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21 June 2023
CEO of Clean Energy Company Convicted by Jury of Fraud, Identity Theft, Money Laundering, and Obstruction OffensesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that James Abrams, age 40, of Easley, South Carolina, was convicted following a jury trial of all 48 counts in an indictment charging wire and mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, unlawful monetary transactions, obstruction of justice, and false statement offenses. The trial, held before United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion, spanned nine days, and the jury deliberated for approximately three hours before returning its verdict.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Abrams was the Chief Executive Officer of EthosGen LLC, a company operating in the clean energy industry. The evidence at trial showed that in 2017 and 2018, Abrams provided extensive forged documents and false information to induce several investors to invest $1,100,000 in his company. The false documentation included forged teaming agreements and intellectual property licenses, where Abrams substituted his and EthosGen LLC’s name for other companies and individuals, claiming that EthosGen LLC owned technology it did not own. During a pre-investment due diligence process, Abrams also provided forged tax returns and false financial statements that fabricated an existing customer base, and inflated EthosGen LLC’s historical revenues, business activity, and profitability, thereby making it a more attractive investment. Abrams further provided forged contracts and purchase orders to potential investors, in which he claimed to have a revenue stream that, in reality, belonged to other companies. Following an initial investment of $900,000, Abrams provided additional forged contracts and false customer sales documentation to induce an investor to advance another $200,000 to EthosGen LLC.
As a result of those activities, the jury convicted Abrams of 18 counts of wire fraud, and one count of mail fraud. The jury also convicted Abrams of five counts of aggravated identity theft based on his forging multiple individuals’ signatures and using their personal information on falsified documentation, without their authorization.
The evidence at trial also showed that Abrams used approximately $800,000 of the investors’ money to purchase a personal residence in Easley, South Carolina. To conceal his financial activities, Abrams transferred $700,000 of the funds through a series of five bank accounts under his control, and opened in the names of shell companies, before purchasing the residence. He then lied to investors and to his own financial professionals, claiming that he used the funds to purchase company inventory for EthosGen LLC. Abrams provided investors with falsified company reports, certifications, and accounting records to corroborate his misrepresentations about the use of the investment funds. He also provided forged bank account statements and false information to both of EthosGen LLC’s sequential Chief Financial Officers, and to its accounting professionals. In reliance on those forgeries and lies, the accounting professionals unknowingly included false entries in EthosGen LLC’s books and records. As a result of those actions, the jury convicted Abrams of one count of money laundering, and 12 counts of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.
The evidence at trial further showed that, upon becoming aware of the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal investigation, Abrams took several steps to obstruct investigators. Namely, he used misrepresentations and forged bank statements to induce EthosGen LLC financial professionals to create false documents and accounting records that purported to classify his embezzlement of investor funds as a shareholder loan. Abrams also met with investigators on two occasions and provided materially false statements in response to their questions. Those false statements included lies about purchasing inventory for EthosGen LLC, that EthosGen LLC owed him $800,000, that he provided his investors with truthful information when they evaluated his company during a due diligence process, and that he was ignorant about the origin of multiple forged contracts that he sent to investors. As a result of those activities, the jury convicted Abrams of four counts of obstruction of justice, and seven counts of providing false statements to federal investigators.
At the conclusion of trial, the jury also found that the residence Abrams purchased in Easley, South Carolina, was subject to forfeiture, as the illegitimate proceeds of his crime.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phillip J. Caraballo and Jeffery St John are prosecuting the case.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for the most serious offenses are 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. The aggravated identity theft charges carry mandatory, consecutive two-year minimum sentences of imprisonment. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances, and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Burkina Faso Man Sentenced to Prison for Fraud, Interstate Vehicle Theft and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A citizen of Burkina Faso has been sentenced in federal court to 57 months in prison and ordered to pay $131,338.45 in restitution on his conviction of wire fraud, interstate vehicle theft, and aggravated identity theft, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Serge Ahmed Zeba, age 32.
According to information presented to the court, from November 2020 to January 2022, Zeba executed a scheme to steal high-end vehicles from car dealerships located throughout the United States. During the course of the scheme, Zeba stole seven vehicles and attempted to steal 19 more from numerous car dealerships using fake or altered money orders and the stolen personal identifiable information of at least 16 individuals.
Assistant United States Attorney Karen Gal-Or prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, United States Department of State and the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Zeba.
Brookings Man Sentenced for Making Counterfeit U.S. CurrencyRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Brookings, South Dakota, man convicted of Making Counterfeit U.S. Currency. The sentencing took place on June 20, 2023.
Julian Huffman, age 28, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Restitution and forfeiture were ordered.
Huffman was indicted by a federal grand jury in December of 2022. He pleaded guilty on March 31, 2023.
The conviction stemmed from incidents between September 9, 2022, and November 21, 2022, when Huffman made dozens of counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve notes and passed them at various businesses in and near Brookings.
This case was investigated by the Brookings Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman prosecuted the case.
Huffman was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Brockton Man Indicted for Passport FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly lying that his United States passport had been lost in order to secure a replacement to enter the country, when in fact, the passport had been confiscated by prosecuting courts in Cabo Verde following his arrest for murder.
Johnny Barros Brandao, 40, was indicted on one count of passport fraud. Brandao was previously charged by criminal complaint on May 7, 2023 and arrested on May 9, 2023. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to the charging documents, on March 27, 2014, in Cabo Verde, Brandao shot an individual in the head using a .45 caliber revolver, took one million and five hundred thousand Cape Verdean Escudo and then dumped the victim’s body on the side of a road. It is further alleged that on July 26, 2021, Brandao shot and killed another individual using a 9mm caliber firearm and threw the victim’s body over a cliff.
Brandao was arrested in Cabo Verde on these charges. On Dec. 12, 2022, after a period of pretrial detention, Brandao was released subject to supervision. The Cabo Verde court also ordered that Brandao not depart Cabo Verde – confiscating his Cabo Verdean national ID card as well as his United States and Cabo Verde passports.
According to the charging documents, on Dec. 28, 2022, Brandao applied for a replacement United States passport at the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal. In the section of the form that directs the applicant to explain how his prior passport was lost or stolen, it is alleged that Brandao reported he had lost his passport while out to dinner on Dec. 25, 2022.
The charge of passport fraud provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jonathan Davidson, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan C. Cleary of Levy’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
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.
Blood Gang Leader Armed with Machine Gun Pleads Guilty with Co-Conspirator to Distributing Fentanyl from ChinaRead the Press Release
ATHENS, Ga. – The leader of the 1831 Piru Blood criminal street gang in Athens and a co-conspirator pleaded guilty to federal fentanyl distribution charges this week resulting from “Operation Tourniquet,” a lengthy FBI-led investigation.
Gregory O’Neal Wade, Jr. aka “Woop” aka “Big Homie” aka “OOG,” 31, of Athens, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl and one count of possession of an illegal machine gun. Wade, Jr. faces a mandatory minimum of ten years up to a maximum sentence of life in prison to be followed by a maximum of five years of supervised release and a maximum $10,000,000 fine. Co-defendant Johnathan Edward Brown aka “Zeus,” 31, formerly of Riverdale, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl. Brown faces a mandatory minimum of ten years up to a maximum sentence of life in prison to be followed by a maximum of five years of supervised release and a maximum $1,000,000 fine. The hearings occurred before U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self III on June 20. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 3, 2023.
“Fentanyl, Glock switches and gangs is a particularly deadly combination and one which has no place on the streets of Athens,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Operation Tourniquet’s success is the result of the excellent partnership between many law enforcement agencies focused on reducing violent crime and the spread of fentanyl.”
“The gangs pushing deadly fentanyl in our communities have a role in fueling the deadliest drug epidemic our country has ever seen,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is determined to continue working with our partners to cut the head off the snake by targeting the leaders of these operations and removing them from our streets.”
“Criminal street gangs continue to wreak havoc in Georgia communities,” said GBI Director Mike Register. “The results from Operation Tourniquet underscore the importance of law enforcement partnerships to tackle violent crimes and these serious drug offenses. The GBI remains committed to working with our local and federal partners.”
“This successful outcome of Operation Tourniquet is a testament to the invaluable partnerships we have with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. The collaborative efforts have allowed us to disrupt a significant threat to our community,” said Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Jerry Saulters. “I want to emphasize that we will not tolerate the presence of gangs, or the distribution of deadly substances like fentanyl within our community and will continue to prioritize our efforts against such networks.”
According to court documents, Wade and his 1831 Piru associates were the subjects of a lengthy joint investigation into violent crime and fentanyl distribution in the Athens-Clarke County region named “Operation Tourniquet.” The 1831 Piru Bloods are a set of the nationally affiliated Piru street gang, which originated in the 1960s in Compton, California. Throughout 2020 and 2021, the 1831 Piru Bloods engaged in numerous illegal acts involving drugs and firearms in the Athens-area, when Wade was its leader. The criminal street gang claimed two Athens apartment complexes as their territory—The Flats and Regency Park Apartments, referred to as “The Trenches” by gang members—and frequently sold guns and drugs from those locations.
As a result of “Operation Tourniquet,” agents ultimately executed a search warrant at Wade’s Jennings Mill Parkway apartment in July 2021. Wade attempted to evade arrest by leaping out of a third story window but was quickly apprehended by a police K-9 and his handler. Inside the apartment, officers found Brown and D’Angelo Caleb Perkins aka “Yak,” 26, of Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, who had been staying with Wade. The apartment contained almost a kilogram of fentanyl, approximately 90 grams of cocaine and over eight pounds of marijuana. In Wade’s bedroom dresser drawer, officers found a Glock 19 with an auto sear switch, a mechanism that converts a semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic machine gun. In the same drawer, a 30-round extended magazine and a 50-round drum (high capacity) magazine was recovered. Wade admitted that he kept the machine gun as protection from those who might do him harm. Officers found additional firearms, a “kilo press” used to compress illegal drugs purchased by Brown and a money counter in Wade’s apartment.
On June 6, 2021, Brown communicated with a drug supplier in China who was using the name "Convert.” Brown requested to purchase one kilogram of fentanyl to which Convert sent a reply message: "Sorry, the product you interested are controlled product in China." Brown then began to communicate over WhatsApp with a new source named "Marcus" and negotiated a one-kilogram fentanyl transaction. Wade, along with Brown, admitted to buying and selling large quantities of fentanyl and other drugs for distribution in the Athens community.
Co-conspirator Perkins is wanted on multiple federal charges, including conspiracy to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Perkins remains at-large. Anyone with information regarding Perkins’ whereabouts is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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.
This case was investigated by the FBI Athens Middle Georgia Safe Streets Gang Task Force, the GBI Gang Unit, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department Gang Unit, the Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Department of Corrections.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Morrison is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Battlefield Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Leading Conspiracy to Distribute Nearly 38 Kilos of FentanylRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Battlefield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for leading a conspiracy that distributed nearly 38 kilograms of fentanyl in southwest Missouri and resulted in several overdose deaths. Two Springfield, Mo., residents were also sentenced as co-conspirators in the drug-trafficking conspiracy.
James D. Collins, also known as “Red,” 49, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 30 years in federal prison without parole.
Co-defendant Rufus H. Jones, also known as “Shorty,” 73, of Springfield, was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison without parole. Co-defendant Heather R. Kinnison, 31, of Springfield, was sentenced to four years and six months in federal prison without parole.
On Aug. 17, 2022, Collins pleaded guilty to leading the conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in Greene County from Jan. 31, 2019, to May 18, 2020, and to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Jones and Kinnison also pleaded guilty to their roles in the drug-trafficking conspiracy.
According to court documents, Collins is responsible for the distribution of 37.8 kilograms of fentanyl. Collins transported at least 300 grams of fentanyl by vehicle from either St. Louis, Mo., or Chicago, Illinois, to Springfield twice a week. Collins then distributed fentanyl to co-conspirators, including Jones. Collins admitted to investigators that he had been dealing with his source of supply for the past 10 years.
On April 17, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Collins’s residence. They found a large plastic bag that contained 331.1 grams of fentanyl. Law enforcement seized more than 700 grams of fentanyl during the course of the conspiracy.
According to court documents, multiple overdose deaths occurred related to Collins’s distribution of fentanyl. After he was incarcerated in the Greene County Jail, Collins bragged to his cellmate about multiple overdoses caused by the drugs he was distributing.
For example, in March 2020, co-defendant Elmer E. Freeman Jr., also known as “Duck,” 56, sold fentanyl (supplied by Collins) to Randi Highfill, who in turn, distributed the fentanyl to an individual identified in court documents as “J.G.” J.G. died, and Highfill pleaded guilty in state court to involuntary manslaughter and delivery of a controlled substance in connection with this incident. On Oct. 22, 2019, another individual identified in court documents as “J.W.” overdosed and died.
According to court documents, Collins led a conspiracy that was distributing significant amounts of fentanyl laced with an assortment of other dangerous substances, including xylazine. The DEA recently issued a Public Safety Alert warning about the newly widespread threat of fentanyl mixed with xylazine. Xylazine, also known as “Tranq,” is a powerful sedative that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved for veterinary use. Because xylazine is not an opioid, naloxone (Narcan) does not reverse its effects. As a result, xylazine and fentanyl drug mixtures place users at a higher risk of suffering a fatal drug poisoning. Moreover, people who inject drug mixtures containing xylazine also can develop severe wounds, including necrosis—the rotting of human tissue—that may lead to amputation.
Lab results indicate that the fentanyl seized from Collins’s residence contained fentanyl, tramadol, cocaine, and xylazine. Fentanyl seized from one of his co-conspirators contained fentanyl, tramadol, and xylazine.
In his plea agreement, Collins admitted that he purchased a 2015 GMIC Yukon XL with a $7,000 cash down payment and two additional cash payments totaling $13,500. The vehicle was purchased in a co-conspirator’s name with the proceeds of illegal drug trafficking.
Collins also possessed a Smith & Wesson .45-caliber pistol in connection with his drug trafficking activities and maintained a stash house to avoid detection by law enforcement.
Collins, Jones and Kinnison are among five defendants who have been sentenced in this case. Freeman is among seven defendants who have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica R. Eatmon and Cameron A. Beaver. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Phelps County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
OCDETF
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, 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.
Augusta man sentenced to prison for COVID-19 scheme that netted more than $4.5 million in loans and grantsRead the Press Release
STATESBORO, GA: A Richmond County man has been sentenced to federal prison for conducting a scheme to submit fraudulent applications for COVID-19 small business relief funding that netted more than $4.5 million in payments.
Kamario Thomas, 42, of Augusta, was sentenced to 38 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Money Laundering, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Thomas to pay $4,546,945 in restitution to the U.S. Small Business Administration, and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“In collaboration with our law enforcement partners, we continue to pursue those who illegally profited from a COVID-19 program designed to help struggling small businesses,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Kamario Thomas defrauded the government and aided other individuals in stealing money from the taxpayers, and this sentence holds him accountable.”
The 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided more than $650 billion in funding for qualifying small businesses facing financial challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, with grants and forgivable loans available through the Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) or Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL).
As described in court documents and testimony, Thomas completed false and fraudulent EIDL applications for himself, and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks in return for completing and submitting fraudulent PPP and EIDL applications on behalf of others. To create those applications, Thomas fabricated IRS forms and tax records.
In total, the scheme caused the disbursement of more than $4.5 million in fraudulent CARES Act loans and grants.
“Individuals who provided fraudulent information to gain access to SBA funds intended to support eligible small businesses will face justice,” said SBA OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite. “I want to thank the U.S. Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and pursuit of justice.”
“IRS-CI will continue working with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute individuals who fraudulently received funds from programs under the CARES Act,” said Lisa Fontanette, acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “Kamario Thomas’ sentencing sends a clear message that individuals who defraud the government will be held accountable.”
“Greed has no place in the relief programs intended to aid the nation’s hardworking small business owners who struggled during the pandemic,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This sentence should serve as an example to others that the FBI will work with our law enforcement partners to stop people like Thomas who illegally profit from these programs and hurt law abiding business owners.”
The case was investigated by the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenifer A. Stanley.
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.
Activity in the U.S. Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
Child Pornography
Jesse James Hunt, age 55, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced on June 5, 2023, to 120 months in prison for two counts of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence, which included 10 years of supervised release following imprisonment, restitution in the amount of $57,000, and a $200 special assessment. The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation received over 100 cybertips on Hunt who was using several aliases to set up different social media accounts. A search warrant was conducted and over 1,000 images and videos were recovered from Hunt’s phone and an online account. When interviewed, Hunt admitted possessing child pornography. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christyne M. Martens.
Drug Trafficking
Breanna Elizabeth Oliver, age 31, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced on June 5, 2023, to 72 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin as well as distribution of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence, which included four years of supervised release and a $200 special assessment. According to the evidence presented, in 2021, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation identified Oliver as a distributor of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin. Oliver would travel to Colorado and Arizona to obtain the controlled substances. She then distributed these drugs in Natrona, Laramie, Albany, Campbell, and Fremont counties.
Rondell Yokenya Baker, age 31, of Gillette, Wyoming, was sentenced on June 14, to 44 months in prison for possessing with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence, which included three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment. According to court documents, on March 2, 2022, Campbell County Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped Baker for speeding twice. During the second stop, a drug-detection canine alerted to Baker’s vehicle. Deputies searched the vehicle and found a duffle bag containing two packages of methamphetamine, weighing about 7.95 pounds. This crime was investigated by the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan C. Coppom.
Marcus Morris, age 43, of Casper, Wyoming, was sentenced on June 15, 2023 to 180 months’ imprisonment for distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence, which included five years of supervised release, $1,000 in community restitution, and a $300 special assessment. According to court documents, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) made several controlled purchases of methamphetamine and cocaine from Morris between March and May 2022. On June 30, 2022, DCI executed a search warrant at Morris’ residence where they located plastic baggies containing methamphetamine and cocaine inside a briefcase belonging to Morris. This case was investigated by DCI and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Firearms Offenses
Matthew Pruitt, age 20, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced on May 26, 2023, to 27 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence, which included three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment. The crime was investigated by the Cheyenne Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Forwood prosecuted the case.
Firearms and Drug Trafficking
Isaiah Williams, age 21, of Casper, Wyoming, was sentenced on June 14, 2023, for being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm, to 12 months and one day in prison with three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence. On April 14, 2022, Casper Police Department stopped Williams for a traffic violation. Smelling marijuana, the officer conducted a probable cause search of the vehicle where he found marijuana and a handgun. When asked about the firearm, Williams admitted it was his. The crime was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan C. Coppom.
About the United States Attorney’s Office
The United States Attorney’s Office is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the District of Wyoming, including all criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits brought by or against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. The Office is involved in several programs designed to make our communities safer. They include:
Environmental Justice
The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
Project Safe Childhood
Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a DOJ initiative that combats the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. The threat of sexual predators soliciting children for sexual contact is well-known and serious.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a nationwide commitment to reducing gun and gang crime in America by networking existing local programs that target gun crime and providing these programs with additional tools necessary to be successful.
Victim Witness Assistance
The Victim Witness Coordinator for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming is dedicated to making sure that victims of federal crimes and their family members are treated with compassion, fairness, and respect.To report a federal crime, go to: https://www.justice.gov/actioncenter/report-crime#trafficking
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Arrests Made in Joint Federal/local Investigation Targeting Jackson, Calhoun, Liberty, and Gadsden CountiesRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – In excess of 50 individuals have been arrested on warrants related to drug-trafficking as part of a long-term investigation conducted by Drug Enforcement Administration, local, and state law enforcement. The arrests were announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
“I am proud of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts to keep us safe and serve a critical role in our efforts to remove addictive and deadly controlled substances from our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “We will continue to support the efforts our law enforcement partners as we work together to investigate and prosecute criminals bringing drugs into North Florida.”
The multi-agency operation netted seizures of over 35 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, multiple kilograms of cocaine, multiple ounces of fentanyl, over 60 firearms, and over $100,000 in United States currency.
Federal defendants arrested today were: • Joshua Leo Carr, 40, of Marianna, Florida
• Michael Christopher “City Boy” Garner, 38, of Chattahoochee, Florida
• Joncy Torrianne Hall, 31, of Marianna, Florida
• Robert Blake Howell, 45, of Marianna, Florida
• Helen Christine Jones, a/k/a Christine Howell, 41, of Marianna, Florida
• Amos E. “Pops” Rogers, 58, of Chipley, Florida
• Matthew Ottovio Aliffi, 45, of Marianna, FloridaAlready in custody elsewhere and scheduled for federal arraignment are: • Ashley Marie Albert, 29, of Mariana, Florida
• Royce Allen “R.J.” Alday, 30, of Marianna, Florida
• Ryan Wade “Bobo” Massey, 32, of Chipley, Florida
• Holly Gay Newton a/k/a Holly Nichols, 43, of Altha, Florida
• Dewayne Deshun “Max” Thornton, 23, of Dothan, AlabamaPrevious federal arrests from this same investigation include: • Brian Beauchamp, 37, of Grand Ridge, Florida
• Anthony Lamar “Kool Aid” Brown, 46, of Quincy, Florida
• Eric Shane Daniels, 27, of Blountstown, Florida
• Daniel B. Foster, 40, of Blountstown, Florida
• Cornelius Montez Garner, 33, of Chattahoochee, Florida
• Gary Lamar “G” Murphy III, 37, of Tallahassee, Florida
• Savannah Price, 23, of Marianna, Florida
• Jessica Nicole Pynes, 35, of Bristol, Florida
• Shelby Roney, 49, of Malone, Florida
• Curtis Vickers, 38, of Dothan, Alabama
• Latoya Latasha White, 34, of Lake Wales, FloridaThe defendants charged federally face penalties of up to life imprisonment and fines of up to $20,000,000.
State defendants' arrested: • Tara Baxley
• Cheryl Bernhard
• Destiny Bryan
• Paul Childress
• Jeffrey Davis
• Arthur Goodwin
• Dawn Herndon
• Richard Outlaw
• Darryl Owens
• Abdullah Muhammad
• Nikolaus Rabon
• Forrest Reed, Jr.
• James Shelmon
• Ashley Smith
• Giselle Sukanec
• Keith Edward Summerlin
• Paul WrightThese arrests resulted from an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). This joint federal, state, and local cooperative targeted drug trafficking west of Tallahassee, particularly in Jackson County.
Investigative agencies included the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, the Chattahoochee Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff’s office, the Holmes County Sheriff’s office, the Dothan, Alabama Police Department, the North Star Multijurisdictional Drug Task Force, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The federal Northern District of Florida cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys James A. McCain, Jessica S. Etherton, Joseph A. Ravelo, and Eric K. Mountin.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. More information about OCDETF may be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
63,000 Fentanyl Pills Removed from Utah Streets and Alleged Drug Dealers Indicted and in CustodyRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today charging two foreign nationals living in Utah with multiple federal crimes including possession and distribution of narcotics.
According to court documents, Lenin Rafael Rodriguez-Villafranca, a/k/a “Jose Santiago Funez Villafranca,” 23, of Magna, Utah, and Onesy Basilo Avilez-Flores, a/k/a Rafael Flores Onesy Basilo,” 22, of Magna, Utah, are in federal custody. According to a criminal complaint, in May 2023, the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force (WMDTF), initiated a criminal investigation into Rodriguez-Villafranca and other members of a drug trafficking organization suspected of distributing large amounts of narcotics in Utah. During the execution of a search warrant for Villafranca’s residence on June 6, 2023, agents saw Avilez-Flores with narcotics, which were consistent with blue fentanyl pills. Avilez-Flores attempted to retreat further into the residence and dispose of the narcotics. Agents recovered counterfeit blue M-30 pills on the floor of the residence and in the toilet. Agents also recovered approximately 6,288 grams of field-tested positive fentanyl (totaling approximately 63,000 pills), approximately 2,737 grams of field-tested positive heroin, and approximately 1,096 grams of field-tested positive cocaine.
Rodriguez-Villafranca and Avilez-Flores are charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and reentry of a previously removed alien. The defendants are scheduled for their initial court appearance on the indictment June 23, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
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.
20 June 2023
U.S. Attorney Nick Brown announces departure from U.S. Attorney’s OfficeRead the Press Release
Seattle – U.S. Attorney Nick Brown today announced he is resigning as United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington effective June 21, 2023.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as U.S. Attorney for Western Washington, and humbled to have been selected by President Biden to serve in this important role. Building safe and healthy communities is one of the most important challenges we face as a state. Leading the federal partners who work to keep our communities safe and learning from our community partners has reinforced for me the need to tackle these difficult challenges head on,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “I hope to return to public service in the future, but I know that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue its excellent work under the career attorneys and professional staff who assisted me during my time in office. I would like to thank each of them for entrusting me to lead this incredible team.”
During his years in office, U.S. Attorney Brown put an emphasis on protecting civil rights, addressing the fentanyl crisis, combatting gun crime, and empowering community voices in our public safety efforts.
Brown was selected in 2021 to chair the Attorney General’s Advisory Subcommittee on Civil Rights. The U.S. Attorney’s Office under Brown put a priority on preventing and prosecuting hate crimes, protecting the most vulnerable and members of marginalized communities.
U.S. Attorney Brown partnered with state and local officials to lead multiple prosecutions of the groups that bring drugs to our communities and use firearms as part of their criminal conduct. Under U.S. Attorney Brown, the office brought multiple cases regarding illegal trafficking in firearms and “ghost guns” – firearms that were manufactured without serial numbers.
Understanding that law enforcement is just one of the factors in fostering community safety, U.S. Attorney Brown testified before congress about the community partnerships supported by his office that work to interdict gun violence and enhance reentry to the community by those who have been incarcerated. The office also engaged in new ways with a diverse group of community stakeholders.
Under Brown’s leadership the office pursued several initiatives, creating a new unit to combat cybercrime, pursuing a variety of fraud cases related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and prosecuting those involved in human trafficking.
U.S. Attorney Brown took the oath of office on October 8, 2021. His full biography is available here.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman will serve as the Acting U.S. Attorney.
Two Louisville Nursing Homes Agree to Shut Down and Pay over $1 Million in Civil Monetary Penalties Resulting from Noncompliance with Medicare Rules and RegulationsRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett announced today that two nursing homes that filed federal lawsuits seeking injunctive relief against the United States in an effort to remain open, have dismissed their cases, agreed to shut down, and will pay a total of $1,026,409 in civil money penalties to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Hillcreek Rehab and Care (Hillcreek), is located at 3116 Breckenridge Lane in Louisville, Kentucky, and St. Matthews Care and Rehab Center (St. Matthews), is located at 227 Browns Lane in Louisville, Kentucky. Both facilities are owned and operated by Medical Rehabilitation Centers, LLC, d/b/a Exceptional Living Centers, which is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky.
“This office will vigorously defend the actions of CMS when it seeks to hold accountable nursing facilities that fail to comply with Medicare rules and regulations,” said U.S. Attorney Bennett. “Nursing homes must meet all federal program requirements and provide their residents, which include some of our most vulnerable citizens, with the quality care and services they deserve. When facilities fail to meet these requirements, CMS is authorized to hold the facilities accountable.”
“CMS takes seriously our role in promoting the health and safety of nursing home residents. As was shown during onsite inspections, the residents of these two nursing homes did not receive the care they were entitled to,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “We appreciate the efforts of the State of Kentucky to assess the quality of care through the survey process and support the relocation of residents to safer settings.”
The Kentucky Division of Health Care performed numerous site visits, called “surveys,” of Hillcreek and St. Matthews beginning in September 2022 and continuing through May 2023. These surveys found substantial noncompliance with Medicare rules and regulations. As noted in filings with the Court, in the case of Hillcreek, those surveys included the following findings, among others:
- Hillcreek repeatedly used blood glucometers on multiple patients without disinfecting the glucometers.
- Hillcreek left a resident in an unheated room, on the floor with skin tears, covered in urine and feces, who ultimately died of hypothermia.
- Hillcreek was infested with rodents, with rats and their droppings in plain view in various parts of the facility including resident rooms, and a resident was bitten by a rodent.
- Hillcreek left residents in soiled clothing and linens without appropriate checks from staff.
- Hillcreek left garbage cans in resident rooms and elsewhere overflowing with soiled adult briefs.
- Hillcreek failed to implement care plans for multiple residents, each of whom later suffered serious harm.
- A March 2023 survey found that Hillcreek improperly kept medications past expiration and improperly left medications unlocked.
- Hillcreek hired personnel despite disqualifying criminal convictions.
- Even though Hillcreek corrected some deficiencies cited by Kentucky, Hillcreek failed to be in substantial compliance even after a fourth revisit. Many Hillcreek resident rooms still had malfunctioning and nonfunctioning heating and cooling units, including one left pulled out of an exterior wall, allowing rodents to enter.
In the case of St. Matthews, filings with the Court showed that CMS surveys included the following findings, among others:
- St. Matthews failed to protect residents from abuse.
- St. Matthews used blood glucometers on multiple patients without disinfecting them properly between uses.
- St. Matthews’ personnel files failed to show that complete and proper background checks had been performed on its employees, with some employees having disqualifying events that proper background checks should have revealed.
- St. Matthews failed to ensure that alleged violations involving abuse, neglect, exploitation, or mistreatment, including injuries of unknown source and misappropriation of resident property, were reported immediately.
- St. Matthews failed to develop and implement care plan interventions for residents with physician’s orders for oxygen.
The federal lawsuits were filed by Hillcreek and St. Matthews in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on May 24, 2023. The cases were styled St. Matthews Care and Rehab Center, LLC v. Becerra, et al. (3:23-cv-261) and Hillcreek Rehab and Care, LLC v. Becerra, et al. (3:23-cv-265). The United States filed motions to dismiss the lawsuits and sought to dissolve the temporary restraining orders initially entered by the Court. Following a brief hearing with the Court on June 1, 2023, Hillcreek and St. Matthews agreed to terminate their provider agreements with Medicare, dissolve the temporary restraining orders, dismiss their cases, with prejudice, and close their facilities within 30 days. As part of the closure process, Hillcreek and St. Matthews will be required to safely transfer Medicare and Medicaid residents in their respective facilities to other facilities and submit a comprehensive closure and relocation plan for each facility that is acceptable to CMS.
As a result of their noncompliance with federal rules and regulations, Hillcreek and Exceptional Living Centers will pay to CMS a Civil Monetary Penalty of $636,752.75 and St. Matthews and Exceptional Living Centers will pay to CMS a Civil Monetary Penalty of $389,656.25, for a combined total of $1,026,409.
Defense of these cases was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Snyder, William F. Campbell, and Benjamin S. Schecter. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of the General Counsel and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provided substantial support in response to these cases.
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Tucson Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Smuggle Firearms from the United StatesRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Luis Eduardo Terminel Jr., 27, of Tucson, was sentenced on June 14, 2023, by United States District Judge James A. Soto to 33 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Terminel also was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. Terminel pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Smuggle Goods from the United States.
Terminel and his co-conspirators concocted a scheme to smuggle firearms and firearm magazines from the United States into Mexico from November 2019 leading up to June 27, 2020. As part of the conspiracy, Terminel and his co-conspirators purchased and transported firearms and magazines in Arizona and elsewhere, made false statements to firearms dealers, and provided funds to others for the purchase of firearms and magazines.
The firearms and magazines that Terminel and his co-conspirators intended to bring across the border are prohibited from being exported from the United States into Mexico without a valid license. None of the conspirators had a valid license or any other lawful authority to export the items to Mexico.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon Bolling and Sandra Hansen, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-00880-JAS-LCK
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-095_Terminel, Jr.# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.The United States and the Netherlands Reaffirm Their Commitment to Pursuing Justice and Accountability for Russia’s Unlawful Invasion of UkraineRead the Press Release
On June 19, Dutch Minister of Justice and Security Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius and Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Wopke Hoekstra met with U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in The Hague, where they discussed support to Ukraine in the face of Russia’s war of aggression that is causing death and destruction across Ukraine, and sowing instability around the world. Those responsible for atrocities in Ukraine must not go unpunished. The Ukrainian people deserve justice. The United States and the Netherlands are both deeply committed to domestic, regional, and international efforts to promote accountability and combat impunity in Ukraine. The International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) will play a critical role in the ecosystem for prosecuting atrocity crimes committed in Ukraine.
Ministerie van Justitie en VeiligheidDutch Minister of Justice and Security Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius and AG Garland.
Ministerie van Justitie en VeiligheidDutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra and AG Garland.
“Yesterday, I had the honor of meeting with Dutch Minister of Justice and Security Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, and Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Wopke Hoekstra, in The Hague, Netherlands,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The U.S. partnership with the Netherlands is one of our oldest and closest, and our strong bilateral relationship is critically important as we confront common challenges. Ensuring accountability for Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine was at the top of our agenda. We are grateful that the Netherlands has agreed to host the ICPA, which will be based at Eurojust. I am pleased to announce that I have appointed an experienced federal prosecutor, Jessica Kim, to serve as the United States’ Special Prosecutor for the Crime of Aggression and our representative in this important effort. We will continue to seek justice alongside, and stand with, our Ukrainian partners, for as long as it takes.”
“The Netherlands is the host nation to the ICPA against Ukraine and is honored to do so,” said Dutch Minister of Justice and Security Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius. “We view the ICPA as the first step towards justice for the crime of aggression committed by the Russian Federation and its leadership. We see the commitment by the United States to appoint a Special Prosecutor for the Crime of Aggression as very valuable and call on other states to support this endeavor to ensure justice and exclude impunity.”
“The Netherlands greatly appreciates the close cooperation with the United States in supporting Ukraine, and in the fight against impunity for atrocities committed by Russia’s unjustified war of aggression,” said Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra. “We will continue to work together to bring those responsible to justice, including through the work of the ICPA, as well as the Register of Damages Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which will also have its seat in The Hague. The Register will serve as a record of evidence and claims information on damage, loss or injury caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”
Tax and Firearm Charges Filed Against Robert Hunter BidenRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – The United States Attorney for the District of Delaware filed charges today against Robert Hunter Biden (“Hunter Biden”) of Los Angeles. Hunter Biden has been charged with two misdemeanor tax offenses and a felony firearm offense and has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to the tax offenses and enter into a pre-trial diversion agreement with regard to the firearm charge at a proceeding to be scheduled by the assigned United States District Court judge.
According to the tax Information, Hunter Biden received taxable income in excess of $1,500,000 annually in calendar years 2017 and 2018. Despite owing in excess of $100,000 in federal income taxes each year, he did not pay the income tax due for either year.
According to the firearm Information, from on or about October 12, 2018 through October 23, 2018, Hunter Biden possessed a firearm despite knowing he was an unlawful user of and addicted to a controlled substance.
Hunter Biden is charged with two violations of failure to pay income tax and one violation of unlawful possession of a firearm by a person prohibited. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 12 months in prison on each of the tax charges and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the firearm charge. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, made the announcement. The investigation is ongoing.
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.
An information contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Attachments:
rhb_information1.pdf rhb_information_2.pdfSt. Charles County Man Accused of Online Coercion of MinorsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Charles County, Missouri accused of coercing minors into sending him nude pictures has been ordered held in jail until trial.
Tristin M. Davis, 26, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis May 24 on three counts of coercion and enticement of a minor and three counts of receiving child pornography. The indictment accuses him of coercing three minors, in New York, Tennessee and Connecticut, into engaging in sexually explicit conduct to produce images. Davis pleaded not guilty to the charges June 8.
On Friday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Shirley Padmore Mensah ordered Davis detained until trial. In addition to the federal charges, Judge Mensah cited pending statutory sodomy charges in Lincoln County Circuit Court and St. Charles County Circuit Court and accusations that Davis has sexually abused four minors.
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. Charles County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting 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.
Southern California Woman Sentenced to 33 months in Prison for Knife Assault on a Camper in Sequoia National ParkRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Sarah E. Meenahan, 28, of Manhattan Beach, was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for assault with intent to commit a felony, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on May 16, 2022, Meenahan entered a camper van in Sequoia National Park with the intent to steal the camper van from the occupant, who was sleeping. Meenahan exited the camper van, but moments later reentered the camper and attempted to stab the occupant with a 4-inch serrated knife. The occupant was able to subdue Meenahan and eject her from the camper before she could stab him. Then Meenahan fled in a stolen car. When National Park Service rangers encountered her and tried to arrest her, she refused to comply with commands, and was only taken into custody after rangers deployed a taser.
On Feb. 21, 2023, Meenahan pleaded guilty to the assault.
This case was the product of an investigation by the National Park Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly A. Sanchez and Michael G. Tierney prosecuted the case.
St. Croix Man Pleads Guilty to Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
St. Croix, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Roniel Allembert, 22, of St. Croix, pleaded guilty before U. S. Magistrate Judge Emile A, Henderson, III, to Possession of a Firearm in School Zone. Allembert’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 13, 2023, where he faces a maximum sentence of up to 5 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to court documents, on September 28, 2021, Virgin Islands Police Department officers discovered a fully loaded Taurus 9mm handgun in a ditch located at #21 Anna’s Hope, approximately 290 feet from the Church of God Holiness Academy. Allembert was observed at the same location but drove off at a high rate of speed when VIPD police units approach the area. Allembert later returned to the location driving slowly while looking on the side of the road where the handgun was discovered. Allembert’s DNA was later discovered on the firearm. He did not have a license to possess the firearm.
This case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Huston. The investigation is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. For more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, please see: https://www.justice.gov/psn.
Romanian Citizens Plead Guilty to Laundering $1.4 Million in Proceeds from Jewelry Thefts and Covid FraudRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 20, 2023
SAN DIEGO – Eduard Ghiocel and Floarea Ghiocel, married Romanian nationals and leaders of a Romania-based transnational organized crime group, pleaded guilty today to laundering $1.4 million in proceeds from dozens of grand thefts, robberies and swindles targeting mostly elderly victims in San Diego County.
According to their plea agreement, Eduard and Floarea Ghiocel, along with the assistance of co-conspirators Gabriel Ghiocel, Marius Ghiocel, Larisa Ghiocel, and Argentina Alexandru, conducted a series of 17 grand thefts and robberies of jewelry in elderly communities in San Diego. Defendants and co-conspirators then pawned the stolen, expensive jewelry and watches for cash in jewelry stores in Los Angeles. In addition, Eduard and Floarea Ghiocel admitted to submitting fraudulent unemployment claims to the California Employment Development Department (EDD), and together with their co-conspirators received a total of approximately $32,250 in California unemployment insurance benefits intended to help workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eduard and Floarea Ghiocel admitted to sending cash from the jewelry thefts and the stolen unemployment insurance proceeds by wire transfers to Romania via Money Service Businesses, and using the stolen proceeds to purchase gold bars, gold coins, and high-end luxury vehicles from locations in Southern California and shipping these items to Romania. In total the Ghiocel Sub-Group sent $1,367,652.02 from illicit funds to Romania, knowing the money represented the proceeds of grand thefts and robberies of jewelry, and California EDD fraud, the plea agreement said.
In a forfeiture addendum, Eduard and Floarea Ghiocel also agreed to forfeit assets including a white 2019 Lamborghini Urus, a black 2020 Ferrari Portofino, two gold coins worth $4,000, and $1,896.37 worth of U.S. currency. These items were seized across Valcea County, Romania on March 14, 2023 pursuant to seven Romanian search warrants issued by the Bucharest Tribunal and executed by police officers from the Romanian National Police's Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime, Service for Combatting Organized Criminal Groups, and Service for Combatting Organized Crime Valcea, assisted by FBI and IRS officers. Eduard and Floarea Ghiocel also agreed to forfeit a blue 2021 Lamborghini Urus and a BMW X4, also seized in Romania pursuant to the aforementioned warrants. After the defendants are sentenced and the forfeiture finalized, it is the intent of the U.S. Attorney to seek restoration of the forfeited properties to pay restitution to victims.
The co-conspirators remain at large in Romania.
“These defendants led an international crime ring that stole beloved personal items from elderly victims,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “They thought that seniors would be easy marks, but the plan has backfired. Our prosecution team and agencies followed the organized crime group’s trail all the way to Romania to assist in the seizure of assets laundered from stolen jewelry and pandemic funds in California.”
Grossman thanked the prosecution team and agencies along with their international partners for their inexhaustible efforts to bring justice for these victims.
“This scheme is egregious because it specifically targeted our most vulnerable citizens,” said FBI San Diego’s Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “The FBI is allocating as many resources as possible to identify and bring to justice individuals who are preying on our older adult population.”
“Too many people suffer at the hands of this type of organized crime,” said San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit. “We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to hold these criminals and their co-conspirators accountable.”
“While most people were worrying about how to stay healthy and protect their loved ones during the height of the pandemic, Eduard Ghiocel and Floarea Ghiocel were busy victimizing the elderly within our communities and targeting relief programs. They will now face the consequences of their crimes and their flagrant disregard for our communities,” said Tyler Hatcher, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office. “Investigating individuals and organizations that prey on vulnerable communities and exploited the CARES act is one of our top priorities. IRS-CI will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners locally and internationally to locate and hold criminal organizations accountable for their crimes.”
Assistance was provided by the Romanian National Police (Service for Combatting Organized Criminal Groups and Service for Combatting Organized Crime Valcea) and the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (Agency for Prosecuting Organized Crime). The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance.
The couple is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21 at 10 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Larry Burns.
DEFENDANTS Case Number: 23-cr-00650-LAB
Eduard Ghiocel (1) Age: 47 Transient, Romanian
aka Eduard Alexandru, aka “Filica”
Floarea Ghiocel (2) Age: 48 Transient, Romanian
aka Floarea Alexandru
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Title 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h) and Title 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(2)(A) — Conspiracy to Transport Funds to Promote Unlawful Activity
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
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
San Diego Police Department
Internal Revenue Service
California Employment Development Department Investigative Division
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Department of Labor Office of Investigator General
Recently Released Felon Sentenced for Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to 5 years in prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on July 12, 2022, a Richmond Police Department officer saw a car driving on the wrong side of the road. Octavius Bentley, 37, got out of the car, removed a firearm from his waistband and placed it on the driver’s seat, and hopped the fence. The officer recovered the loaded gun from the car and found part of Bentley’s ankle monitoring equipment in the passenger’s seat. Six months before, Bentley had been released from prison after serving 18 years for a violent rape. Bentley had been placed on location monitoring as a condition of his state probation. In the trunk of the car, officers found over 6 ounces of marijuana, baggies, a digital scale, a drug ledger, and a cell phone.
Officers could not locate Bentley on July 12. Within days, he fled to Vermont, and, in August, was arrested on a federal warrant for flight to avoid prosecution.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; Shannon Saylor, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Rick Edwards, Acting Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Hannah M. Lauck.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Wright and Kenneth Simon prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-157.
Readout of Justice Department Convening with National Public Defense Organizations Hosted by the Office for Access to JusticeRead the Press Release
Director Rachel Rossi of the Justice Department’s Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) and staff from ATJ and the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) met with national public defense organizations today at the Justice Department.
The organizations discussed an array of critical topics impacting adult and youth public defenders including challenges in securing federal funding and resources; research needs and data gaps; the need to promote policies that ensure early and continuous access to counsel and concerns about increasing caseloads and workloads that can lead to the constructive denial of counsel.
ATJ is charged with planning, developing and coordinating the implementation of access to justice policy initiatives of high priority to the Justice Department and the Executive Branch, including in areas of criminal indigent defense. Today’s convening was held in furtherance of the ATJ’s commitment and mandate to regularly engage with the public defense community and to support indigent defense. It is part of the department’s continuing engagement with and support for the public defense community.
In March, the Justice Department celebrated 60 years since the Supreme Court decision recognizing the right to counsel in criminal cases, Gideon v. Wainwright, by launching a country-wide tour to hear from those on the ground doing the work of making the right to counsel a reality. High-level Justice Department officials joined ATJ in visits with public defenders, impacted communities and advocates across the United States to hear about barriers and announce a number of actions in response. These actions include:
- Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco’s launch of a 100-day review of access to counsel in Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities;
- OJP and ATJ’s issuance of a “Dear Colleague” letter encouraging states to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program funding to resource public defense
- An ATJ partnership with the National Institute of Justice on a research project detailing the landscape of state public defender systems; and
- The establishment of new attorney position in ATJ, filled by Senior Counsel Nikhil Ramnaney, dedicated to supporting, collaborating with, and engaging the state and local public defense community.
Portland Area Diesel Repair Shop and Shop Owner Plead Guilty to Clean Air Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland area diesel repair shop and its owner pleaded guilty today in federal court to knowingly and intentionally tampering with monitoring devices on more than 200 vehicles after removing their emissions controls in violation of the Clean Air Act.
Pure Addiction Diesel Performance, LLC, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, pleaded guilty to tampering with pollution monitoring devices and was ordered to pay a fine of $148,733 to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The company was also sentenced to three years’ probation.
Pure Addiction’s owner and operator, Travis Turner, 38, a resident of Forest Grove, Oregon, pleaded guilty to being an accessory to the tampering of monitoring devices and was sentenced to six months in federal prison.
“By disabling the emissions control systems of hundreds of diesel vehicles, Pure Addiction and its owner, Travis Turner, favored their own financial interests above the health and safety of our community, said Ethan Knight, Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “We will continue working closely with our partners at the EPA to ensure all businesses and business owners play by the rules.”
“The defendants installed emissions defeat equipment on hundreds of diesel trucks, resulting in substantial increases in pollution from each individual vehicle,” said Scot Adair, Special Agent in Charge of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) in Oregon. “EPA CID will continue to focus on stopping the usage of illegal defeat devices that contribute to serious health problems and put our communities at risk.”
According to court documents, beginning in at least 2018 and continuing through 2020, Pure Addiction tampered with and disabled the emissions control systems of approximately 245 diesel vehicles for paying customers in violation of the Clean Air Act. Pure Addiction charged its customers approximately $2,000 each for the emissions modification and collected more $400,000 in total for the unlawful services over an approximately two-year period.
As owner of Pure Addiction, Turner took action to assist the company in evading detection by federal environmental authorities by issuing, maintaining, and subsequently providing to investigators sales invoices that included inaccurate or incomplete information about the company’s illegal vehicle modifications. 46 of the service invoices Turner provided to investigators reflected “parts only” transactions when, in fact, those transactions included additional service work that violated the Clean Air Act.
On June 1, 2023, Pure Addiction was charged with one count of Clean Air Act tampering. In the same information, Turner was charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact to Clean Air Act tampering.
This case was investigated by EPA CID. It was prosecuted by Ryan W. Bounds, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon, and Karla Gebel Perrin, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
If you witness an environmental event that may lead to an immediate threat to human health or the environment, please call 9-1-1. After alerting local emergency authorities, please also report incidents to the EPA’s National Response Center by calling 1-800-424-8802.
Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking and Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – Lamont Bray pled guilty to fentanyl trafficking and gun crimes, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Bray, age 23 of Pittsburgh, pled guilty before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan. Bray pled guilty to conspiring to falsify a firearm purchase form and to possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute. Judge Horan ordered sentencing to occur on October 11, 2023, at 10:00 a.m.
In support of the guilty plea, the Court was informed that, between October 2020 and February 2021, Bray and his co-defendant formed and carried out a scheme whereby the co-defendant would purchase firearms, from federally licensed firearms dealers, as if she was the actual purchaser, and as if she would be the actual possessor, of the firearms when Mr. Bray would, in fact, be the actual purchaser and actual possessor of the firearms. Bray also possessed fentanyl with intent to distribute on April 10, 2021.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the conviction in this case.
Owner of Desert Star Motel in Bakersfield Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Participation in Sex Trafficking EnterpriseRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Jatinbhai Naresh Bhakta, 31, of Bakersfield, was sentenced today to 4 years in prison and ordered to pay a forfeiture money judgment of over $1 million for using a facility of interstate commerce in aid of a racketeering enterprise, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in 2015, Bhakta purchased and began operating the Desert Star Motel at 516 South Union Avenue in Bakersfield. Bhakta lived in a unit at the motel. Co‑defendant Roy Gene Drees, 45, also lived at the motel and was employed as a handyman and general manager. During Bhakta’s ownership from at least 2018 to 2020, the Desert Star primarily catered to prostitutes and their actual and potential clients. Bhakta communicated with pimps by telephone and messaging applications, and would check in on prostitutes when asked to do so by the pimps. Depending on the time of day, it was not unusual to see most, if not all, of the doors to motel rooms wide open with suspected prostitutes in lingerie standing outside, waving to drivers and approaching their vehicles. Prospective customers would park directly in front of the room of the prostitute they desired, and the prostitute would either direct them into the room immediately or meet the customer outside to arrange a deal. There were approximately 20 to 25 rooms available for rent, most of which were occupied by prostitutes, with very few, if any, used for legitimate overnight residency. Bhakta routinely charged rates of $120-140 per room per night in cash. From 2018 through January 2020, Bhakta deposited over $1 million in cash into his bank accounts, at a typical rate of approximately $30,000 to $40,000 per month.
In May 2019, two minor females were rescued from the property after having been trafficked by Darnell Edwards, 33, of Antioch at the Desert Star. On Jan. 22, 2021, a search warrant was executed at the Desert Star, and 15 prostitutes and three pimps were encountered. Drees and Bhakta were arrested at that time.
On Nov. 10, 2022, Bhakta pleaded guilty. On May 1, 2023, Edwards was sentenced to 19 years and seven months for sex trafficking of the two minors.
Charges are pending against Drees, who is scheduled for trial on March 23, 2024. If convicted, he faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bakersfield Police Department, and the Parole Division of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Gappa is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Owner of Car Parts Remanufacturing Company Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax CrimeRead the Press Release
A Minnesota man who owned an automobile transmission business pleaded guilty today to willfully failing to account for and pay over employment taxes.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Timothy J. Lundquist owned and operated Dynotec Industries, Inc., an automobile transmission remanufacturing company based in Jordan, Minnesota. Lundquist was responsible for filing quarterly employment tax returns and collecting and paying over to the IRS payroll taxes withheld from employees’ wages. For at least the last quarter of 2013 through 2018, Lundquist did not, however, or pay withholdings to the IRS or file required employment tax returns. In total, he caused a tax loss to the IRS of over $1.2 million.
Lundquist faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison. 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 made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the Justice Department’s Tax Division is prosecuting the case.
Ohio Man Sentenced to More than 11 Years in Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Quashane R. Varner Jr., 28, of Akron, Ohio, was sentenced today to 11 years and four months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 17, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a 12th Street apartment in Huntington where Varner was residing and found 362 grams of methamphetamine and a Glock, Model 29, 10mm pistol. Varner admitted to possessing the methamphetamine and the firearm and further admitted that he intended to sell the methamphetamine.
Varner also admitted that he told investigators on the day of the search that he had previously obtained a 1-pound quantity of methamphetamine, and the amount seized during the search represented what he had not yet sold. Varner admitted to investigators that he had been selling fentanyl in the Huntington area.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Courtney L. Finney 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. 3:22-cr-72.
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Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Johnte Tyree Warren, 24, of Akron, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to distribution of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 1, 2022, Warren arranged by phone to sell a quantity of fentanyl to a confidential informant. Warren admitted to meeting the confidential informant in a vehicle on 20th Street in Huntington on that day as arranged and to selling approximately 12.95 grams of fentanyl to the confidential informant. Warren further admitted to distributing additional quantities of fentanyl in the Huntington area at various times including February and March 2022, sometimes utilizing another individual to distribute fentanyl on his behalf.
Warren is scheduled to be sentenced on September 25, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Courtney L. Finney are 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. 3:23-cr-79.
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Newport News Man Sentenced for Robbery and Brandishing a FirearmRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to 13 years in prison for brandishing a firearm while robbing a gas station convenience store in Henrico County.
According to court documents, on January 17, 2019, Chaikim Reynolds, 22, entered a gas station convenience store in Henrico County to rob it. His co-conspirator, Darrell Pittman, 24, of Hampton, was armed with a semi-automatic handgun and trained it on the clerk while Reynolds gave commands to the clerk and removed U.S. currency from the cash register.
Reynolds was identified by a member of the Hampton Police Department, who saw him in an area-wide request to identify. Less than a week after the robbery, officers attempted to stop the vehicle Reynolds was driving, with Pittman and two firearms inside, but he fled. After running two red lights, he crashed into another vehicle, killing that car’s passenger. One of the loaded firearms recovered from the vehicle was identified as the one used in the robbery.
On December 2, 2022, Reynolds was found guilty of interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence by a jury. At sentencing, the Court found that Reynolds lied and obstructed justice when he testified in his own defense, including about his knowledge of the 36th Street gang that was a rival to the 44–Newsome gang to which Pittman belonged and to which Reynolds was alleged to belong. In case 4:17-cr-52, defendant Eric Nixon was previously convicted of shooting Pittman in the head in connection with his 36th Street Bang Squad activity.
After pleading guilty to three armed robberies, on June 9, 2020, Pittman was sentenced to 21 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; Eric D. English, Chief of Henrico County Police Division; Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police; Mark G. Solesky, Chief of Chesapeake Police; and Orin Gallop, Interim Chief of Hampton Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes.
Significant assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie D. Podlesni and D. Mack Coleman are prosecuting the case. Former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy E. Cross previously provided valuable assistance in the investigation of the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:22-cr-39.
New York Man Sentenced to over 10 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy and Possession with Intent to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis today sentenced Valfonso Dewitt, a/k/a “Valentino” and “Val,” age 72, of Bronx, New York, to 121 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and for two counts of using his cellular telephone to facilitate a felony drug offense.
The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department.
According to the evidence presented at his four-day trial, from January 2019 through at least September 2019, Dewitt conspired with co-defendant James Isaac Gaston, Gaston’s wife Jacqueline Shelton Gaston, and others to distribute fentanyl. The evidence proved that in September 2019, Dewitt distributed nearly half a kilogram of pure fentanyl—enough to kill almost 250,000 people—to James Gaston just outside Memphis, Tennessee. Approximately 14 hours later, law enforcement seized the fentanyl during a traffic stop on Gaston’s car shortly after Gaston drove over the I-495 bridge from Virginia into Prince George’s County, Maryland. The jury acquitted Dewitt on three counts of using his cellular telephone to facilitate a felony drug offense.
James Isaac Gaston, age 74, of Lanham, Maryland, was sentenced to six years in federal prison for his role in the drug distribution conspiracy. Co-defendant Jacqueline Shelton Gaston, age 52, also of Lanham, Maryland, also pleaded guilty to her role in the conspiracy and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2023.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the FBI, and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Prince George’s County Police Department and the Maryland State Police for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey J. Izant and Geonard F. Butler II, who prosecuted the case and recognized Intelligence Research Specialist Angelina Thompson and Paralegal Specialists Andrew Branigan, Mark Phares, and Derek Harwerth for their assistance.
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 and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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New York Man Admits Assault on AirplaneRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A New York man today admitted assaulting a female passenger on a flight to Newark Liberty International Airport, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Ryan Manuella, 30, of Cheektowaga, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark federal court to assault with intent to commit another felony, namely, stalking, while on an airplane. Manuella was ordered detained without bond.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On a flight from Denver, Colorado, to Newark, on April 16, 2021, Manuella moved to a vacant seat next to a female passenger and touched the passenger without her consent. Manuella admitted the victim then yelled at him and left the row of seats. He admitted that touching the victim caused her substantial emotional distress.
The charge carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 1, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, and officers of the Port Authority Police Department with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys DeNae M. Thomas and Katherine M. Romano of the Health Care Fraud Unit in Newark.
manuella.sinformation.pdfMichigan man admits to methamphetamine trafficking in MorgantownRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Warren, Michigan, man has admitted to transporting methamphetamine to the Morgantown area.
Myron Manning, 25, pled guilty today to a possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine charge. According to court documents, officers conducted a traffic stop in Morgantown, finding nearly three pounds of methamphetamine, also known as “ice,” 48 grams of heroin, and a loaded 9mm pistol in Manning’s possession. Officers also found digital scales, a small amount of marijuana, multiple cell phones and some cash.
Manning is facing up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Member of Southwest Baltimore “NFL” Gang Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Participating in a Racketeering Conspiracy, Including Murder and a Drug Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin today sentenced James Henry Roberts, a/k/a “Bub,” age 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise related to his activities in the Normandy, Franklin, and Loudon (“NFL”) gang, which operated in the Edmondson Village area in Southwest Baltimore.
The sentence 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; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Acting Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to Robert’s guilty plea, from 2016 to March 2020, Roberts was a member of the NFL gang, which was an enterprise, and participated in its illegal activities with other members, including the NFL drug trafficking organization (“DTO”). Members of the NFL gang have social and familial ties to the Edmondson Village neighborhood of Southwest Baltimore.
During the conspiracy, NFL gang members distributed large quantities of heroin and cocaine to drug customers and re-distributors from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Roberts admitted that he obtained narcotics from multiple sources of supply and stored the narcotics in stash houses that the NFL gang controlled. Over the course of the charged conspiracy, Roberts and his co-conspirators distributed over one kilogram of heroin and more than 280 grams of cocaine base.
As detailed in his plea agreement and court documents, Roberts paid members and associates of the NFL gang to commit multiple murders on behalf of the enterprise. For example, in 2018, Roberts and others offered a bounty in exchange for the murder of Victim 1, who Roberts believed was cooperating with law enforcement. On June 16, 2018, an NFL gang member (Co-conspirator 1) murdered Victim 1 as well as a bystander (Victim 2). Shortly after the murders, Roberts paid Co-conspirator 1 with money from another NFL related enterprise.
Additionally, in October 2018, Roberts learned of a bounty for the murder of Victim 3. To try to collect the bounty, Roberts recruited two NFL gang members to murder Victim 3 and share the proceeds. Ultimately, the two NFL gang members shot and killed Victim 3 on October 31, 2018, then notified Roberts of Victim 3’s murder.
More than 30 defendants in this and related cases have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to between 30 years and time served.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, DEA, DPSCS, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys John W. Sippel, Jr., James T. Wallner, and Robert I. Goldaris who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Media Advisory – U.S. Attorney to Host “United Against Hate” Community Outreach EventRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – United States Attorney Michael Easley is hosting a “United Against Hate” community outreach on Wednesday, June 21 at 10:00 a.m. event as part of the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat hate crimes. Through the United Against Hate initiative, U.S. Attorneys are convening local forums to build stronger relationships between community organizations and federal, state and local law enforcement and to educate communities on how to identify and report hate crimes. The United Against Hate outreach in the Eastern District of North Carolina is part of the broader Civil Rights Initiative announced last year.
WHERE: Chavis Community Center, Room 202; 505 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
WHEN: Tomorrow, June 21 at 10:00 a.m.
Media: please arrive at the courthouse by 9:30 a.m. for set up.
TO RSVP and for logistical information in advance of the media availability, please contact Don Connelly at USANCE.PublicInfoOfficer@usdoj.gov.
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Man Sentenced to Nearly Six Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Guns and Drugs in Chicago SuburbRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for illegally possessing two loaded handguns and fentanyl-laced heroin in a Chicago suburb.
JARIEN SMITH illegally possessed the guns and drugs on Jan. 2, 2019, in a home in Westchester, Ill. Smith resided in Wheaton, Ill., but used the Westchester residence as a “stash house” to store illegal narcotics that he supplied to other drug traffickers. Law enforcement searched the Westchester residence and discovered Smith in possession of the two guns, the fentanyl-laced heroin, and various items used to cut, weigh, and package narcotics. One of the guns was fully automatic and equipped with a 50-round, high-capacity drum magazine, while the other gun was equipped with laser sight and flashlight attachments to improve accuracy when firing at a target.
A law enforcement search of Smith’s primary residence in Wheaton, Ill., turned up nine cellphones, body armor, and a Rolex watch valued at $85,000.
Smith had previously been convicted of a felony in state court and was not legally allowed to possess a firearm.
Smith, 30, pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal firearm and drug charges. U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman imposed a 70-month prison sentence Thursday after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Sheila G. Lyons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Substantial assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department, U.S. Secret Service, Illinois State Police, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Misty N. Wright and Christine M. O’Neill represented the government.
The investigation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug trafficking organizations and other criminal networks that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local enforcement agencies.
The Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force also participated in the investigation. HIDTA enhances and coordinates America's drug-control efforts among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in order to eliminate or reduce drug trafficking and its harmful consequences.
Holding illegal firearm possessors and drug traffickers accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues in the Northern District of Illinois, particularly firearm and drug offenses.
Man Accused of Pointing Laser at St. Louis Metro Air Support HelicopterRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Indiana appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday on a federal charge accusing him of temporarily blinding pilots of a Metro Air Support Unit helicopter in February.
Jason Foster, 47, was indicted March 8 on one count of aiming a laser at an aircraft, and arrested May 31 in Indiana. He pleaded not guilty to the charge Tuesday.
Foster’s indictment says the incident occurred on February 21. A court filing says the pilots were actively involved in an investigation at the time, and the laser temporarily blinded them.
David Gammil, 44, was also indicted in March, and accused of pointing a laser at the helicopter on February 23. He has also pleaded not guilty.
The charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
Lasers can blind pilots, and aviation authorities say the incidents are on the rise, with almost 9,500 reported to the Federal Aviation Administration in 2022.
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 case was investigated by the St. Charles County Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lang is prosecuting the case.
Livermore Falls Man Who Repeatedly Concealed Employment and Assets Pleads Guilty to Theft of Public Money, FraudRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Livermore Falls man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to Social Security fraud, health care fraud and theft of public money.
According to court records, from January 2017 through December 2020, Rick V. Greene, 56, concealed self-employed work and assets from the Social Security Administration (SSA) to maintain his eligibility to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. SSI benefits are paid to people with limited income who are blind, disabled or elderly. Greene also concealed his work activity and assets from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (ME/DHHS) to maintain his eligibility to receive MaineCare and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also needs-based programs.
In multiple benefit eligibility reviews, Greene falsely represented to SSA and ME/DHHS that his only income was from SSI, and he failed to report assets in the form of real property and vehicles. He did so knowing he was required to disclose the information and that it would affect his eligibility to receive benefits.
Greene faces up to five years in prison on the Social Security fraud and health care fraud charges and up to ten years on the theft of public money charge. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release on all charges. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
SSA’s Office of the Inspector General and ME/DHHS’s Fraud Investigation & Recovery Unit investigated this case.
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Kansas Man Facing Federal Charges for Making Online Threats Toward Nashville Pride EventRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – A Kansas man has been indicted for making online threats to commit acts of violence at an upcoming Nashville Pride event, announced United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis.
An indictment unsealed this morning charges Joshua Hensley, aka Josh Echo, 25, of Hoisington, Kansas, with two counts of transmitting an interstate threat related to the upcoming Nashville Pride event, scheduled for June 24-25, 2023. Hensley was arrested by FBI agents on Thursday at his home in Kansas and appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. A detention hearing is scheduled for Friday in the District of Kansas.
According to the indictment, on April 26, 2023, Hensley posted comments to a Facebook post for Nashville Pride and threatened to “make shrapnel pressure cooker bombs for this event.” In another comment posted the same day, Hensley threatened to “commit a mass shooting.”
“We will not tolerate hate-based, threats of violence designed to intimidate Tennesseans,” said U.S. Attorney Leventis. “We will continue to work with our partners at the FBI to ensure that the civil rights of all persons are protected.”
If convicted, Hensley faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.
This case is being investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nani M. Gilkerson of the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorney Kyle Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Kalkaska Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Pipe BombsRead the Press Release
KALAMAZOO – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten announced that Terrence Wayne Vanochten, 56, pleaded guilty to a federal charge of possessing unregistered destructive devices, namely three pipe bombs.
“Today’s plea agreement demonstrates our ongoing commitment to protect the public from people who unlawfully possess destructive devices,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Vanochten possessed these pipe bombs in clear violation of federal law, and I am grateful to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kalkaska County Sheriff’s Office for their careful work.”
According to court documents, on August 17, 2022, Kalkaska Sheriff’s Deputies responded to Vanochten’s residence after receiving a report that he was firing a semiautomatic weapon from the home. After finding what initially appeared to be a fully automatic rifle, authorities obtained a search warrant and found three pipe bombs in an ammunition can in his home. The bombs were constructed from sections of metal pipe with screwed-on metal end caps. One end of each bomb was drilled to allow the insertion of fuse cord, a length of which Vanochten kept in the ammunition can with the bombs. When subjected to laboratory testing, the powder and fuses rapidly burned as designed. If detonated, the devices could kill, maim, or injure people through the projection of shrapnel.
Vanochten pleaded guilty today to possessing an unregistered destructive device in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 5861(d), which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. As part of his plea agreement, Vanochten will forfeit the bombs, as well as a projectile launcher attached to one of his AR-15 type rifles. The launcher also qualified as an unregistered destructive device. As a result of today’s conviction, Vanochten cannot legally possess a firearm or ammunition again. U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney has scheduled Vanochten’s sentencing for October 4, 2023, in Kalamazoo.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler is prosecuting the case.
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KC Man Sentenced to 17 Years for Seven Armed Business RobberiesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who committed at least seven armed robberies over several months was sentenced in federal court today.
Robert M. Taylor, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 17 years in federal prison without parole.
On Feb. 9, 2023, Taylor was found guilty at trial of one count of robbery and one count of using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. Jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict on six additional counts of robbery and six additional counts of using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence and a mistrial was declared as to those 12 counts.
Taylor was not acquitted of any charges. The government presented evidence regarding all of the robberies at trial, and the court today ruled by a preponderance of the evidence that those additional armed robberies should be considered as relevant conduct in determining the sentence.
Taylor was found guilty at trial of robbing a Family Dollar Store on Aug. 11, 2021. Taylor was also found guilty of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm in the robbery.
Following the robbery of the Family Dollar store, investigators reviewed the store’s surveillance video. Taylor entered the store and made a purchase with an EBT card (later identified as belonging to his girlfriend). He then returned to the store a few minutes later, pulled a black semi-automatic pistol from his backpack, and pointed it at the clerk. During trial, the court heard testimony from that clerk, who testified that she was so frightened at the time that she soiled herself. With a victim at gunpoint, Taylor removed the money from the safe and began to flee from the store. As he was leaving, however, he engaged in a brief struggle with an employee over her phone, which Taylor forcefully took before he left. Taylor fled from the business in a silver Chevrolet Impala (also identified as belonging to his girlfriend), which was caught on another business’s surveillance video.
On Aug. 19, 2021, police officers saw Taylor get into the front passenger’s seat of a Dodge Charger that was registered to his girlfriend and conducted a traffic stop. Taylor, who had active warrants for his arrest, was wearing the same hat seen in the robbery video.
According to the government’s sentencing memorandum, Taylor committed six additional violent robberies prior to the armed robbery of the Family Dollar Store on Aug. 11, 2021, to which he confessed (after being read the Miranda warning) following his arrest on Aug. 19, 2021.
On Dec. 8, 2020, Taylor robbed a Family Dollar in Kansas City, Mo., while armed with a silver handgun. During the robbery, Taylor pointed the gun at a store employee and demanded money. The employee complied and emptied a safe and cash register containing approximately $700, which Taylor took and fled the store.
On Dec. 20, 2020, Taylor robbed a Metro by T-Mobile store in Kansas City, Mo. Prior to the robbery, he entered the store and gave his name, indicating that he was there to pick up two iPhones. He left the store, then returned wearing a mask and wielding a black handgun. Taylor pointed the handgun at the sole store employee and took him into the back, where Taylor smashed the store phone and demanded the most expensive mobile phones. Taylor also had the employee empty the store register. During trial, the court heard testimony from the victim of this robbery, who was particularly traumatized by the experience.
On Feb. 2, 2021, Taylor robbed another Family Dollar in Kansas City, Mo., at gunpoint. During this robbery, Taylor pointed a handgun at the cashier and demanded that he empty the safe. The victim complied and Taylor left with approximately $800.
On Feb. 5, 2021, Taylor robbed a Dollar General in Kansas City, Mo. After entering the store and going to the back, Taylor approached the front, pulled out a handgun, cocked the firearm, and jumped over the cashier’s counter. From there, he commanded the cashier to open the safe and took approximately $900 before fleeing.
On Feb. 18, 2021, Taylor robbed a Dollar General in Kansas City, Mo. Upon entering the store, Taylor found a store employee and forced him to walk to the front register at gunpoint. Once at the register, Taylor had another employee empty the register, and commanded a customer to get on the ground and surrender his mobile phone. Taylor commanded everyone to get on the ground, took the employees’ mobile phones, and fled.
On June 27, 2021, Taylor robbed a Family Dollar store in Kansas City, Mo., while armed with a brown handgun. Taylor entered the store, pointed the gun at a cashier’s face, and demanded money. Taylor then fled the store with approximately $460 and the victim’s mobile phone.
According to the government’s sentencing memorandum, corrections officers deployed a Taser and secured Taylor in wrist restraints when he became belligerent, threatened officers and struggled with officers during his incarceration in this case. Taylor has 10 prior felony convictions for offenses including possession of a controlled substance, stealing, second degree burglary, first degree burglary, kidnapping, escape from confinement, and property damage. Taylor has also amassed numerous misdemeanor convictions for offenses such as stealing, contempt of court, providing false information, resisting an officer, careless driving, assault, and destruction of property.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Byron H. Black and Megan A. Baker. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Justice Department Announces New National Security Cyber Section Within the National Security DivisionRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced the creation of the new National Security Cyber Section – known as NatSec Cyber – within its National Security Division. The newly established litigating section has secured congressional approval and comes in response to the core findings in Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco’s Comprehensive Cyber Review in July of 2022.
“NatSec Cyber will give us the horsepower and organizational structure we need to carry out key roles of the Department in this arena,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “This new section will allow NSD to increase the scale and speed of disruption campaigns and prosecutions of nation-state threat actors, state-sponsored cybercriminals, associated money launderers, and other cyber-enabled threats to national security.”
The National Security Cyber Section will increase the Justice Department’s capacity to disrupt and respond to malicious cyber activity, while promoting Department-wide and intragovernmental partnerships in tackling increasingly sophisticated and aggressive cyber threats by hostile nation-state adversaries. The Section will bolster collaboration between key partners, notably the Criminal Division’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and the FBI’s Cyber Division and will serve as a valuable resource for prosecutors in the 94 U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 56 FBI Field Offices across the country.
“Responding to highly technical cyber threats often requires significant time and resources,” said Assistant Attorney General Olsen. “NatSec Cyber will serve as an incubator, able to invest in the time-intensive and complex investigative work for early-stage cases.”
Today’s announcement builds upon recent successes in identifying, addressing and eliminating national security cyber threats, including the charging of an alleged cybercriminal with ransomware attacks against U.S. critical infrastructure and disruption the Russian government’s premier cyberespionage malware tool.
Jury Convicts Pain Clinic Doctor of Unlawful Drug Distribution, Money Laundering, and Filing A False Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Dr. Qing McGaha guilty of 14 counts of unlawful drug distribution, 4 counts of money laundering, and 1 count of filing a false tax return. McGaha faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each count of unlawful drug distribution, up to 10 years for each money laundering count, and 3 years’ imprisonment for filing a false tax return. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 15, 2023. McGaha had been indicted on January 2, 2023.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, McGaha was a Florida-licensed medical doctor who owned and operated MD Care Clinic, a pain management clinic in Hillsborough County. Over a 20-month period, undercover agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted numerous appointments with McGaha. At each appointment, they received hydrocodone, hydromorphone, or oxycodone, Schedule II controlled substances not for a legitimate medical purpose in the usual course of professional practice. Between January 2016 and January 2021, McGaha distributed more than 2.1 million opioid pills.
In addition, McGaha engaged in multiple monetary transactions over $10,000 in funds criminally derived from the operation of her clinic. She used these funds to purchase a piece of real property in Clearwater and deposited them into her bank account. In 2021, McGaha filed false and fraudulent tax forms for tax year 2020 that underreported MD Care’s gross revenue by nearly $300,000.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration—Tampa District Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Lakeland Police Department, the Tampa Police Department, the Largo Police Department, and the United States Attorney’s Office Opioid Fraud Abuse and Detection Unit, which focuses on opioid-related fraud and abuse by medical and health care professionals who have contributed to the prescription opioid epidemic. This case was also part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Greg Pizzo.
Jackson Man Sentenced to Serve over Four Years in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by Convicted Felon and Conspiracy to Commit Bank FraudRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. - A Jackson man was sentenced to 54 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and 51 months for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The two sentences will be served concurrently.
According to court documents, on March 3, 2020, Deonta Miller, 36, was arrested by the Richland Police Department due to an outstanding arrest warrant. Miller led officers on a short chase which concluded with Miller crashing his vehicle into a hotel located just off Highway 80 West in Hinds County. Miller left a firearm in the car and fled on foot but was taken into custody shortly thereafter. Miller has prior convictions for carjacking and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Miller pled guilty on February 16, 2023 to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Additionally, on March 11, 2022, Miller conspired with two other individuals to obtain automobile loans through fraudulent means. Miller used a false name, social security number, driver’s license, and utility bill, to obtain a loan for a car. Miller pled guilty on March 21, 2023 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca, Special Agent in Charge David Denton of Homeland Security Investigations, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.
The Richland Police Department and the ATF investigated the firearm case. The Madison Police Department and HSI investigated the bank fraud case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam T. Stuart prosecuted the firearm case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham prosecuted the fraud case.
The firearm 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.
Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Nigel Jamille Coats, 19, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to possession of a stolen firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 15, 2022, Brennon Michael Adkins, 22, and TJ Jazz Cremeans, 21, both of Huntington, broke into Tri-State Pawn and Jewelry in Huntington to steal various electronics from the store’s inventory. After entering, Cremeans stole three firearms. Coats admitted that he was in a vehicle with Adkins and Cremeans prior to and following their breaking and entering at the business. Coats further admitted that he possessed one of the stolen firearms, a DPMS, model AR-15, 5.56mm rifle, shortly after the breaking and entering and theft was completed.
Coats is scheduled to be sentenced on September 25, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Adkins pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen firearm on May 1, 2023, and admitted that he possessed another of the stolen firearms, a Stoeger, model M3000, 12-gauge shotgun, following the breaking and entering. Adkins is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14, 2023. The indictment against Cremeans remains pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Troy D. 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. 3:22-cr-213.
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Henrico Man Pleads Guilty to Mail Theft from Westhampton Post OfficeRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Henrico man pleaded guilty today to mail theft.
According to court documents, Stephen Allen Booker, 28, along with other accomplices, stole from the blue USPS collection boxes located at the Westhampton Post Office in Richmond. On December 19, 2022, law enforcement was conducting surveillance on the Westhampton collection boxes based on previous, known incidents of theft from the blue collection boxes earlier that month. During the surveillance, officers observed a gray GMC vehicle, bearing Virginia license plates, enter the Westhampton Post Office parking lot in front of the blue collection boxes. Two individuals exited the vehicle, opened the blue collection boxes, removed the mail matter contained within the boxes, dumped the mail in a trash bag, and drove off. Law enforcement was able to confirm that this vehicle was registered to Booker.
When officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, Booker initially pulled over, then fled in his vehicle resulting in a high-speed chase. Law enforcement officers were unsuccessful in apprehending Booker and his passenger that day. Booker was later arrested at his residence and a lawful search was conducted. The search revealed that Booker was in possession of checks and credit cards belonging to other individuals.
Booker is scheduled to be sentenced on October 13, 2023. He faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Rick Edwards, Acting Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Hannah M. Lauck accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather H. Mansfield is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-036.
Hastings Man Sentenced to More Than 33 Years for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Joshua Sund, 42, of Hastings, Nebraska, was sentenced today in Lincoln, Nebraska, by Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard for two counts of production of child pornography. Sund was sentenced to 400 months in prison and will also serve 10 years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Sund was additionally ordered to pay $3,000 which will contribute to funds established for victims of these types of crimes.
This case began on November 3, 2021, when a concerned individual reported to the Hastings Police Department that he had purchased a laptop from Joshua Sund and that he had found videos on the computer that appeared to be Sund engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a prepubescent minor. Law enforcement received a search warrant for the device and performed a forensic download. Law enforcement located the videos in question from the download of the laptop computer. They identified Sund as the male in the videos. There were seven videos depicting Sund engaged in sexually explicit conduct with the prepubescent minor which occurred on five separate occasions spanning a period of approximately a year and a half.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Hastings Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Grand jury indicts repeat sex offender & his girlfriend for using ruse of dying relative to coerce minor victim into creating child pornographyRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – A 35-year-old repeat sex offender and his girlfriend have been charged federally with crimes related to coercing a minor female into producing child pornography. It is alleged the defendants used a ruse to trick the victim into believing that one defendant’s mother was dying and, to pay for life-saving surgery, the victim needed to send sexually explicit pictures and videos of herself to a third party over the internet.
John Brickhouse, 35, and Nina Darling, 26, both of Junction City, Ohio, are charged in a 19-count superseding indictment. The case was unsealed today.
According to court documents, the couple conspired for approximately seven months to coerce a minor girl, whom Brickhouse had met online, into producing and sending child pornography.
It is alleged that Brickhouse and Darling told the victim that Brickhouse’s mother had two weeks left to live, but that a third party had agreed to pay for life-saving surgery if the victim created and sent sexually explicit images and videos of herself in exchange.
The third party – “Michael Jones” – was in actuality a fictitious persona created by Brickhouse and Darling. It is alleged that Darling, at Brickhouse’s request, posed as “Michael Jones” in order to convince the victim that Brickhouse’s mother’s life could be saved if only the victim created and sent child pornography. Darling also allegedly posed as Brickhouse’s dying mother and Brickhouse’s aunt as part of this deception.
The victim, believing that she was acting to save Brickhouse’s mother’s life, created and sent the child pornography as requested. Brickhouse and Darling allegedly obtained and then distributed the child pornography to others, including to registered sex offenders.
In a separate scheme, Brickhouse allegedly coerced a different minor victim into producing child pornography.
Brickhouse is a registered sex offender whose most recent conviction was in 2015 for sexually assaulting a child. His multiple sexual offenses against children date back to 2009 and involve victims as young as 3 years old. Brickhouse committed many of the alleged crimes while he was in custody for his prior sexual offenses against minors.
If convicted as charged, Brickhouse faces 25 years up to life in prison and Darling faces between five and 30 years in prison.
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 the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Christina Mahy and Kelly K. Rossi are representing the United States in this case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Gloucester County Man Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Gloucester County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 48 months in prison for trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl in southern New Jersey and Philadelphia, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
John Munson, 48, of Deptford, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman to one count of the superseding indictment charging him with possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine. His codefendant, Kevin Salmon, 26, of Philadelphia, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of a superseding indictment charging him with conspiring to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine and distributing methamphetamine. Judge Hillman imposed Munson’s sentence today in Camden federal court
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Munson admitted obtaining methamphetamine from the conspiracy in order to distribute the methamphetamine to others. Salmon acted as a “runner” or “courier” for the drug-trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl. Salmon was sentenced in March 2023 to 168 months in prison.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Hillman sentenced Munson to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; Drug Enforcement Administration, Philadelphia Division; U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Marshals Service; FBI; Bensalem Police Department; Berlin Borough Police Department; Berlin Township Police Department; Bucks County District Attorney’s Office; Camden County Prosecutor’s Office; Clayton Police Department; Delaware County District Attorney’s Office Narcotics Task Force; Deptford Township Police Department; Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office; Gloucester Township Police Department; New Jersey State Police; New Jersey National Guard Counter Drug Task Force; Pennsylvania State Police; Pennsville Police Department; and Winslow Township Police Department for their assistance.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Bender and Diana Carrig of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
Gerard R. Vetter Appointed Acting U.S. Trustee for Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of ColumbiaRead the Press Release
Gerard R. Vetter has been appointed by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland as the Acting U.S. Trustee for Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia and for the District of Columbia (Region 4) effective July 1, the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees announced today. Vetter replaces John P. Fitzgerald III, who is retiring after 43 years of dedicated service to the department, including the last four years as the Acting U.S. Trustee in Region 4. Under 28 U.S.C. § 585(a), the Attorney General may fill U.S. Trustee vacancies by appointing an Acting U.S. Trustee.
Vetter joined the U.S. Trustee Program (USTP) in 2010 as the Assistant U.S. Trustee in charge of the Greenbelt, Maryland, office of Region 4, where he served for four years before transferring to become the Assistant U.S. Trustee in the Baltimore office. He was the Region’s Creditor Enforcement Coordinator for many years and has been involved in supporting broader USTP efforts as a member of its Private Trustee Working Group and through service on peer evaluation teams. Before joining the USTP, Vetter was a chapter 13 trustee in the District of Maryland from 2004 to 2010 and prior to that was in private practice. He received his bachelor’s degree in public and international affairs cum laude from Princeton University and his Juris Doctorate from The George Washington University School of Law.
The USTP is the component of the Justice Department that protects the integrity of the bankruptcy system by overseeing case administration and litigating to enforce the bankruptcy laws. The USTP has 21 regions and 90 field office locations. Region 4 has offices in Baltimore and Greenbelt, Maryland; Columbia, South Carolina; Alexandria, Norfolk, Richmond, and Roanoke, Virginia; and Charleston, West Virginia.
Georgia urgent care chain agrees to pay $1,600,000 to resolve False Claim Act allegationsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - CRH Healthcare, LLC and Peachtree Immediate Care FP, LLC agreed to pay $1,600,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by submitting improperly upcoded Evaluation and Management claims to Medicare for the testing and treatment of patients with suspected exposure to COVID-19 during the Coronavirus pandemic.
“Health care professionals provided an invaluable service to the public during the Coronavirus pandemic. But medical practices that seek to misrepresent the services they provide to patients, and to improperly profit from such practices, must be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “The Department of Justice will work diligently to protect taxpayer dollars by ensuring that medical providers fairly and accurately bill federal health care programs.”
"When providers submit improper claims to Medicare, they waste valuable taxpayer dollars," said Tamala E. Miles, Special Agent in Charge with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). "Health care providers played a critical role in keeping our nation safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, and HHS-OIG is committed to protecting federal health care programs from fraud, waste, and abuse to ensure they can be used for their intended purposes."
“The FBI is thankful for the honesty of the whistleblowers who stepped forward to identify this alleged fraud,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue reports of medical facilities filing false or misleading claims, choices that ultimately rob our citizens.”
The FCA is a federal law that imposes civil liability on any persons or entities who submit, or cause to be submitted, false claims for payment to the federal government or its contractors. It imposes treble damages (that is, three times the loss caused by the false claims) and a civil penalty between $13,508 to $27,018 per false claim. The FCA is the primary authority used by the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to redress fraud, waste, and abuse within federal programs, including Medicare.
This civil settlement resolves lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia by former employees of CRH Healthcare, LLC, under the qui tam, or whistleblower provisions, of the FCA. Under the FCA, private citizens may bring suit for false claims on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery obtained by the government. The whistleblowers will share in $320,000 from the settlement in this matter.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The civil settlement was reached by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andres H. Sandoval. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
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.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Fresno Woman Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud and Identity Theft in Year-Long SchemeRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Bobbi Jo Heiss, 36, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between August 2020 and September 2021, Heiss engaged in a scheme to steal debit cards, checks, identity documents, and banking information in order to make fraudulent purchases, cash checks, and open unauthorized lines of credit. The scheme caused at least $250,000 in actual and attempted loss during that year-long period.
For example, as part of the scheme, on April 30, 2021, Heiss presented a check for $57,767 to a car dealership in Fresno with the name and driver’s license number of an identity theft victim in order to purchase a 2017 Sierra GMA.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office - Elder Abuse Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry Carbajal is prosecuting the case.
Heiss is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on August 21, 2023. Heiss faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for bank fraud. She faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison consecutive to any other sentence and a fine of $250,000 for aggravated identity theft. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.