period his company, Clinical Supplies USA, generated approximately $15,760,000 of gross income, mostly through the sale of N95 masks that were sold for, on average, 300 percent to 400 percent of their purchase price. For instance, on June 10, 2020, Clinical Supplies USA sold an individual 20 3M Model 8200 N95 masks for $16.99 per mask and 20 3M Model 8210Plus N95 masks for $17.99 per mask. Adam Mofid further admitted that he knew such sales in excess of prevailing market prices were illegal during that period of time.
“While many in our community, especially healthcare providers, responded valiantly to COVID-19, some people took advantage of the pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman. “These defendants are paying the price for selling medical supplies at inflated prices during a national crisis.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and the FBI for their excellent work on this case
“As the severity of the pandemic became apparent in our community and so many others, Mona and Adam Mofid sought to take advantage of the world-wide crisis, and gain an unfair advantage, by stockpiling these vital products and selling them for price-gouging prices to facilitate their greed,” said Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office. “In particular, Dr. Mofid’s hoarding of such sought-after medical products transgressed her oath as a physician to do no harm. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold price gaugers accountable and bring them to justice.”
DEFENDANTS Case Number 23cr530-DDL
Mona Zohdi Mofid Age: 51 La Jolla, CA
Case Number 23cr550-DDL
Adam Zohdi Mofid Age: 21 St. Louis, MO
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Defense Production Act – Title 50, U.S.C., Sections 4512-4513
Maximum penalty: One year in prison and fine of greatest of $100,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain
AGENCY
Federal Bureau of Investigations
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Licking County man sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexually exploiting minor boys he met through church youth groupRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Licking County man was sentenced in federal court here today to 25 years in prison for sexually exploiting minors and soliciting child pornography from dozens of other minor boys through the mobile application Snapchat.
Matthew I Reif, 27, of Newark, Ohio, victimized at least 52 minor boys, some of whom he had access to through his role in a local youth church group. The exploitation of these minor males took place both in the community and online between October 2020 and July 2022.
“Reif exploited his victims’ vulnerabilities through their religion, their financial limitations and their youth for his own perverted fantasies,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “For the well-being of those children whom he has already harmed, and to prevent the mental, psychological or physical damage to any additional children, Reif must be kept away from society for a significant period of time.”
According to court documents, Reif offered gifts and money to minor boys and, in exchange, requested the minors engage in sex acts with him or for him. Reif used text messaging and Snapchat to communicate with his victims, some of whom he only had access to online and had not met in person. The defendant would pose as a female named “Nicole” via Snapchat to obtain child sexual abuse material from the minor males. Twelve of the identified victims in this case indicated they sent photos or videos to Reif on Snapchat when they were between 14 and 17 years old, believing Reif to be a female.
The defendant also contacted minor males he knew from the community, posing as himself and garnering their trust through his position in a Heath, Ohio, church. Reif would then screen record any pornographic content he received from the minors via Snapchat. In addition, Reif was trusted with some of the victims on overnight stays, during which he surreptitiously recorded the victims with a hidden camera that he placed in different bathrooms. Reif saved the images and videos he created and obtained and then organized the content by the name of the male minor depicted.
Reif pleaded guilty in December 2022 to sexually exploiting minors and possessing child pornography.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and Noah R. Litton are representing the United States in this case.
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Level III Sex Offender Arrested on Child Pornography Charges for a 5th TimeRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A level III sex offender has been ordered detained in federal custody following his 5th arrest on child pornography charges, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Patrick M. O’Donnell, 60, convicted in Rhode Island state court on child pornography charges four times between 2007 and 2020, was most recently released from Rhode Island state prison on June 1, 2023. According to charging documents, O’Donnell allegedly downloaded and accessed child pornography and child erotica on cellphones he was prohibited from possessing as a condition of his probation. He was living at a homeless shelter in Cranston at the time.
During a sex-offender compliance check conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Cranston Police, and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, Probation and Parole, O’Donnell was found to be in possession of two cellphones. A live digital preview allegedly revealed child pornography on one of the devices and child erotica on both.
O’Donnell was charged in federal court with allegedly knowingly possessing child pornography, which carries a ten-year mandatory minimum sentence if a defendant has previously been convicted of a child pornography offense. The defendants’ sentence will be determined by a federal judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John P. McAdams.
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Lee’s Summit Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing $340,000Read the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Lee’s Summit, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to stealing more than $340,000 by continuing to collect his grandmother’s veteran survivor benefits following her death almost 30 years ago.
Jeffrey L. Tyler, 67, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to a federal information that charges him with one count of the theft of government property.
By pleading guilty today, Tyler admitted that he spent $340,934 in veteran survivor benefits from his grandmother’s bank account on his own personal expenses. Tyler’s grandmother received veteran survivor benefits based on her husband’s military service. She died on Nov. 26, 1993, but the benefits continued to be deposited into her bank account. The account received $1,110 per month, a total of $13,320 per year.
Tyler was also on his grandmother’s bank account. The bank records show that the money was spent on personal expenses for Tyler, including hundreds of signed checks by Tyler for such items as water and electric bills. The total amount of benefits converted by Tyler was approximately $338,316. Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Tyler must pay $340,934 in restitution to the government.
Under federal statutes, Tyler is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General – Criminal Investigations Division.
Lee County Felon Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing Loaded Firearm on Campus of Local SchoolRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Wyatt Olen Henderson (64, Cape Coral) today pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. Henderson faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on May 12, 2023, deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office encountered Henderson on the campus of a Lee County school openly carrying a loaded firearm holstered to his hip. Henderson, a convicted felon who had previously served time in federal prison, was an employee of the school at the time. As a convicted felon, Henderson is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Kanawha County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Trellae Nellum-Toney, 29, of St. Albans, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 22, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Nellum-Toney in St. Albans. Nellum-Toney admitted that he got out of his vehicle and threw a Raven Arms, model P-25, .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol and a baggie of suspected heroin onto the ground. Officers recovered the firearm and controlled substance.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Nellum-Toney knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for first-degree robbery in Kanawha County Circuit Court on August 26, 2014.
Nellum-Toney further admitted to possessing two firearms found by officers following a January 24, 2023 traffic stop of a vehicle he was driving in the Scott Depot area of Putnam County. Officers found a Taurus, model 709 Slim, 9mm semi-automatic pistol under the driver’s seat and a Savage, model Stevens 320, 20-gauge shotgun in the vehicle’s trunk. Nellum-Toney admitted that he now knows the 9mm pistol was reported stolen from a St. Albans residence on September 26, 2021.
Nellum-Toney is scheduled to be sentenced on October 3, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Troy Adams is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-34.
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Justice Department Announces Settlement with J.R. Simplot to Improve Hazardous Waste Management and Reduce Emissions at Idaho FacilityRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with J.R. Simplot Company involving Simplot’s Don Plant manufacturing facility located near Pocatello, Idaho.
The settlement resolves allegations primarily under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) at the facility, including that Simplot failed to properly identify and manage certain waste streams as hazardous wastes. The settlement requires Simplot to implement process modifications designed to enable greater recovery and reuse of phosphate, a valuable resource. The settlement also requires Simplot to ensure that financial resources will be available when the time comes for environmentally sound closure of the facility. Simplot will also pay a civil penalty of $1.5 million.
“After our 2020 settlement with Simplot’s phosphoric acid and fertilizer plant in Wyoming, we are pleased to reach this settlement with Simplot’s other major phosphoric acid and fertilizer operation at the Don Plant in Pocatello, Idaho,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This proposed consent decree will comprehensively address the waste management, air emissions and reporting issues EPA identified with respect to the Don Plant’s operations.”
“This is an important settlement which reduces the environmental impacts from one of the leading fertilizer manufacturers,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield of the EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “This settlement advances EPA’s goals by creating environmentally beneficial waste management practices and ensures that the U.S. taxpayer will not be responsible for future costs associated with closure of this facility. Additionally, this settlement ensures that any future expansion of Simplot’s operations will be conducted according to strict requirements to minimize impacts to surrounding communities, including the Fort Hall Indian Reservation.”
Simplot’s Don Plant facility manufactures phosphate products for agriculture and industry, including phosphoric acid and phosphate fertilizer, through processes that generate large quantities of acidic wastewater and a solid material called phosphogypsum. The phosphogypsum is deposited in a large pile known as a gypstack, and acidic wastewater is discharged to the gypstack. The gypstack, which has a capacity to hold several billion gallons of acidic wastewater, was fully lined in 2017 in accordance with a previous consent orders Simplot entered into with the State of Idaho and the United States.
The settlement also resolves alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA) that relate to fluoride emissions from the facility, and of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) that relate to reporting and notification requirements for hazardous substances and toxic chemicals.
Under the settlement, Simplot agrees to implement specific waste management measures it has valued at nearly $150 million. Significantly, these measures include extensive new efforts to recover and reuse the phosphate content within these wastes and avoid their disposal in the gypstack. Simplot will implement requirements that ensure gypstack stability and containment that will protect the environment even should climate change result in more severe weather events. The settlement also includes a detailed plan setting the terms for the future closure and long-term care of the gypstack. The settlement requires Simplot to immediately secure and maintain approximately $108 million in dedicated financing to ensure that funding will be available when the facility is eventually closed.
Simplot also agrees to cease operation of the facility’s cooling towers no later than June 27, 2026, and replace them with one or more newly constructed cooling ponds, which will significantly reduce fluoride emissions to the air. Additionally, Simplot agrees to submit revised Toxic Release Inventory forms for the years 2004-2013 that include estimates of certain metal compounds manufactured, processed or otherwise used at the facility.
In addition to paying the $1.5 million civil penalty, Simplot is providing $200,000 in funding for environmental mitigation work that will be administered by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality in conjunction with the City of Pocatello and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. The mitigation work will address habitat degradation on the Portneuf River that has resulted in part from excess phosphorus releases, especially from the facility’s formerly unlined gypstack.
“This settlement will bring important benefits to Idaho and the communities that have been affected by the Don Plant’s operations,” said U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit for the District of Idaho. “We are grateful that our state partner, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, helped formulate and will oversee work that Simplot will fund to mitigate the impacts of its phosphate operations on water quality and the environment along the Portneuf River, working in cooperation with both the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and the City of Pocatello.”
EPA previously required through judicial and administrative settlements at 14 phosphate fertilizer facilities across the U.S. extensive injunctive relief, requiring the companies to establish financial assurance and bring their operations into compliance with RCRA.
A consent decree formalizing the settlement was lodged today in the U.S. District Court for Idaho and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court. For a copy of the consent decree, visit www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.
Justice Department Announces Settlement with J.R. Simplot to Improve Hazardous Waste Management and Reduce Emissions at Idaho FacilityRead the Press Release
BOISE – The Justice Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a settlement with J.R. Simplot Company involving Simplot’s Don Plant manufacturing facility located near Pocatello, Idaho.
The settlement resolves allegations primarily under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) at the facility, including that Simplot failed to properly identify and manage certain waste streams as hazardous wastes. The settlement requires Simplot to implement process modifications designed to enable greater recovery and reuse of phosphate, a valuable resource. The settlement also requires Simplot to ensure that financial resources will be available when the time comes for environmentally sound closure of the facility. Simplot will also pay a civil penalty of $1.5 million.
“After our 2020 settlement with Simplot’s phosphoric acid and fertilizer plant in Wyoming, we are pleased to reach this settlement with Simplot’s other major phosphoric acid and fertilizer operation at the Don Plant in Pocatello, Idaho,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This proposed consent decree will comprehensively address the waste management, air emissions and reporting issues EPA identified with respect to the Don Plant’s operations.”
Simplot’s Don Plant facility manufactures phosphate products for agriculture and industry, including phosphoric acid and phosphate fertilizer, through processes that generate large quantities of acidic wastewater and a solid material called phosphogypsum. The phosphogypsum is deposited in a large pile known as a gypstack, and acidic wastewater is discharged to the gypstack. The gypstack, which has a capacity to hold several billion gallons of acidic wastewater, was fully lined in 2017 in accordance with a previous consent orders Simplot entered into with the State of Idaho and the United States.
The settlement also resolves alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA) that relate to fluoride emissions from the facility, and of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) that relate to reporting and notification requirements for hazardous substances and toxic chemicals.
“This is an important settlement which reduces the environmental impacts from one of the leading fertilizer manufacturers,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield of the EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “This settlement advances EPA’s goals by creating environmentally beneficial waste management practices and ensures that the U.S. taxpayer will not be responsible for future costs associated with closure of this facility. Additionally, this settlement ensures that any future expansion of Simplot’s operations will be conducted according to strict requirements to minimize impacts to surrounding communities, including the Fort Hall Indian Reservation.”
Under the settlement, Simplot agrees to implement specific waste management measures it has valued at nearly $150 million. Significantly, these measures include extensive new efforts to recover and reuse the phosphate content within these wastes and avoid their disposal in the gypstack. Simplot will implement requirements that ensure gypstack stability and containment that will protect the environment even should climate change result in more severe weather events. The settlement also includes a detailed plan setting the terms for the future closure and long-term care of the gypstack. The settlement requires Simplot to immediately secure and maintain approximately $108 million in dedicated financing to ensure that funding will be available when the facility is eventually closed.
Simplot also agrees to cease operation of the facility’s cooling towers no later than June 27, 2026, and replace them with one or more newly constructed cooling ponds, which will significantly reduce fluoride emissions to the air. Additionally, Simplot agrees to submit revised Toxic Release Inventory forms for the years 2004-2013 that include estimates of certain metal compounds manufactured, processed or otherwise used at the facility.
In addition to paying the $1.5 million civil penalty, Simplot is providing $200,000 in funding for environmental mitigation work that will be administered by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality in conjunction with the City of Pocatello and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. The mitigation work will address habitat degradation on the Portneuf River that has resulted in part from excess phosphorus releases, especially from the facility’s formerly unlined gypstack.
“This settlement will bring important benefits to Idaho and the communities that have been affected by the Don Plant’s operations,” said Josh Hurwit, U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho. “We are grateful that our state partner, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, helped formulate and will oversee work that Simplot will fund to mitigate the impacts of its phosphate operations on water quality and the environment along the Portneuf River, working in cooperation with both the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and the City of Pocatello.”
EPA previously required through judicial and administrative settlements at 14 phosphate fertilizer facilities across the U.S. extensive injunctive relief, requiring the companies to establish financial assurance and bring their operations into compliance with RCRA.
A consent decree formalizing the settlement was lodged today in the U.S. District Court for Idaho and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.
For a copy of the consent decree, visit www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.
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Jury Finds District Man Guilty of All Charges for Repeated Acts of Sexual Abuse of a ChildRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Charles Johnson, 29, of Washington, D.C., was convicted today of multiple counts of first degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, multiple counts of first degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, second degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, attempted first degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, and assault. The verdict, announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), follows a 5-day trial in Superior Court in the District of Columbia. The Honorable Michael O’Keefe scheduled a sentencing hearing for October 6, 2023.
According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, on multiple occasions between November 2019 and September 2021, Johnson sexually abused a child who was nine and ten years old at the time of the assaults. Johnson subjected the child to sexual acts and repeatedly forced her to perform sexual acts on him. Johnson, who is an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department, resided in the home with the victim and took advantage of occasions when he was left in a position of supervision and care over her.
Johnson faces the potential of life imprisonment without the opportunity of release. If he were to be released, Johnson would be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Tiffany Jones and Reshawn Johnson, Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson, Victim/Witness Coordinators Donna Proctor, Nikiya Burnette, Katina Adams-Washington, and Tonya Jones, and Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling and Charlie Bruce. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marco Crocetti and Kathleen Houck, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Bohlen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Hitchcock resident gets over 22 years for multiple charges to include enticing minor via FacebookRead the Press Release
GALVESTON, Texas – A 55-year-old Hitchcock resident has been ordered to federal prison following his convictions for sexual exploitation of child, receipt and possession of child pornography and the transfer of obscene material to a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Luke Allen Gregory pleaded guilty July 7, 2022.
U.S. District Judge Jeffery V. Brown has now ordered him to serve 270, 120, and 120 months for the production, possession and receipt of child pornography convictions, respectively, as well as another 120 months for the transfer of obscene material. They will run concurrently for a total 270-month-term of imprisonment.
At the hearing, the court heard through how Gregory had manipulated the minor victim in this case by threatening to kill himself and his daughter when she had tried to end the relationship. He had also sent a photo with a gun to his head.
Gregory will serve the rest of his life on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
“Gregory manipulated a minor for the purpose of his deviant sexual desire,” said Hamdani. “To make it even worse, that young female was a relative. If he could do that, he is capable of so much more. Thankfully, the sentence imposed today will eliminate that possibility of danger to our kids. Gregory’s actions also serve as a reminder to us as parents to be diligent in monitoring our children’s social media activity.”
Gregory came to the attention of law enforcement in October 2019. Facebook reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that someone was utilizing their social media platform to entice a minor to produce and distribute files depicting child pornography. The investigation revealed Gregory owned that account. On Oct. 10, 2019, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Gregory’s residence in Hitchcock.
Law enforcement seized his electronic devices to include his cellphone. Forensic analysis resulted in the discovery of multiple images of the minor in which her genitals were displayed in a lewd and lascivious manner.
Gregory admitted he had been texting and engaging in sexual conversations with a minor female, whom he knew had just turned 16 years of age and was a relative. Gregory stated that the two of them had exchanged nude images of each other.
The victim also told this to law enforcement. She also stated Gregory had gotten her name tattooed on his right thigh.
Gregory will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations – Galveston, Pearland Police Department and the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children task force conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Ann Leo is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Hebbronville man sentenced for trying to smuggle cocaine past checkpointRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 64-year-old man has been ordered to prison for possession with intent to distribute approximately 16 kilograms of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Ascencion Garza Jr. pleaded guilty Jan. 10.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has now ordered Garza to serve 144 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard considered additional argument and discussion regarding Garza’s multiple prior federal drug‑trafficking convictions. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the quantity of drugs involved and that Garza had not been deterred from committing the instant offense by prior sentences.
On Sept. 7, 2022, Garza drove his truck into the primary inspection lane of a Border patrol (BP) checkpoint located near Falfurrias. There, authorities searched his vehicle and discovered 15 bricks of cocaine in concealed compartments within the rear quarter-panels.
The drugs weighed approximately 16 kilograms and have an estimated street value of more than $1.1 million.
Garza will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Foster prosecuted the case.
Greenbelt Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Firearms Charges, Including Illegal Possession of a MachinegunRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Donald Fortune, Jr., age 19, of Greenbelt, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to federal charges for illegal possession of a machinegun, possession with intent to distribute oxycodone and fentanyl, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department (“PGPD”).
According to his guilty plea, law enforcement began investigating Fortune in April 2022 for suspected firearms and drug trafficking offenses. As part of the investigation, PGPD detectives monitored public posts from Fortune’s social media account where he displayed firearms and advertised drugs for sale. Based on their investigation, including the social media posts, PGPD detectives obtained a search warrant for Fortune’s apartment.
On June 2, 2022, law enforcement was conducting surveillance outside Fortune’s apartment building in preparation for executing the warrant. In the late morning, Fortune was seen exiting the building and approaching a silver Honda Civic. Fortune removed a large bag of blue pills, suspected to be oxycodone, from a Gucci bag that he was wearing. Fortune engaged in a suspected hand-to-hand drug transaction with the driver of the Civic. Fortune then placed the pills back in the Gucci satchel and returned to his apartment.
A short time later, Fortune left the apartment building accompanied by a woman. He was wearing the Gucci satchel across his chest and had his right hand in the satchel as he walked, consistent with having a firearm inside the satchel. Fortune and the woman got into a rideshare and the vehicle drove away. PGPD police conducted a traffic stop a short time later and observed Fortune reach down toward his feet. Officers asked Fortune, who was still wearing the Gucci satchel, to step out of the vehicle and officers observed a .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol on the floorboard where Fortune had been seated. The gun was loaded with one round in the chamber and 21 rounds in an extended magazine and was equipped with a full auto selector switch on the rear of the handgun slide, making it a machinegun under federal law. A search of the Gucci satchel recovered a large bag containing 232 30mg blue pills, later found to be counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl. Officers also recovered $790 in cash from Fortune. Fortune was arrested and charged in Prince George’s County. He was held for 12 days before being released on June 14, 2022, pending trial.
Fortune admitted that he continued to sell drugs and possess firearms after his release, including coordinating a drug deal around a court appearance. Fortune switched to using a second social media account in mid-July 2022, believed by investigators to be an effort to evade law enforcement. Investigators began monitoring this account, where Fortune continued to advertise pills for sale and display firearms, despite being on pretrial release. For example, on July 26, 2022, investigators observed a public-facing live video that was streaming from Fortune’s second social media account, which showed Fortune smoking a suspected marijuana cigarette, flashing two prescription bottles, and holding an AR-style pistol. Fortune then turned the camera around to show a table display of at least six firearms, including two AR-style pistols, one handgun with an extended magazine, and one handgun with a suspected full-automatic switch, with cash fanned out in front of the firearms.
As detailed in the plea agreement, that evening, PGPD officers were on patrol in the 6400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue in District Heights, Maryland and saw Fortune smoking marijuana on the sidewalk in front of a residence. As the officer was parking his car in the parking lot, he saw Fortune walk behind a pick-up truck and throw an item under the truck, then walk away from the area. Believing Fortuned had discarded a firearm or contraband, the officer got out of his unmarked police cruiser to speak with Fortune, who continued to walk away. As the officer got closer, Fortune began running and was apprehended a short distance away. Another officer arrived and stayed by the location where Fortune had been seen throwing something. A search of the area recovered a privately manufactured 5.56 caliber semi-automatic AR-15 style pistol with no serial number, also known as a “ghost gun.” The gun was loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition in the magazine and one in the chamber. Officers searched Fortune and recovered two pill bottles containing 16 real or counterfeit oxycodone pills. The pills were tested and eight were found to contain approximately 5mg of oxycodone each and the rest were found to be counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl.
Fortune and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Fortune will be sentenced to between seven years and 10 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for November 3, 2023, at 9:30 a.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI’s Cross Border Task Force and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Kibbe, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Rosenthal, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Former Security Engineer for International Technology Company Arrested for Defrauding Decentralized Cryptocurrency ExchangeRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Chad Plantz, the Special Agent in Charge of the San Diego Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), and Tyler Hatcher, the Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging SHAKEEB AHMED with wire fraud and money laundering in connection with his attack on a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange (the “Crypto Exchange”). AHMED was arrested this morning in New York, New York, and will be presented this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “This is the second case we are announcing this week to shed light on fraud in the cryptocurrency and digital asset ecosystem. As alleged in the indictment, Shakeeb Ahmed, who was a senior security engineer at an international technology company, used his expertise to defraud the exchange and its users and steal approximately $9 million in cryptocurrency. We also allege that he then laundered the stolen funds through a series of complex transfers on the blockchain where he swapped cryptocurrencies, hopped across different crypto blockchains, and used overseas crypto exchanges. But none of those actions covered the defendant’s tracks or fooled law enforcement, and they certainly didn’t stop my Office or our law enforcement partners from following the money.”
HSI Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz said: “Financial crime strikes at the core of our national and economic banking security. With an attack of this magnitude, it’s crucial we ensure continued consumer confidence in our financial system. Ruthless and reckless attempts aimed to sabotage legitimate commerce for greed must be stopped. It’s cases like these that demonstrate HSI’s commitment and ability to work with a coalition of the willing to dismantle these complicated and technical fraud schemes and identify those responsible regardless of where they operate.”
IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher said: “As alleged, Mr. Ahmed used his skills as a computer security engineer to steal millions of dollars. He then allegedly tried to hide the stolen funds, but his skills were no match for IRS Criminal Investigation's Cyber Crimes Unit. We, along with our partners at HSI and the Department of Justice, are at the forefront of cyber investigations and will track these fraudsters anywhere they try to hide and hold them accountable.”
As alleged in the Indictment:[1]
The Crypto Exchange was incorporated overseas and operates on the Solana blockchain. At all relevant times, the Crypto Exchange allowed users to exchange different kinds of cryptocurrencies and paid fees to users who deposited cryptocurrency to provide liquidity on the Crypto Exchange.
In July 2022, AHMED carried out an attack on the Crypto Exchange by exploiting a vulnerability in one of the Crypto Exchange’s smart contracts and inserting fake pricing data to fraudulently cause that smart contract to generate approximately $9 million dollars’ worth of inflated fees that AHMED did not legitimately earn, which fees AHMED was able to withdraw from the Crypto Exchange in the form of cryptocurrency. This conduct defrauded the Crypto Exchange and its users, whose cryptocurrency AHMED had fraudulently obtained. Additional details regarding the attack, including AHMED’s use of cryptocurrency “flash loans” to further defraud the Crypto Exchange, are described in the Indictment publicly filed today.
After he stole the fees he never legitimately earned, AHMED had communications with the Crypto Exchange in which he decided to return all of the stolen funds except for $1.5 million if the Crypto Exchange agreed not to refer the attack to law enforcement.
At the time of the attack, AHMED was a senior security engineer for an international technology company whose resume reflected skills in, among other things, reverse engineering smart contracts and blockchain audits, which are some of the specialized skills AHMED used to execute the attack.
AHMED laundered the millions in fees that he stole from the Crypto Exchange to conceal their source and ownership, including through (i) conducting token-swap transactions, (ii) “bridging” fraud proceeds from the Solana blockchain over to the Ethereum blockchain, (iii) exchanging fraud proceeds into Monero, an anonymized and particularly difficult cryptocurrency to trace, and (iv) using overseas cryptocurrency exchanges.
After the attack, AHMED searched online for information about the attack, his own criminal liability, criminal defense attorneys with expertise in similar cases, law enforcement’s ability to successfully investigate the attack, and fleeing the United States to avoid criminal charges. For example, approximately two days after the attack, AHMED conducted an internet search for the term “defi hack,” read several news articles about the hack of the Crypto Exchange, and visited several pages on the Crypto Exchange’s website. As another example, AHMED conducted internet searches or visited websites related to the charges in the indictment, including by searching for the term “wire fraud” and for the term “evidence laundering.” Finally, AHMED also conducted internet searches or visited websites related to his ability to flee the United States, avoid extradition, and keep his stolen cryptocurrency: he searched for the terms “can I cross border with crypto,” “how to stop federal government from seizing assets,” and “buying citizenship”; and he visited a website titled “16 Countries Where Your Investments Can Buy Citizenship . . .”
* * *
AHMED, 34, of New York, New York, is charged with wire fraud and money laundering, each of which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of HSI and IRS-CI. Mr. Williams also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California for their assistance in the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit and Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David R. Felton and Kevin Mead are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described therein should be treated as an allegation.
U.S. v. Ahmed IndictmentFormer Private Prisoner Transport Officer Sentenced to Nine Years for Sexually Assaulting Pretrial DetaineeRead the Press Release
A former private prisoner transport officer was sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Missouri to nine years in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for violating a female pretrial detainee’s civil rights by sexually assaulting her.
According to the plea agreement, at the time of the offense, Rogeric Hankins, 37, worked as a private prisoner transport officer for Inmate Services Corporation. As a private prisoner transport officer, Hankins performed the government function of picking up individuals who were arrested on out-of-state warrants and transporting those individuals back to the jurisdictions that issued the warrants. On March 31, 2020, Hankins picked up the victim, a female pretrial detainee, from a jail in Olympia, Washington, to transport her to a jail in St. Paul, Minnesota.
On April 3, 2020, before arriving in Minnesota, Hankins stopped the transport van at a rest stop in Joplin, Missouri. Hankins brought the victim into the rest stop to use the bathroom. After the victim used the women’s bathroom, Hankins led her into the men’s bathroom, and told her to go into the stall furthest from the door. Once inside the stall, Hankins began to try to pull the victim’s shirt up. The victim resisted and told Hankins to stop. In response, Hankins told the victim to be quiet and made her perform a sexual act on him. Hankins then bent the victim over a toilet seat and raped her.
“The defendant sexually abused and violently assaulted a woman in his custody, exploiting his authority and depriving this survivor of her constitutional right to bodily integrity,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This sentence sends a clear message that the Justice Department is committed to protecting victims of sexual violence carried out at the hands of any and all law enforcement officials. The privatization of positions in law enforcement does not change the fact that these individuals can and must be held accountable when they violate our federal civil rights laws.”
“This former prisoner transport officer sexually assaulted a detainee who was in his custody while transporting her through Missouri,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore for the Western District of Missouri. “Today he is being held accountable for abusing his position of trust and authority. The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the civil rights of all citizens, including those in custody.”
“Hankins abused his power and sexually assaulted the victim while she was extremely vulnerable,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office. “Today's sentencing sends a clear message that those who abuse their position of power to sexually assault the very people they are sworn to protect will be held accountable. The FBI is committed to protecting the Constitutional rights of all citizens and pursuing justice on behalf of the victims in cases like this.”
The FBI Minneapolis Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.
Trial Attorney Laura Gilson and former Special Litigation Counsel Fara Gold of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted this case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.
Former Maui Jim Employee Must Serve Time and Pay Restitution for Mail and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Bradford, Illinois, woman, Erica Lynn Hornof, 36, of the 300 block of Enterprise Drive, was sentenced on July 10, 2023, to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, to be followed by three years supervised release, after pleading guilty to three counts of mail fraud and three counts of wire fraud. Hornof must also pay $125,472.48 in restitution to Maui Jim.
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid, the government presented evidence that Hornof was a long-term employee of Maui Jim. While employed as a lead Frame Repair Trainer, Hornof stole Maui Jim parts from the repair area to make sunglasses, packaged them with a cleaning cloth and warranty card, used her personal FedEx account to create shipping labels, and then shipped them through the Maui Jim mailroom. She sold the sunglasses to two buyers who then sold the sunglasses on websites. The evidence established that over the 16-month period that Hornof was selling the sunglasses, she received $104,860 from the two buyers. In a later statement to Federal Bureau of Investigation special agents, Hornof said that the individuals did not know that the sunglasses were stolen. Judge Shadid found that she was responsible for selling approximately 2,996 pairs of sunglasses, each valued at $250, for an intended loss of $749,000 to Maui Jim.
Hornof was indicted in August 2022 and released on a personal recognizance bond with conditions of pre-trial supervision. She entered a guilty plea to all six counts in March 2023. Judge Shadid ordered Hornof to report to the designated prison by 2:00 pm on September 19, 2023.
The statutory penalties for each of the mail and wire fraud counts are up to 20 years’ imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine, to be followed by up to three years of supervised release.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office – Peoria Resident Agency, investigated the case. Criminal Chief Darilynn J. Knauss represented the government in the prosecution.
Former EMT sent to prison for robbery and firearms chargesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - A 30-year-old Houston resident has been sent to prison for a series of armed robberies he committed while brandishing a firearm in September 2020, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Xavier McCoy-Taylor pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence Aug. 29, 2022.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks has now handed McCoy-Taylor a 34-month-term of imprisonment for the robbery as well as another 84 months for each of the firearms charges which must be served consecutively to the other sentence imposed. The total 198-month sentence will be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that described McCoy-Taylor’s criminal history as well as his former employment as a firefighter. In imposing the sentence, the court noted how McCoy-Taylor was a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” in that he had a loving family
and went to work every day at a job where he was entrusted to help the most vulnerable people in the community. Judge Hanks commented that at that same time, he held innocent victims at gunpoint for no apparent reason other than enjoying it. He added that McCoy-Taylor should not be able to walk the streets of Houston for a very long time.
"This defendant was an EMT (emergency medical technician) and had every opportunity to be a productive member of society,” said Hamdani. “Instead of serving the public, he decided to endanger it, pointing a gun at pregnant store clerk and then pointing it at a Texas State Trooper. As a result, he will spend the next years taking care of his jail cell instead of his patients.”
McCoy-Taylor had previously been employed as an EMT at the Westlake Fire Department. At the time of his arrest, he was employed as a patient care assistant at Memorial Herman Hospital.
On Sept. 25, 2020, McCoy-Taylor robbed a CVS on Beechnut Street in Houston. During the robbery, he held the pregnant clerk at gunpoint. As McCoy-Taylor exited the building with his gun still in hand, a Texas state trooper in the parking lot approached and yelled at him to stop. McCoy-Taylor then pointed his firearm at him.
The trooper pulled the trigger on his firearm in self-defense, but the gun malfunctioned. McCoy-Taylor then ran down the street, but fell to the ground and dropped his gun.
McCoy-Taylor had also brandished a firearm while robbing the gas station attendant at the Murphy USA gas station in Katy earlier that month.
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Texas Department of Public Safety; Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office and police departments in Katy and Houston conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Britni Cooper prosecuted the case.
Felon Sentenced to 27 Months in Federal Prison for Escape from Halfway House in Addition to 15-Year State Sentence for Killing a Person After EscapeRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Dallas Jones, 32, of Indianapolis, Indiana, has been sentenced to an additional 27 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to escape.
According to court documents, on November 17, 2015, Jones was sentenced to 4 years’ imprisonment after being convicted of illegally possessing a firearm.
On July 25, 2018, Jones was transferred to the Volunteers of America (“VOA”) in Indianapolis Indiana, to complete his sentence. The Bureau of Prisons contracts with residential reentry centers, also known as halfway houses, to aid inmates who are nearing release as they transition back into the community. Inmates serving a portion of their sentence at a residential reentry center are only authorized to leave through sign-out procedures for approved activities.
Jones was to remain in, and abide by the rules of, the facility until his projected release date of May 26, 2019. On April 12, 2019, Jones was transported to Eskenazi Hospital for medical treatment. Jones removed his GPS monitor and left the hospital in the early hours of April 13, 2019.
On June 12, 2019, after absconding from the VOA, Jones was dealing drugs and participating in an illegal dice game on Dearborn Street. He got into a physical altercation that quickly escalated to a gun battle. During the shooting, Jones killed one person, and injured two others who were caught in the crossfire. Jones was arrested by Deputy United States Marshals the next day.
In February 2023, Jones was convicted in Marion County Superior Court of Voluntary Manslaughter and Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon. Jones was sentenced to serve 15 years in the custody of the Indiana Department of Corrections.
Jones will serve his 27-month federal prison sentence in addition to the 15-year sentence imposed by the state court.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and Dan McClain, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Indiana, made the announcement.
U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Kate Olivier, who prosecuted this case.
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Federal Jury Convicts Charleston Man of Drug and Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – After two days of trial, a federal jury convicted Samuel Pierre Joseph, 40, of Charleston, today of one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine, one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of fentanyl, and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Joseph was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for possession of marijuana, fourth offense, in the Second Judicial District Court for the Parish of Bienville, Louisiana, on April 14, 2015.
Evidence at trial proved that on December 27, 2021, law enforcement officers encountered Joseph as he left his room at the Knights Inn on MacCorkle Avenue in Charleston. Joseph dropped a black duffel bag he was carrying and attempted to flee. Officers apprehended Joseph and found approximately 267 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and two firearms, a Smith & Wesson Model Bodyguard .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol and a Ruger model LC9s 9mm semi-automatic pistol, in the duffel bag. Officers also found $1,355 on Joseph’s person.
On March 17, 2022, Joseph was a passenger of a vehicle pulled over by law enforcement officers in a Dudley Avenue parking lot in Parkersburg. During the traffic stop, officers found approximately 152 grams of methamphetamine and 12.9 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl and heroin on Joseph’s person. Officers arrested Joseph and took him to the Parkersburg Police Department. While at the police department, Joseph attempted to dispose of a business card from a Charleston storage unit rental facility that included the number of a storage unit that Joseph rented at the facility. Officers recovered the card and obtained a search warrant for the rented storage unit. Officers found approximately 896.8 grams of methamphetamine and 83.6 grams of fentanyl in the rented storage unit when they executed the search warrant.
“I commend the law enforcement agencies that investigated this case as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Jeremy Wolfe and Troy Adams,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “I credit the work of the entire trial team for securing guilty verdicts against the defendant on all five counts.”
Joseph is scheduled to be sentenced on December 13, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to life in prison.
The Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) and the Parkersburg Police Department conducted the investigation with assistance provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Charleston Police Department.
Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the jury trial.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-93.
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Father and Son Indicted in Miami for Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances and FirearmsRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Ahmed Subni Wadi (Ahmed Wadi), 49, and his son Ramzi Ahmed Wadi (Ramzi Wadi), 21, both from Miami, Florida, have been indicted in federal court with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and dealing firearms without a license.
According to the indictment and underlying criminal complaint affidavit, in November 2022, Ahmed Wadi sold a firearm with an obliterated serial number and multiple grams of oxycodone to someone in the parking lot of a mall. During the sale, an individual serving as Ahmed Wadi’s bodyguard told the purchaser that he was armed and there for Ahmed Wadi’s protection.
The charging documents also allege that on April 7, Ahmed Wadi sold two semi-automatic firearms and multiple grams of oxycodone laced with fentanyl to someone at the business where both defendants work. Ahmed Wadi also offered to sell the person a machine gun and silencer. It is alleged that later that month, Ramzi Wadi completed that transaction on his father’s behalf – selling the person a machine gun, silencer, and multiple grams of oxycodone laced with fentanyl. It is alleged that Ramzi Wadi was carrying a firearm during this sale, says the indictment.
On June 6, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the defendants’ business and residence. According to statements made in court, law enforcement officers recovered over 30 firearms, suspected cocaine, marijuana, and pill bottles containing suspected oxycodone laced with fentanyl.
If convicted of all charges, defendants face up to 25 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, and Interim Special Agent in Charge Eli Lawson of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), made the announcement.
ATF Miami Field Office and FDLE investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefan Diaz Espinosa is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jorge Delgado is handling asset forfeiture.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment contains mere allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-20286.
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Dover-Area Drug Trafficking Organization Charged by Federal Indictment Following State’s Largest Fentanyl SeizureRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment last week charging three Dover residents and one Middletown resident with conspiring to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl, along with various other drug and gun crimes. The amount of fentanyl seized from this organization represents the largest known fentanyl seizure in Delaware history.
According to the superseding indictment, Dwayne Fountain, 51, William Warren, 47, Martin Fountain, 47, and Durell Patton, 44, conspired to distribute drugs from January through May 2023. With respect to Dwayne Fountain, the conspiracy involved more than five kilograms of cocaine, more than 400 grams of fentanyl, and more than five hundred grams of methamphetamine. The superseding indictment also alleges that all four defendants possessed various drugs with intent to distribute. Finally, the superseding indictment charges Dwayne Fountain and Durell Patton with possessing guns on May 17, 2023, despite past criminal convictions which prohibit them from doing so.
According to documents filed in court, this case was the result of a long-term investigation spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Delaware State Police, and Dover Police Department. Search warrants executed in the case led to the seizure of over 7.5 kilograms of fentanyl, 10 kilograms of powder cocaine, over a kilogram of crack cocaine, about 280 grams of methamphetamine, and 300 grams of xylazine, commonly referred to as “tranq,” an additive commonly mixed with fentanyl.
“The threat to public health and safety found in these cases is something that requires policing organizations to share information and resources, in order to protect the vulnerable,” noted Dover Police Chief Thomas A. Johnson, Jr. “It bears repeating that the amount of illicit drugs seized in this operation was enough to potentially kill close to 400,000 people, or, stated another way, roughly 4 in 10 Delawareans. It was great to be a part of such an effective collaboration between Local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies.”
If convicted, Dwayne Fountain faces a mandatory minimum of ten years and a maximum of life in prison. William Warren faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of forty years in prison. Martin Fountain and Durell Patton face a maximum of twenty years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge for DEA’s Philadelphia Division, and Thomas A. Johnson, Jr., Chief, Dover Police Department made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer K. Welsh and Samuel Frey are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 23-46 and 23-49 (CFC).
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.
District Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Intimate Partner Violence and Obstructing JusticeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Brandon Brown, 33, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to a 10-year prison term for strangling his ex-girlfriend and then trying to dissuade her from participating in the pending criminal investigation, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department. Brown pleaded guilty, on March 3, 2023, to one count of aggravated assault, and one count of obstructing justice.
According to the government’s evidence, on April 19, 2022, Brown and his on-again, off-again intimate partner got into an argument about whether they had been cheating on each other. During the argument, the defendant strangled his partner with sufficient force that she “blacked out.” Brown’s actions caused the defendant to lose her vision and become unconscious, creating a grave risk of death. A week later, despite being held in custody, Brown contacted his partner from the D.C. Jail to try and persuade her not to come to court or participate in the criminal investigation.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Tracey Hawkins, Paralegal Specialists Tiffany Fogle and Garcia Clarke, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dana Joseph and Robert Platt, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Lee, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Role in Drug Trafficking Conspiracy in NW D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Isaiah Anderson, 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for his role in a violent drug trafficking organization, involving 16 other defendants, whose members are charged in a drug distribution conspiracy involving fentanyl, cocaine base, other illegal drugs, illegal firearms. Anderson pleaded guilty, on November 29, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of Fentanyl; using, carrying, and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking offense; and possession of contraband in prison.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Emily Odom, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge SAC Craig Kailimai, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to court documents, in the Spring of 2020, MPD, FBI, ATF, and DEA began conducting an investigation into a drug trafficking operation, centered around a multi-unit apartment building, located in the Shaw neighborhood of Northwest, Washington, D.C. The investigation revealed that between May 2020 and late-September 2020, at 1319 5th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. members of the conspiracy, including the defendant, distributed narcotics on a near daily basis, primarily in the foyer outside of certain apartments, as well as in the courtyard adjacent to the building’s front entrance. During the conspiracy, the defendant sold Fentanyl for approximately $80/gram and had numerous repeat customers. It is estimated the group distributed multiple kilograms of Fentanyl in the relevant time period.
“This case is another example of the multi-agency efforts underway to rid our district of dangerous drug trafficking crews and the violence they bring,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The strategy works. In the six months after these arrests, no violent crimes were reported in the territory the defendants previously occupied, and calls for sounds of gunshots dramatically decreased (by 94%). Nearly two years later, calls for the sounds of gunshots were still down 57%. We are going to prioritize these kinds of investigations, so those thinking of joining similar crews should think hard about whether they want to sacrifice their freedom.”
“The success of Operation Lincoln Westmoreland was a result of strong collaboration between the FBI and our federal and local partners,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Odom. “Together we arrested over a dozen subjects; recovered numerous weapons, including seven ghost guns; and seized fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and promethazine, leaving Shaw safer for everyone who lives and works in the neighborhood.”
On August 5, 2020, Anderson and another co-conspirator purchased a 2017 Infiniti Q60 for $32,690 in cash. Anderson provided the car dealership with trash bags full of small denomination bills for the purchase. On August 12, 2020, Anderson was driving that car with co-conspirator Michael Robinson in the vehicle. The Infiniti was involved in a traffic crash with an MPD vehicle. Anderson fled the scene but was apprehended a short time later. Inside the vehicle, law enforcement found a Glock 30, Gen4 .45 caliber firearm, loaded with 11 rounds in the magazine and 1 round in the chamber; a digital scale; approximately 100 empty Ziplock bags; $3,567.99 in U.S. Currency; and suspected cocaine base, Fentanyl, and marijuana. Anderson admitted that he possessed the narcotics on August 12, 2020, with the intent to redistribute them to others as part of the conspiracy. He also admitted that his role in the conspiracy included the distribution and the possession with the intent to distribute at least 400 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of Fentanyl.
On or about August 25, 2021, the Defendant, while an inmate being held without bond in this case in the custody of the United States Marshal at the Central Detention Facility (CDF) located at 1901 D Street, S.E., Washington, D.C., possessed on his person a five-inch piece of metal sharpened to a point on one end and wrapped in cloth on the other end that was designed or intended to be used as a weapon. In September 2021, while also incarcerated in this case in the custody of the United States Marshal at the CDF, the Defendant possessed an operating cellular telephone to access, and communicate through, Instagram, a social media platform.
Other members of the conspiracy who have pleaded guilty to drug and/or gun offenses and have been sentenced include:
NAME
SENTENCE
Isaiah Anderson
120 months in prison; 36 months SR
Tyree Marshall
84 months in prison; 36 months SR
Daeshawn Brown
51 months in prison; 36 months SR
Taquan Canarte
53 months in prison; 36 months SR
Shahn Giles
60 months in prison; 36 months SR
Xavier Harris
110 months in prison; 60 months SR
Jovanta Little
42 months in prison; 36 months SR
Mikeal Matthews
94 months in prison; 60 months SR
Kevon Maynor
63 months in prison; 48 months SR
Michael Robinson
96 months in prison; 36 months SR
Jaden Smith
46 months in prison; 36 months SR
Takisha Ganeous
96 months in prison; 48 months SR
Maurice Glasgow
Pleaded guilty; Awaiting sentencing
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Linden, Special Agent in Charge Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge Forget, and Interim Chief Benedict, commended the work of the detectives and patrol officers of the Metropolitan Police Department, the agents from FBI and DEA, and the agents and DNA lab personnel from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney George Eliopoulos and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Fletcher, with the office’s Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting Child at Gunpoint in 2005Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Marquette E. Johnson, 42, of the District of Columbia, pleaded guilty today to first degree sexual abuse while armed and first degree child sexual abuse while armed, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to the government’s evidence, on or about November 28, 2005, at approximately 8:30 a.m., within the District of Columbia, Johnson abducted a 12-year-old female child, at gunpoint, as she walked to school. He drove up to the victim, pointed a semiautomatic pistol or imitation pistol at her, and told her to get in the minivan or he would kill her. Once the child complied, the defendant drove her to an alley behind the 1300 block of Morris Road, SE, where he forced her to get in the back seat and sexually assaulted her. When the defendant finished raping her, he drove the victim back to the location where he had picked her up and told her something to the effect of, “See, I told you, you wouldn’t miss school.” The child promptly reported what had occurred to a teacher and an MPD officer stationed at the school.
DNA obtained from the physical evidence in the investigation matched the DNA profile of the defendant, who is a convicted offender. Additional DNA testing determined it was at least 87 quadrillion times more likely if the evidence originated from the defendant and the victim, than if from the victim and an unknown, unrelated individual. The defendant was a stranger to the victim and her family.
The Honorable Judge Maribeth Raffinan scheduled a sentencing hearing for September 29, 2023. Under the plea agreement, if accepted by the Court, Johnson faces a sentence of 23-27 years in prison, followed by at least five years of supervised release. He will also have to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.
This case was investigated by detectives of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit and Cold Case Sexual Assault Unit, Youth Investigations Division, and detectives and officers from the Seventh District. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Zubrensky and Robert Platt, with support from Paralegal Specialist Cynthia Muhammad and Victim/Witness Advocate Tracey Hawkins.
This case was brought as part of the Cold Case Initiative launched in February 2018, by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, to reinvestigate previously unsolved cases of sexual assault as well as sexual assault-related homicides. The U.S. Attorney’s Office works on this initiative in partnership with the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, and local law enforcement partners in the DMV area to achieve its mission.
Detroit Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring with Former State Contractor to Steal $550,000 in Unemployment Insurance BenefitsRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A Detroit resident pleaded guilty today to engaging in an extensive unemployment fraud conspiracy with a former State of Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency contract employee, whereby they stole over $550,000 in public funds, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Joining in the announcement were Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General; Devin Kowalski, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Detroit Field Office; and Julia Dale, Director of the State of Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency.
William Haynes, 26, pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith. Haynes admitted to engaging in a criminal conspiracy with Autumn Mims, a former contract Unemployment Insurance Examiner for the State of Michigan. Mims’s duties included reviewing, processing, and verifying the legitimacy of unemployment insurance claims.
Mims previously pleaded guilty to the same charge and is currently awaiting sentencing before Judge Goldsmith.
According to court records, shortly after Mims began working with the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency in August 2020, she began using her insider access to fraudulently process claims in the names of third parties without their knowledge or authorization. As part of the scheme, Haynes (1) altered direct deposit information for third-party unemployment insurance assistance; (2) accessed third-party unemployment insurance assistance claim information without authorization; (3) completed false and fraudulent certifications for third-party unemployment insurance assistance benefits; (4) opened unauthorized bank accounts in the names of third parties; (5) provided stolen personal identifying information to his co-conspirator, Mims; (6) conducted cash withdrawals of unemployment insurance assistance issued in the names of third parties; (7) conducted financial transactions utilizing unemployment insurance assistance funds issued in the names of third parties; and (8) received non-cash benefits from his involvement in the conspiracy, including rent payments made by his co-conspirator Mims.
According to court records, as a result of the conspiracy, over $550,000 in fraudulent unemployment assistance payments were made by the State of Michigan. Haynes has agreed to be held accountable for $448,614 in restitution.
Sentencing is set for November 28, 2023, before Judge Goldsmith. Haynes faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
“We are committed to prosecuting those who engage in schemes to steal public funds,” stated U.S. Attorney Ison. “We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to bring them to justice, whether they are insiders who abuse their positions of trust or outsiders who enable that abuse.”
"William Haynes conspired with former Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency Examiner Autumn Mims to defraud the state of Michigan. Haynes worked with Mims to certify Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) unemployment insurance (UI) claims he knew were fraudulent. The proceeds from the fraudulent claims were deposited into bank accounts that Haynes and Mims controlled. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and state workforce agencies to protect the integrity of the UI system," stated Special Agent-in-Charge Irene Lindow, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
“Haynes used his co-defendant’s official position at the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency to steal money from people who were struggling through pandemic-related economic challenges,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “The FBI will continue working alongside our state and federal partners to investigate this type of scheme and bring to justice those who defraud the unemployment system.”
“Add William Haynes to the growing list of fraudsters that UIA’s investigators have identified as brazenly violating the trust Michiganders put in an unemployment system that is their lifeline when they lost work,” said Julia Dale, Director of the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency. “That Mr. Haynes found a willing accomplice within the UIA to help carry out his devious scheme is also appalling. Today’s guilty plea should put bad actors on notice that the UIA won’t tolerate the theft of public funds. Our nearly 50 convictions so far prove they won’t get away with defrauding taxpayers.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Yahkind. The investigation is being conducted jointly by the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Unemployment Insurance Agency, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.
Columbus Armed Robber Sentenced to 21+ Years for Violent Crime SpreeRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ga. – A Columbus man who committed seven violent armed robberies with his stepbrother in 2021, holdingstore employees at gunpointand firing shots at people, was sentenced to serve 259 months in prison today.
Janerio Jones, 27, was sentenced to serve 259 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release today by U.S. District Judge Clay Land after he pleaded guilty to two counts of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence on Dec. 20, 2022. Co-defendant Quentin Anderson, 29, of Columbus, was sentenced to serve 200 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on June 14. Anderson previously pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit an offense on Feb. 24. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Janerio Jones and Quentin Anderson embarked on a violent robbery spree that caused mayhem in the Columbus community and inflicted lasting harm on their victims,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Our office will do everything in our power to hold dangerous offenders accountable and support local, state and federal law enforcement in their efforts to curb violent crime.”
“No one should ever be terrorized physically or emotionally, like the victims in these violent armed robberies were,” said Rich Bilson, Special Supervisory Resident Agent of FBI Atlanta’s Columbus office. “Thanks to the assistance from our local law enforcement partners, Jones and Anderson will spend a long time behind bars where they won’t be able to wreak havoc on any more innocent civilians."
“In the span of a few days, the defendants charted a path of violent armed robberies at multiple businesses across Columbus,” said Columbus Police Department Deputy Chief Lance Deaton. “Thanks to the collaborative effort with our state and federal partners, these individuals were arrested before they could terrorize another business and its employees. These sentencings send a clear message that violent crime will not be tolerated in our community.”
According to court documents, Jones and Anderson together robbed seven businesses in Columbus between Jan. 18, 2021, and Feb. 22, 2021. On the afternoon of Jan. 18, the defendants robbed both the Little Caesars on Buena Vista Road and the Dollar General on Crystal Drive within an hour and a half of each other. At Little Caesars, the entire cash register was removed from the store and the store employees took cover at the back of the store once they realized the robbers had a gun. At Dollar General, the robbers attempted to take the cash register, failed and fled on foot. Four days later, on Jan. 22, the defendants held up the Forrest Road Package on Forrest Road. One of the robbers pointed a gun in the face of a store employee while the other attempted to rob an employee at the back of the store. The cash register tray was taken. The following day, on Jan. 23, the owner of Jerry’s Food Mart on St. Mary’s Road was robbed at gunpoint by Jones and Anderson. The robbers took the owner’s wallet, store merchandise and cash. On Jan. 27, the owner of the Super C Food Mart on Decatur Street was robbed at gunpoint. The owner refused to give the robbers cash, and Jones fired a round at the cashier, which struck the protective glass barrier. As they exited the building, Jones fired another round at the owner which penetrated the glass barrier, narrowly missing him. The store owner fired his own gun at the assailants. On the evening of Feb. 4, the defendants and another individual robbed the Quality Inn on Macon Road. Jones pointed his handgun at the property owner’s head and stole money out of the hotel safe; the men fled on foot. On Feb. 22 at approximately 8:53 p.m., the defendants robbed the Marco’s Pizza on University Avenue. Jones fired his gun into the air when they entered the restaurant and demanded money. The robbers fled with stolen cash. Several Marco’s Pizza employees quit their jobs after the violent incident. Anderson was taken into custody on April 14, 2021, at a residence in Stockbridge, Georgia. Jones was taken into custody on Aug. 11, 2021, at a motel in Forest Park, Georgia.
The case was investigated by FBI and the Columbus Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Williams prosecuted the case for the Government.