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19 October 2022
Two Men Sentenced for Nationwide Scheme to Steal Social Media Accounts and CryptocurrencyRead the Press Release
Two Massachusetts men were sentenced today for an extensive scheme to take over victims’ social media accounts and steal their cryptocurrency using techniques such as “SIM swapping,” computer hacking, and other methods.
Eric Meiggs, 24, of Brockton, was sentenced to two years and one day in prison. Declan Harrington, 22, of Beverly, was sentenced to two years and seven days in prison.
According to court documents, Meiggs and Harrington targeted executives of cryptocurrency companies and others who likely had significant amounts of cryptocurrency and those who had high value or “OG” (slang for Original Gangster) social media account names. Meiggs and Harrington conspired to hack into and take control over these victims’ online accounts so they could obtain things of value, such as cryptocurrency. They used an illegal practice known as “SIM-swapping” and other techniques to access, take control of, and in some cases steal cryptocurrency from, the accounts.
In “SIM swapping”, cybercriminals convince a victim’s cell phone carrier to reassign the victim’s cell phone number from the SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module card) inside the victim’s cell phone to the SIM card inside a cell phone controlled by the cybercriminals. Cybercriminals then pose as the victim with an online account provider and request that the provider send account password-reset links or an authentication code to the SIM-swapped device now controlled by the cybercriminals. The cybercriminals can then reset the victim’s account log-in credentials and use the log-in credentials to access the victim’s account without authorization, or “hack into” the account.
Meiggs and Harrington targeted at least 10 identified victims around the country. Members of the conspiracy allegedly stole approximately $330,000 in cryptocurrency from these victims. Meiggs allegedly took control of two victims’ “OG” accounts with social media companies.
Assistant Attorney Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Rachel Rollins for the District of Massachusetts, and Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta of the FBI Boston Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI’s Boston Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from IRS Criminal Investigations.
Trial Attorney Mona Sedky of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Kosto for the District of Massachusetts Senior prosecuted the case.
Two Former LMPD Officers Sentenced Today for Conspiracy to Violate Civil Rights and One Also Sentenced for Cyberstalking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – Two former Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officers charged with conspiring to violate the civil rights of Louisville pedestrians through the arbitrary use of force were sentenced today. One of them was also sentenced for engaging in a cyberstalking conspiracy to hack computer applications for compromising photographs and videos of female victims and then using those photographs to extort additional compromising material from the victims.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the Louisville Field Office made the announcement.
Bryan Andrew Wilson, 36, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for his roles in the civil rights and cyberstalking conspiracies. He was also sentenced to 3 years of supervision after his release from prison and was ordered to complete 120 hours of community service. Wilson was also ordered to pay restitution in an amount to be determined later. Curt Flynn, 41, was sentenced to 3 months in prison for his role in the civil rights conspiracy. He was also sentenced to 3 years of supervision after his release from prison and was ordered to complete 120 hours of community service.
According to court documents and the sentencing hearing today, from at least August 2018 through September 2019, and while working as detectives with the LMPD Ninth Mobile Division, Wilson and Flynn engaged in a conspiracy to violate the civil rights of numerous civilians in Louisville through oppression and intimidation. Wilson, Flynn, and others, while working in the LMPD Ninth Mobile Division, conspired together to assault and attempt to assault civilians by engaging in a conspiracy to throw drinks, including the containers, at unwitting civilians throughout the area in which the Ninth Mobile Division operated. While on duty, dressed in clothing identifying them as LMPD officers, and driving unmarked LMPD vehicles, Wilson, Flynn, and others, would obtain large beverages and drive through the geographic area of the Ninth Mobile Division identifying civilian targets on the sidewalk or near the street. At various points, after identifying a target, Wilson or Flynn would announce on the police radio words to the effect of, “someone was thirsty” or “thirsty fam.” Wilson, Flynn, or another driver of the unmarked vehicle would slow down, drive closer to the curb, and Wilson or Flynn would throw the beverage, including the container and/or its contents, at the civilian target. The driver of the unmarked LMPD vehicle would then accelerate the car and flee the scene.
On many occasions, civilians were hit with beverages thrown by Wilson or Flynn. On at least one occasion, a civilian, John Doe, was knocked to the ground from the impact of being hit with the beverage and its container. At times, Wilson and Flynn recorded and instructed others to record their actions using their cell phones. Wilson and Flynn subsequently displayed these recordings to other members of the Ninth Mobile Division, both by displaying them to other LMPD officers in person and by sending them to others via text message.
Wilson was also sentenced today in a separate case for his criminal conduct in engaging in a conspiracy to commit cyberstalking. According to court documents in Wilson’s second case, between September and October 2020, Wilson conspired with others to use an electronic communication service to stalk and extort young women online. As part of the conspiracy, Wilson, in some instances using his access to law enforcement databases to facilitate the crime, identified computer applications belonging to women, hacked those computer applications, and stole compromising photographs, videos, and other information belonging to the women. Wilson then contacted the women via text messages, threatened to publish the stolen compromising photographs and videos to their family, friends, and co-workers unless they provided him with additional compromising material, and, in some instances, did publish the compromising material. Wilson also posted his victims’ compromising photographs and videos anonymously online and bragged about his exploitation of the victims. Throughout the course of the cyberstalking conspiracy, evidence revealed that Wilson and his co-conspirators hacked over two-dozen victim accounts and that Wilson directly contacted eight of those victims.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Louisville Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Weiser and Stephanie Zimdahl prosecuted the cases.
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Two Florida Medical Study Coordinators Sentenced in Connection with Scheme to Falsify Clinical Trial DataRead the Press Release
A federal judge sentenced two Florida women to prison in connection with their participation in a conspiracy to falsify clinical trial data.
Senior U.S. District Judge Donald L. Graham of the Southern District of Florida sentenced Analay Rico, 37, of Fort Lauderdale, to 40 months in prison and Daylen Diaz, 44, of Miami, to 24 months in prison. The court also ordered Rico and Diaz to pay approximately $2.1 million in restitution.
According to court documents, Rico worked as a lead study coordinator for a clinical research firm based in Miami called Tellus Clinical Research (Tellus). Diaz was a research assistant and assistant study coordinator at Tellus. As part of their plea agreements, Rico and Diaz admitted that they agreed with others to defraud clients paying for clinical trial work intended to evaluate treatments for various medical conditions, including opioid dependency, irritable bowel syndrome and diabetic nephropathy. Among other things, Rico and Diaz admitted they falsified data to make it appear as though subjects were participating in the trials when, in truth, they were not.
“Clinical trials are essential in determining the safety and effectiveness of drug treatments,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to prosecute anyone who intentionally falsifies this critical data for personal profit.”
“It’s disgraceful when a criminal preys upon patients in a health care setting,” said U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez for the Southern District of Florida. “We will prosecute perpetrators who do to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Reliable and accurate data from clinical trials is the cornerstone of FDA’s evaluation of a new drug,” said FDA Assistant Commissioner for Criminal Investigations Catherine A. Hermsen. “Compromised clinical trial data could impact the agency’s decisions about the safety and effectiveness of the drug under review. We will continue to monitor, investigate and bring to justice those whose actions may subvert the FDA approval process and endanger the public health.”
Three co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced for their roles in the scheme. Eduardo Navarro, 53, of Miami, was sentenced to 46 months imprisonment; Duniel Tejeda, 36, of Clewiston, Florida, was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment; and Nayade Varona, 51, was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment. Trial against three remaining defendants charged by indictment in connection with Tellus, Dr. Martin Valdes, 66, of Coral Gables, Florida, Fidalgis Font, 55, of Miami, and Julio Lopez, 55, of Hialeah, Florida, is currently set for Jan. 10, 2023.
The Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Lauren M. Elfner, Joshua D. Rothman and Wandaly Fernandez Garcia of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is providing critical assistance.
Two Florida Medical Study Coordinators Sentenced in Connection with Scheme to Falsify Clinical Trial DataRead the Press Release
MIAMI - A federal judge sentenced two Florida women to prison in connection with their participation in a conspiracy to falsify clinical trial data.
Senior U.S. District Judge Donald L. Graham of the Southern District of Florida sentenced Analay Rico, 37, of Fort Lauderdale, to 40 months in prison and Daylen Diaz, 44, of Miami, to 24 months in prison. The court also ordered Rico and Diaz to pay approximately $2.1 million in restitution.
According to court documents, Rico worked as a lead study coordinator for a clinical research firm based in Miami called Tellus Clinical Research (Tellus). Diaz was a research assistant and assistant study coordinator at Tellus. As part of their plea agreements, Rico and Diaz admitted that they agreed with others to defraud clients paying for clinical trial work intended to evaluate treatments for various medical conditions, including opioid dependency, irritable bowel syndrome and diabetic nephropathy. Among other things, Rico and Diaz admitted they falsified data to make it appear as though subjects were participating in the trials when, in truth, they were not.
“It’s disgraceful when a criminal preys upon patients in a health care setting,” said U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez for the Southern District of Florida. “We will prosecute perpetrators who do to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Clinical trials are essential in determining the safety and effectiveness of drug treatments,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to prosecute anyone who intentionally falsifies this critical data for personal profit.”
“Reliable and accurate data from clinical trials is the cornerstone of FDA’s evaluation of a new drug,” said FDA Assistant Commissioner for Criminal Investigations Catherine A. Hermsen. “Compromised clinical trial data could impact the agency’s decisions about the safety and effectiveness of the drug under review. We will continue to monitor, investigate and bring to justice those whose actions may subvert the FDA approval process and endanger the public health.”
Three co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced for their roles in the scheme. Eduardo Navarro, 53, of Miami, was sentenced to 46 months imprisonment; Duniel Tejeda, 36, of Clewiston, Florida, was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment; and Nayade Varona, 51, was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment. Trial against three remaining defendants charged by indictment in connection with Tellus, Dr. Martin Valdes, 66, of Coral Gables, Florida, Fidalgis Font, 55, of Miami, and Julio Lopez, 55, of Hialeah, Florida, is currently set for Jan. 10, 2023.
The Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Lauren M. Elfner, Joshua D. Rothman and Wandaly Fernandez Garcia of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case. Assistant United States Daren Grove is handling asset forfeiture.
An indictment contains mere allegations and defendants are innocent unless and until found guilty in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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Traffickers sentenced for smuggling meth in fire extinguishers for cartelRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – Two Texas men have been sent to federal prison following their convictions of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 34.5 kilograms of liquid meth associated with the Cartel Del Noreste (CDN), announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Bonifacio Turrubiates, 48, Laredo, pleaded guilty July 7, while Dionicio Sanchez, 46, Houston, admitted his guilt June 3.
Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo imposed a 188-month term of imprisonment for Turrubiates, while Sanchez received 168 months. They must also serve five years of supervised release following their sentences. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence including how both men had a lengthy criminal history of drug trafficking. In handing down the prison terms, Judge Marmolejo noted that they were both “lucky” not to receive life sentences.
On April 28, 2020, authorities conducted a seizure on their vehicle in the parking lot of an HEB grocery store located in Laredo. There, they discovered kilograms of liquid meth hidden inside multiple fire extinguishers. The investigation revealed the meth belonged to an organization affiliated with the CDN.
At the time of their pleas, Turrubiates and Sanchez admitted to conspiring to hide the meth inside fire extinguishers and transporting them outside of Texas by driving the drugs north of Laredo.
Both men have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Operation Noreste with the assistance of Webb County Sheriff’s Office. 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, mutlti-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Rodriguez prosecuted the case.
Three Indicted for $1 Million COVID-19 Relief FraudRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal grand jury in Charlotte has indicted three individuals for conspiring to fraudulently obtain more than $1 million in COVID-19 relief funds administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which oversees Charlotte, and Mark H. Morini, Special Agent in Charge of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Southeast Field Division, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to allegations in the federal indictment, between March and November 2021, Tamakia Elizabeth Harris, 43, Shavondra Michelle White, 39, and Cedric Lee Benton, 47, all of Charlotte, conspired with each other to fraudulently obtain more than $1 million in COVID-19 relief funds, by submitting fraudulent PPP loan applications to financial servicing companies outside North Carolina. The indictment alleges that the PPP loan applications contained false and misleading information and fraudulent supporting documentation, including fake federal tax filings and payroll reports.
As alleged in the indictment, Harris, who was employed by a nationally chartered bank in Charlotte, generally charged fees between $2,000 and $5,000 for her assistance in filing false and fraudulent PPP loans. Harris allegedly created counterfeit IRS forms for nonexistent businesses and inflated income to qualify the borrower for the highest amount of PPP loan. Harris then allegedly submitted the fraudulent PPP loan applications and supporting documents to the financial servicing companies. The indictment alleges that, in total, Harris assisted in creating and submitting over 30 fraudulent PPP loan applications totaling more than $900,000.
According to allegations in the indictment, White, who was also employed by a nationally chartered bank in Charlotte, electronically filed two PPP loans in her own name using forged and fictitious federal income tax documents prepared by Harris. arris The indictment alleges that White, Benton, and another individual received more than $100,000 in PPP loans that they were not entitled to receive.
The indictment further alleges that Benton, who is White’s boyfriend and has a prior criminal conviction, also submitted two fraudulent PPP loan applications with fictitious and forged IRS forms, or income he purportedly lost while in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
The defendants are each charged with one count of wire fraud conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. One or more of the defendants are also charged in 16 separate counts of wire fraud – each relating to a specific PPP loan – which also carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison per count.
The charges in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the USPIS and TIGTA for their investigation of this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Savage, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, is prosecuting the case.
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 Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. Members of the public in the Western District of North Carolina are also encouraged to call 704-344-6222 to reach their local Coronavirus Fraud Coordinator.
Three Defendants Charged in Separate and Unrelated Gun and Drug CasesRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Federal indictments have been unsealed charging three defendants in separate and unrelated gun and drug cases, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Mickey French, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Felix A. Rivera-Esparra.
Last month a federal grand jury indicted three individuals in Northwest Alabama on gun and drug charges. These indictments are the result of continued collaborative work with our state prosecutors, and federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.
A one-count indictment charges Mario Jerrell Prewitt, 34, of Fayette, with illegally possessing a Taurus 9mm pistol on January 21, 2020, in Fayette County. ATF investigated the case, along with the Alabama Drug Enforcement Task Force (ADETF) Regions C and E, ALEA SWAT, Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Berry Police Department, and the 24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Darius C. Greene is prosecuting the case.
A two-count indictment charges that on December 5, 2019, in Morgan County, Terry Wayne Thomason, 47, of Falkville, possessed with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possessed a firearm, a Braztech 20-gauge shotgun, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. DEA investigated the case, along with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Stuart Burrell is prosecuting the case.
A six-count indictment charges that in October 2021 and March 2022, in Limestone County, Eric Cordelle Bass, 34, of Athens, possessed with the intent to distribute a substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, possessed with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possessed firearms, that is, a Hi-Point .380 pistol, a Taurus G2C 9mm pistol and a Charter Arms .44 SPL revolver, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Bass was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. FBI investigated the case, along with the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney John M. Hundscheid is prosecuting the case.
Third Defendant in Double Armed Carjacking Case Arrested and Facing Federal ChargesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Jaheym Newsome, 19, of Philadelphia, PA, was arrested and charged by Superseding Indictment with carjacking, attempted carjacking, and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, all in connection with two carjacking incidents which occurred in Northeast Philadelphia and South Philadelphia on December 22, 2021. After being arrested by the United States Marshals Service, the defendant made his initial appearance on these charges and has been detained pending trial.
As detailed in the Criminal Complaints previously filed in this case, Newsome and two co-defendants, Dayon Hackett, 19, and Taquan Mershon, 19, both also of Philadelphia, PA, allegedly approached a man sitting in his car in Northeast Philadelphia preparing to go to work in the early morning hours on that day in December 2021. The defendants ordered the victim out of his car, carjacked him at gunpoint, and fled the area. Mershon then allegedly drove the carjacked vehicle to South Philadelphia, where Hackett and Newsome both approached a different man who was also sitting in his car waiting for a parking spot to open up after he got home from work. According to the Criminal Complaints, Hackett and Newsome opened the door to that vehicle and attempted to pull the victim out of the car. Upon observing a firearm on the victim’s lap, Hackett and Newsome opened fire on the victim, striking him multiple times. The victim returned fire and Hackett was struck by multiple rounds. Hackett and Newsome then returned to the waiting vehicle that Mershon was driving and got inside. Mershon drove to a nearby hospital, and Mershon and Newsome carried Hackett into the hospital, dropped him on the floor of the emergency room, and fled the area in the vehicle they carjacked in Northeast Philadelphia earlier that morning. Hackett was identified that same morning as a suspect in the South Philadelphia attempted carjacking and taken into custody. After a lengthy investigation, ATF investigators identified Newsome and Mershon as the other two suspects in the incidents.
Hackett was arrested by the Philadelphia Police Department on December 22, 2021, and charged by Criminal Complaint on February 25, 2022, as previously announced in a seperate press release, and Mershon was charged by Criminal Complaint on August 10, 2022, and arrested by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives on August 16, 2022, both with offenses arising from the same two carjacking incidents. All three individuals were charged in a Superseding Indictment that was returned on September 13, 2022. Hackett and Mershon were previously detained pending trial.
“Our Office is committed to supporting the Philadelphia Police Department in its work to investigate and deter violent crime, which includes our partnership on the joint carjacking task force,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “If you commit a violent offense like a gunpoint carjacking, federal authorities will soon be knocking at your door.”
“ATF’s mission is straightforward – fighting violent crime,” said Eric Degree, acting Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “As this indictment alleges, it does not get any more violent than these armed carjackings, in which a firearm was discharged. ATF will continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners to aggressively pursue these violent offenders and make our streets safer.”
The swift action to investigate and federally charge these defendants is the result of the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force, which is comprised of members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Violent Crime Unit; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Philadelphia Police Department. The goal of the Taskforce is to stem the wave of armed carjackings and violent crimes through investigative and enforcement techniques meant to identify and refer for federal prosecution all who terrorize innocent victims through commission of these offenses within Philadelphia and surrounding areas.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Texas Man Indicted for Hate Crime ShootingRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging Anthony Paz Torres, 37, with federal hate crimes, resulting in the death of one person and including an attempt to kill four others during a shooting at Omar’s Wheels and Tires. Torres is also charged with using a firearm to commit the murder.
The indictment alleges that Torres went to Omar’s Wheels and Tires on December 24, 2015, and shot at employees and customers at the business. Torres had gone to the business a few days earlier, but was told by law enforcement officers to not return. When he returned on Christmas Eve, Torres shot and killed one individual and attempted to kill three other individuals with his firearm. As he was leaving, Torres attempted to kill a fourth individual with his motor vehicle. The indictment further alleges that Torres committed these offenses because of the actual or perceived religion of another person.
Torres faces a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment on the death-resulting hate crime and gun charge counts. For the remaining hate crime charges, he faces a term of years.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham of the Northern District of Texas made the announcement.
The FBI Dallas Field Office and the Dallas Police Department investigated the case with support of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.
Trial Attorney Rebekah J. Bailey of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Dana for the Northern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
For more information and resources about the department’s work to combat hate crimes, visit www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.
An indictment is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Superseding Indictment Adds Obstruction of Justice Charge Against Former Indiana Reserve Sheriff’s DeputyRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Indianapolis, Indiana, returned a five-count superseding indictment charging a former New Castle, Indiana, police officer with excessive force and obstruction of justice, and a former Henry County, Indiana, Reserve Sheriff’s Deputy with obstruction of justice.
Former New Castle Police Lieutenant Aaron Strong is charged in the superseding indictment with three civil rights violations for allegedly using unreasonable force against an arrestee and against two other people in custody, and with one count of obstruction of justice. Strong was previously indicted in July on these same charges and the superseding indictment added no new charges against him.
Today’s superseding indictment added a charge against former Henry County, Indiana, Reserve Sheriff’s Deputy Adam Guy, 25, who is now charged with one count of witness tampering. According to the superseding indictment, Guy engaged in misleading conduct toward another person with the intent to interfere with the investigation of one of the incidents for which Strong is charged with using unreasonable force.
Each of the civil rights charges in the superseding indictment carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years of imprisonment, and each obstruction of justice charge carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years of imprisonment. If either defendant is convicted, the actual sentence will be determined by a judge.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana and Special Agent in Charge Herbert Stapleton for the FBI Indianapolis Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Indianapolis Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Blackett for the Southern District of Indiana and Trial Attorney Alec Ward of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Strongsville Dentist Convicted of Attempted Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND - A federal jury today convicted Douglas Smith, 68, of Strongsville, Ohio, of four counts of attempting to evade payment of income taxes for the tax years 2004 to 2012 and 2014 to 2017 after a three-day trial before Judge Dan Aaron Polster in Cleveland.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from March 2006 to July 2016, Smith, a licensed dentist in the State of Ohio, attempted to evade paying income taxes for the tax years 2004 to 2012. As part of his efforts, Smith placed his assets, including a home in Columbia Station, into a trust, purchased gold bars and coins and filed for bankruptcy. Additionally, from 2014 to 2017, Smith again attempted to evade paying income taxes by depositing his paychecks in the bank account of a second holding trust.
During the trial, evidence was presented that showed Smith had failed to file an income tax return since 1992 and owed more than $490,000 in back taxes and penalties to the IRS.
Court records state that in April 2008 and March 2009, the IRS notified Smith of its intent to collect taxes owed that Smith had failed to pay. Around 2006, evidence presented in court showed that Smith began to transfer his assets into a trust that he controlled to evade the collection of taxes and payment of his mortgage.
In October of 2010, court records state that the IRS filed with the Lorain County Recorder’s Office a tax lien against Smith, his trust and its trustee. In August of 2011, the IRS again sent Smith a letter notifying him that their next action was to recommend administrative seizure and sale of any of his assets to satisfy the federal tax liens.
In January 2012, federal authorities seized approximately $250,000 in cash, gold bars and gold and silver coins from Smith’s Columbia Station home for non-payment of income taxes to satisfy federal tax liens. After the seizure, Smith purported to transfer all his assets, including his Columbia Station home, to a second trust to defeat collection efforts and avoid foreclosure of his home.
Court documents state that the IRS continued to attempt to collect unpaid income tax from Smith and, around December 2015, served a levy on Smith’s employer. Smith then filed for bankruptcy and made false statements about his assets to shield them from IRS collection actions.
Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on February 7, 2023.
This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigations (CI) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Patton.
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St. Louis Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Running St. Louis Drug RingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a man who ran a drug ring in St. Louis to 20 years in prison.
James L. Brownridge, 49, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty July 28 to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and marijuana.
Brownridge admitted that beginning in 2020, he’d arranged to have drugs mailed from Las Vegas to several locations in the St. Louis area. One package found by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department contained about six pounds of methamphetamine. Another, caught at a postal distribution center in Hazelwood and bound for a home in University City, had nearly three kilograms of cocaine and about two pounds of marijuana.
Investigators also caught Brownridge selling 884.9 grams of methamphetamine to a co-defendant on March 19, 2021.
When investigators searched homes linked to Brownridge and his co-conspirators in April of 2021, they found drugs, cash and firearms. At a home in Jennings, they found 1.3 kilos of methamphetamine and caught a woman who had removed 180.9 grams of methamphetamine, 308 grams of cocaine, 102 grams of cocaine base, a drug ledger and $11,560 in drug proceeds from the house.
At Brownridge’s home in the 5300 block of Mimika Avenue, they found $29,683 in cash, 873 grams of methamphetamine, marijuana, 172 grams of cocaine, a Ruger 9mm firearm with an extended magazine and a Smith and Wesson 9mm firearm, according to his plea.
In total, Brownridge admitted being responsible for just under six kilos of methamphetamine, 3.3 kilos of cocaine and 102 grams of cocaine base.
The investigation began with a tip to the Drug Enforcement Administration about a low-level drug dealer.
All 11 defendants in the case have pleaded guilty. Four others have already been sentenced, receiving up to 14 years in prison.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case.
Spencer Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Buying Firearms for FelonsRead the Press Release
A Spencer, Iowa woman who purchased firearms for felons was sentenced September 27, 2022, to more than 1 year in federal prison.
Marissa Anderson, age 25, from Spencer, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 2, 2022, guilty plea to false statement during purchase of a firearm.
Evidence in the case revealed Anderson supplied 12 guns, to five different individuals, each of whom was prohibited from lawfully possessing firearms. These crimes were discovered during multiple criminal investigations within the Northern District of Iowa. On one occasion, Anderson transferred a semiautomatic gun to a felon, then drove him around Spencer, Iowa as he threatened another person while brandishing the gun.
Anderson was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand to 18 months’ imprisonment. She must also serve a 2-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Anderson was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the United States Marshal on a date yet to be set
The case was investigated by Spencer Police Department, Clay County Sheriff’s Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-04070.
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South Florida Armed Bank Robber Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Herve Fils Viaud, 31, was sentenced today by United States District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas to 78 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release for robbing TD Bank in Delray Beach, Florida.
On February 1, 2022, Viaud walked into a TD Bank wielding a machete. Viaud threatened to hurt several bank employees with the machete unless he was given money. Fearing for their lives, the employees gave Viaud approximately $1,234.
A bank customer called 911 and reported the getaway car used by Viaud to leave the bank. Subsequently, the Delray Beach Police Department, Broward County Sheriff’s Office, and Miami Gardens Police Department pursued Viaud. The three-county high-speed chase ended in a standoff in Miami Gardens. Viaud then was arrested and found in possession of ammunition, a federal crime for a convicted felon.
On August 10, 2022, Viaud pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery with the use of a dangerous weapon and one count of felon in possession of ammunition.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and acting Special Agent in Charge Robert M. Dewitt, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announced the sentence.
FBI, West Palm Beach, investigated this case with cooperation and assistance from Delray Beach Police Department; Broward County Sheriff’s Office Burglary Apprehension Team; Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Miami-Dade Police Department; and Miami Gardens Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Shannon O’Shea Darsch prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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South African gets massive sentence for sexually exploiting young childRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 36-year-old South African citizen illegally residing in La Marque has handed a significant sentence multiple child pornography convictions, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Andrian Page pleaded guilty June 19, 2019.
Today, U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks sentenced him to 336 months for production of child pornography and 60 months each for the distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography convictions, respectively. They will run consecutively for a total 516-month term of imprisonment. The court also heard additional information today including a letter written by the mother of the production victim detailing how profoundly this has changed her life, how she trusts no one with her daughter and does not know if she will ever trust again. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted his role was not only to appropriately punish Page for his conduct but to protect future victims from him.
Restitution will be determined at a later date.
Page was further ordered to serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Page will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. He is also expected to face removal proceedings following his incarceration and will be required to register as a sex offender.
Page came to the attention of law enforcement during an investigation into the distribution of child pornography via peer-to-peer software. Law enforcement was able to download several images of child pornography from a particular IP address. Further investigation led to Page’s home where he lived with his parents.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant and seized various electronic devices such as laptop computers and cell phones. Upon searching those items, they found child pornography images of a then six-year-old minor female victim. The investigation revealed Page produced these images in his home.
In total, Page possessed over 3300 images and over 125 videos of child pornography on numerous devices found at his residence.
The images/videos Page produced are of the minor who was nude in some instances. In one image, his genitalia in in the victim’s hand. Some of the other images and videos Page obtained elsewhere range from a 30-minute video of a six-year-old minor female with an adult male penetrating her orally to videos of anal intercourse between an adult male and a child under the age of 12.
Page has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S Bureau of Prisons facility in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations – Galveston and members of the Houston Metro Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Son of Murder Victim and Co-Conspirator Convicted of Murder-for-Hire Committed at McDonald's Drive-ThruRead the Press Release
Following six weeks of trial, a federal jury in Brooklyn today convicted Anthony Zottola, Sr. and Himen Ross of murder-for-hire conspiracy and murder-for-hire in the October 4, 2018 killing of 71-year-old Sylvester Zottola as he waited to pick up a cup of coffee at a McDonald’s drive-thru in the Bronx. The jury also found the defendants guilty of causing Sylvester Zottola’s death through the use of a firearm and unlawful use and possession of firearms. They face mandatory life terms when sentenced by United States District Judge Hector Gonzalez. A third defendant, Alfred Lopez, was acquitted on all counts.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the verdict.
“Over the course of more than a year, the elderly victim, Sylvester Zottola, was stalked, beaten, and stabbed, never knowing who orchestrated the attacks. It was his own son, who was so determined to control the family’s lucrative real estate business that he hired a gang of hit men to murder his father,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “For sentencing his father to a violent death, Anthony Zottola and his co-defendant will spend the rest of their lives in prison where they belong as a result of today’s verdict. I thank our prosecutors, the FBI Special Agents and NYPD detectives for their tremendous investigative work solving this cold-blooded crime and bringing the defendants to justice.”
“Proven by evidence and testimony during trial, Zottola had not one, not two, but multiple chances to rethink his deadly intent to murder his own father. He and the others he recruited chose to continue with their savage plot and succeeded. Now, instead of living off his father's millions, his only payday will be federal prison,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.
“Today’s convictions underscore the unwavering commitment of the NYPD, and its law enforcement partners, to deliver meaningful consequences for violent crimes – in this case against those who carried out a sustained plot to commit murder,” stated NYPD Commissioner Sewell. “For their effort to build a strong prosecution, I want to thank and commend our NYPD investigators, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, the New York Field Office of the FBI, and everyone who worked to see this case through to a successful outcome.”
Sylvester Zottola controlled a residential real estate portfolio consisting of multi-family rental properties that was valued at tens of millions of dollars at the time of his death. Defendant Anthony Zottola helped manage his father Sylvester Zottola’s real estate business by maintaining the properties, collecting rent, and helping to run A&S Maintenance, a company that was jointly owned by Anthony and his brother Salvatore Zottola. Anthony Zottola plotted to kill his father and his brother so that he could take control of the family business.As proven at trial, Anthony Zottola hired co-conspirator Bushawn Shelton to kill his father and his brother, Salvatore. Shelton recruited others to commit the murders, and together they engaged in a year-long conspiracy to carry out a series of violent attacks against Sylvester and Salvatore Zottola. Salvatore, who testified at trial, endured several violent attacks on his life. On November 26, 2017, Sylvester Zottola was menaced at gunpoint by a masked individual. On December 27, 2017, three men invaded Sylvester Zottola’s residence, struck him on the head with a gun, stabbed him multiple times, and slashed his throat. Zottola survived the attack. Then on July 11, 2018, a gunman shot Salvatore Zottola in the head, chest, and hand in front of his residence. Zottola survived the shooting.
A tracking device was placed on Sylvester Zottola’s car, allowing Ross to track him to the McDonald’s restaurant on Webster Avenue where Ross fatally shot the victim multiple times. Ross and Shelton exchanged texts immediately after the hit, and then Shelton and Anthony Zottola exchanged texts, in which Anthony was informed that his father had just been murdered. Shelton texted Anthony Zottola: “Can we party today or tomorrow?” Anthony Zottola assured Shelton that he would have Shelton’s payment for carrying out the murder ready soon: “I have the cases of water in a day or so.” A photograph later recovered from one of Shelton’s cellular telephones depicts a cardboard box of bottled water, as well as over $200,000 in banded currency. Shelton pleaded guilty in August 2022 to murder-for-hire conspiracy and murder-for-hire. He is awaiting sentencing.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Kayla Bensing, Emily J. Dean, Devon Lash, and Andrew Roddin are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of paralegal Brittany Wissel.
The Defendants:
HIMEN ROSS (also known as “Ace” and “A Boggie”)
Age: 36
Bronx, New YorkANTHONY ZOTTOLA, SR.
Age: 44
Larchmont, New YorkDefendants Who Previously Pleaded Guilty:
HERMAN BLANCO (also known as “Taliban” and “L”)
Age: 37
Bronx, New YorkARTHUR CODNER (also known as “Feddi,” “Feddi Bossgod,” and “Scary”)
Age: 34
New Hampton, New YorkJASON CUMMINGS (also known as “The Hat” and “Stacks”)
Age: 34
Brooklyn, New YorkBUSHAWN SHELTON (also known as “Shelz”)
Age: 38
Brooklyn, New YorkJULIAN SNIPE (also known as “Biz” and “Bizzzy”)
Age: 36
Bronx, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-CR-609 (S-3)(HG)
Sober Homes A Focus of Federal Health Care Fraud Task ForceRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Will Thompson announced today that sober living residences in the Southern District of West Virginia are a focus of the United States Attorney’s Health Care Fraud Task Force.
Sober homes can provide drug- and alcohol-free living environments crucial to promoting and sustaining long-term recovery from substance use disorder. But the potential for fraud has grown with the rise in treatment and recovery programs and facilities across the district.
“West Virginia needs quality treatment options as it continues to confront the crisis of addiction,” Thompson said. “We cannot tolerate criminal activity that prioritizes profit over the providing of effective treatment, given the deadly consequences that all too easily can result.”
Thompson announced the task force’s focus today during a health care fraud conference held by his office and the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. More than 50 law enforcement officers, public health officials and others received the latest information about fraud that impacts the cost of health care as well as the quality of care received by our most vulnerable citizens.
Nationally recognized experts detailed current trends and developments in such areas as prescription opioid investigations, health care fraud investigations and substance use disorder. These speakers explained how fraud can exploit every level of care for substance use disorder, from detox and residential treatment facilities to outpatient programs and recovery residences.
The United States Attorney’s Health Care Fraud Task Force brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement partners from numerous agencies to coordinate intelligence sharing and prosecution of health care fraud impacting Medicare, Medicaid, and other public health care programs.
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.
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Shakopee Couple Indicted for Their Roles in $250 Million Feeding Our Future Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Mekfira Hussein and Abduljabar Hussein have been indicted for their roles in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, Mekfira Hussein, 38, was the president and owner of Shamsia Hopes, a nonprofit corporation located in Brooklyn Center that operated Federal Child Nutrition Program sites under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. Mekfira’s husband, Abduljabar Hussein, 42, created a company, Oromia Feeds LLC, that purported to provide food to children at Shamsia Hopes’ sites in Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Minneapolis, and Fridley.
According to court documents, from October 2020 through 2022, Mekfira Hussein claimed that Shamsia Hopes was serving as many as 5,000 children a day, seven days a week. In support of these fraudulent claims, Mekfira Hussein submitted fake meal counts and fake invoices purporting to document the purchase of food. Abduljabar Hussein submitted invoices fraudulently claiming that Oromia Feeds LLC was entitled to hundreds of thousands of dollars in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds for providing meals to be served at the Shamsia Hopes sites. Mekfira Hussein diverted at least $5.4 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds to Abduljabar Hussein’s Oromia Feeds LLC, which actually spent only a small fraction of that money on food. Between 2020 and 2021, Shamsia Hopes claimed to have served more than 3.4 million meals to children but, in reality, served only a fraction of the meal amounts claimed. In total, the defendants claimed that Shamsia Hopes was entitled to more than $10.4 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds from Feeding Our Future. Ultimately, Shamsia Hopes received approximately $7.8 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds and Oromia Feeds LLC received nearly $1 million. Together, Mekfira and Abduljabar Hussein used the funds for their own personal benefit, including purchasing luxury vehicles and paying off the mortgage on their Shakopee residence.
According to court documents, Mekfira Hussein and Abduljabar Hussein also paid thousands of dollars in kickbacks to Abdikerm Eidleh, a Feeding Our Future employee, in exchange for Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship of the Husseins companies’ fraudulent participation in the Federal Child Nutrition Program.
Mekfira Hussein, who was initially arrested and charged by criminal complaint on September 19, 2022, and Abduljabar Hussein are charged in a 20-count indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, and money laundering. Abduljabar Hussein made his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson. Mekfira Hussein will make her initial appearance at a later date.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert, Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, Chelsea A. Walcker, and Joseph S. Teirab. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Second meth-trafficking gang member sentenced to federal prisonRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: A member of a violent motorcycle gang has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison after pleading guilty to trafficking methamphetamine.
Robert Lewis Coney Jr., 50, of North Augusta, S.C., was sentenced to 108 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and To Distribute, 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen Jr. also ordered Coney to pay a fine of $2,000 and to serve five years of supervised release after completion of his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Coney’s co-defendant, Donnie Lee Curtis Jr., 37, of Tunnel Hill, Ga., was sentenced in September to 144 months in prison after also pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and To Distribute, 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine.
“Violent crime in our communities all too often is fueled by drug traffickers, particularly those affiliated with criminal street gangs,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Our streets are safer with felons like Coney and Curtis behind bars.”
As described in court documents and testimony, Coney and Curtis were identified as methamphetamine traffickers during an investigation in 2021 initiated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. With assistance from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the two were arrested during a drug deal in the parking lot of a motel in Grovetown, Ga., on May 19, 2021.
In subsequent searches of their vehicle and hotel rooms in Grovetown and in Trenton, S.C., authorities seized large amounts of high-grade methamphetamine and multiple firearms. Curtis, a member of the white supremacist Aryan Brotherhood criminal street gang, was identified as Coney’s source of supply for the illegal drugs. Coney is affiliated with the Red Devils Motorcycle Gang, a support club of the Hell’s Angels.
“These notorious gang-related drug dealers distributed poison to the community and caused fear through means of violence and intimidation,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “DEA and its law enforcement partners disrupted and dismantled this once-thriving criminal network which ultimately led to lengthy prison sentencings.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremiah L. Johnson.
Saint Paul Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for KidnappingRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Saint Paul man was sentenced to 14 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for kidnapping a victim at gunpoint and bringing her across state lines, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on February 10, 2022, Derrick Johnathan Fasig, 28, kicked in the window of the residence where the victim was living, kidnapped her at gunpoint, and forced her into his vehicle. Fasig drove the victim to Wisconsin, repeatedly threatened her with a rifle and a hammer he kept on his lap, and, to avoid capture, forced the victim to throw her phone out the window. Fasig drove the victim to his father’s house and barricaded his bedroom door with the bed so she could not leave. The next day, after realizing law enforcement was surveilling his home, Fasig left with the victim in his vehicle. Law enforcement eventually stopped the vehicle after high-speed pursuit, and Fasig fled on foot but was later caught and arrested.
Fasig was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before Senior Judge David S. Doty. On July 5, 2022, Fasig pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and Minneapolis Police Department, with assistance from the Burnsville Police Department and the Minnesota State Patrol.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Hudleston.
Saint Paul Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a Firearm after Drive-By ShootoutRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Saint Paul man has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a firearm as a felon in connection to a November 2021 shootout, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on November 18, 2021, at approx. 1:30 p.m., Laquell Montreal Kilgore-Hodges, 25, was driving a rental vehicle with other passengers in a St. Paul residential neighborhood, when a rolling shootout occurred between the rental vehicle and another vehicle. Kilgore-Hodges sped away from the area, ran a red light, and struck another vehicle. Kilgore-Hodges and the other passengers fled the scene of the crash on foot to a nearby apartment building. A witness reported to law enforcement that they saw an individual with a firearm flee the scene of the crash. State Patrol and St. Paul Police Department Officers responded to the apartment building and detained Kilgore-Hodges and the other passengers. Officers obtained a search warrant and recovered multiple magazines and four firearms, including a Glock, model 19, 9mm pistol. Forensic DNA analysis determined that the defendant’s DNA profile matched the DNA profile on the Glock 19 and excluded others. Additionally, ballistics analysis determined that the discharged cartridge casings recovered from the rental vehicle and from the scene of the shootout were fired from the Glock 19 firearm. Because Kilgore-Hodges has prior felony convictions in Ramsey and Wright Counties, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.
Kilgore-Hodges pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Senior Judge Michael J. Davis to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. A sentencing date will be scheduled at a later time.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Saint Paul Police Department, and the Minnesota State Patrol.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar is prosecuting the case.
Rock Island Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Rock Island man, Andrew Ryan Demont, age 34, was sentenced today to 72 months in prison for Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Following his imprisonment, Demont was ordered to serve three years of supervised release.
In June 2021, Davenport police officers were dispatched to downtown Davenport on a weapons call. Investigation revealed that a male, later identified as Demont, had threatened victims at a convenience store in Rock Island. When they exited the store, Demont removed a shotgun from his trunk, placed it in his vehicle, and threatened to “bust at” them, placing the victims in fear. The victims fled at a high rate of speed from Rock Island to Davenport while Demont chased them. When confronted by law enforcement, Demont admitted possessing the firearm and being a convicted felon. Demont also possessed shotgun shells in his sweatshirt pocket. As a convicted felon, Demont is prohibited from possessing firearms. Demont pleaded guilty on May 2, 2022.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Davenport Police Department investigated the case.
Randolph County woman sentenced to 10 years for methamphetamine chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Tara Lynn Leary, of Valley Head, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 120 months of incarceration for a methamphetamine charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Leary, 32, pleaded guilty in May 2022 to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute at Least Fifty Grams of Methamphetamine.” Leary admitted to distributing at least 50 grams of methamphetamine fin January 2020 in Randolph County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Mountain Region Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Previously convicted felon sentenced to 11 years in prison for shooting a federal agentRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that on Oct. 18 Derick Martin Garcia Pacheco was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in prison. Garcia Pacheco, 33, of Albuquerque, pleaded guilty on May 10 to one count of assault on a federal officer using a deadly or dangerous weapon and inflicting bodily injury and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.
On December 11, 2020, FBI Agents and task force officers arrived at Garcia Pacheco’s residence in Albuquerque to perform a search pursuant to a federal warrant. Agents in tactical gear with clear law enforcement markings knocked at the door and announced themselves as federal officers. Garcia Pacheco armed himself with a .357 revolver and fired through the door, striking one of the agents in the arm. The agent was seriously injured, requiring surgery and hospitalization.
After Garcia Pacheco shot the agent, other officers secured the scene and the FBI Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit responded to assist in executing the warrant, and Garcia Pacheco was detained. During a search of the residence, law enforcement located two firearms concealed between a mattress and box spring inside a rear bedroom. One of the firearms was the .357 revolver used to shoot the agent.
“We owe a special debt of gratitude to those in law enforcement who risk their lives to keep our community safe,” said U.S. Attorney Uballez. “It is an honor to serve with such courageous federal agents. Their bravery inspires all of us to relentlessly seek a more just, selfless, and safe world.”
“The FBI's motto is Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity, the virtues exemplified by our special agent injured in this senseless assault,” said Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office. “As this hero continues to recover, the public can rest assured the FBI has a full division of agents on the streets ready and determined to put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe.”
In his plea, Garcia Pacheco acknowledged that he knew at the time of the incident that as a previously convicted felon he cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
Upon his release from prison, Garcia Pacheco will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys with the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico prosecuted this case.
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Over 40,700 South Carolina Students to Participate in State’s 21st Annual National Day of Concern & Student Pledge Against Gun ViolenceRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA —United States Attorney Adair F. Boroughs, stated that today, October 19, 2022, the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO), along with their local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, will support schools across the state as they participate in South Carolina’s 21st Annual Student Pledge Against Gun Violence.
With a focus on keeping our schools and communities safe, students in middle school and high school are signing a voluntary pledge promising that they will never take a gun to school, will never resolve a dispute with a gun, and will use their influence to prevent friends from using guns to resolve disputes. Elementary school children are making a similar commitment—pledging that if they see a gun they will not touch it, they will tell a teacher or a trusted adult, and they will assume that any gun they see might be loaded.
The Student Pledge Against Gun Violence is a national program that recognizes the role young people, through their own decisions, can play in reducing gun violence. The program provides a means for beginning the conversation with young people about gun violence and encourages important conversations about gun safety and respectful ways to resolve disputes. Students from around the country will join together in pledging to do their part. For additional information concerning the pledge, visit the national Student Pledge website at www.pledge.org.
As it has done since 2002, the USAO reached out to all South Carolina law enforcement agencies and schools to make the pledges available to interested schools. The pledge effort is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a national program that has been historically successful in bringing together law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
The following South Carolina schools and law enforcement agencies are participating in this year’s pledge. For information on events scheduled for a particular school, please contact the respective school or local law enforcement agency.
Participating Law Enforcement Agencies
Abbeville County Sheriff’s Office
Anderson County Sheriff’s Office
Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office
Cayce Police Department
Charleston Police Department
Chester County Sheriff’s Office
Columbia Police Department
Darlington County Sheriff’s Office
Easley Police Department
Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office
Florence County Sheriff’s Office
Hanahan Police Department
Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office
Lexington County Sheriff’s Office
Marion County Sheriff’s Office
Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office
Myrtle Beach Police Department
North Charleston Police Department
Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office
Richland County Sheriff’s Office
Rock Hill Police Department
Tega Cay Police Department
Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office
Williamston Police Department
York County Sheriff’s Office
Participating Schools
Airport High School
Alcorn Middle School
Bethel-Hanberry Elementary School
Blythewood Middle School
Bookman Road Elementary School
Brockington Elementary Magnet School
Brookdale Elementary School
Brookland-Cayce High School
Busbee Creative Arts Academy
C.A. Johnson High School
Calhoun County High School
Carver Elementary Magnet School
Catawba Trail Elementary School
Center for Inquiry
Center For Knowledge
Center for Knowledge North
Chester High School
Chicora Elementary School
Clover High School
Cyril B. Busbee Creative Arts Academy
Darlington County Institute of Technology
Denmark-Olar Elementary School
Dreher High School
Dutchman Creek Middle School
E. L. Wright Middle School
Eau Claire High School
Edisto Elementary School
Elloree Elementary/Middle School
Fairfield Magnet School for Math and Science
Forest Lake Elementary NASA Explorer School
Gold Hill Middle School
Greeleyville Primary School
H.B. Rhame Elementary School
Hand Middle School
Hannah Middle School
Hemingway M.B. Lee Middle School
Heyward Gibbes Middle School
Jackson Creek Elementary School
Joseph Keels Elementary School
Killian Elementary S.T.E.A.M. Leaders Magnet School
Lady’s Island Elementary School
Lake Carolina Elementary Upper School
Lake Carolina Lower Elementary School
Langford Elementary School
Leslie M. Stover Middle School
Logan Elementary School
Long Cane Primary School
Lonnie B. Nelson Elementary School
Lowcountry Acceleration Academy
Malcolm C. Hursey Montessori School
McColl Elementary Middle School
McCormick Elementary School
McCrorey School of Technology
McKissick Academy of Science and Technology
MED at Bridge Creek Elementary School
MSAP Donaldson
Muller Road Middle School
Myrtle Beach Middle School
New Bridge Academy
Newberry High School
North Springs Elementary School
Northside Middle School
Palmetto High School
Pendergrass-Fairwold High School
Pineridge Middle School
Polo Road Elementary
Pontiac Elementary School
R.H. Fulmer Middle School
Rivelon Elementary School
Sanders Clyde Creative Arts Elementary School
Sangaree Middle School
Spring Valley High School
St. Stephen Elementary School
Summit Parkway Middle School
Virtus Academy of South Carolina
W.A. Perry Middle School
Wallace-Gregg Elementary School
Westwood High School
Whittaker Elementary School
Wren Middle School
Ohio man admits to methamphetamine chargeRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Deonte Raymond James, of Euclid, Ohio, has admitted to a drug charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
James, 35, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.” James admitted to having methamphetamine in January 2022 in Marshall County.
James faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn M. Adkins is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Moundsville Police Department investigated. The Marshall County Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, assisted.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
Ohio Man Sentenced to 51 Months’ Imprisonment for Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Gilroy Stewart, age 52, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, to 51 months’ imprisonment on the charge of possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Stewart previously entered a guilty plea before Judge Mariani and admitted to possessing twenty kilograms of cocaine for further distribution. The charge stems from an incident on August 28, 2018, in which members of the Pennsylvania State Police made a traffic stop of a vehicle on Interstate Route 80 in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. Stewart was the sole occupant of the vehicle. A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of twenty kilograms of cocaine found in a hidden compartment inside the vehicle.
The investigation was conducted by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara prosecuted the case.
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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles:
fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Oelwein Man Who Possessed Loaded Guns and Fled from Police Sentenced to 70 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who possessed eight loaded guns and fled from the police was sentenced today to more than five years in federal prison.
Justin James Gallmeyer, age 39, from Oelwein, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 14, 2022 guilty plea to possessing firearms as a felon. He has a prior federal felony conviction for possessing a firearm as a drug user.
Evidence at the sentencing hearing showed that Gallmeyer possessed a total of eight guns over the course of approximately one year. In August 2020, he fled from the police with two loaded guns tucked into the waistband of his pants. In the summer of 2021, he traded a gun for methamphetamine. In November 2021, Gallmeyer hid in a toolbox at his home when law enforcement officers arrived at the home. Officers later found five guns at his house.
Gallmeyer was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Gallmeyer was sentenced to 70 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Gallmeyer is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorneys Devra Hake and Adam Vander Stoep and investigated by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, and the Oelwein Police Department.
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.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-CR-2001.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Newark Man Charged with Carjacking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man was arraigned for his alleged role in an armed carjacking in Montclair, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Andy Cook, 23, of Newark, was charged by indictment on Oct. 4, 2022, with one count of carjacking, one count of conspiracy to use a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. He was arraigned on Oct. 18, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Julien X. Neals in Newark federal court and pleaded not guilty.
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Dec. 6, 2021, Cook’s accomplice approached the victim, who was inside her car that was parked on her driveway. The accomplice pointed a firearm at the victim and ordered the victim to leave her belongings and exit the car. Cook then entered the car and drove it away. After the victim called the police, law enforcement officers spotted the vehicle. Cook abandoned the vehicle in Newark and fled on foot before being apprehended.
The count of carjacking carries a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The count of conspiracy to use a firearm during a crime of violence carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The count of using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence carries a mandatory minimum penalty of seven years and a maximum potential penalty of life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dong Joo Lee of the Narcotics/Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Unit.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Nashville Social Club Owner Pleads Guilty to Campaign Finance SchemeRead the Press Release
The former owner and operator of a social club in Nashville pleaded guilty today to violating campaign finance laws to benefit Tennessee State Senator Brian Kelsey’s 2016 campaign for U.S. Congress.
According to court documents, Joshua Smith, 45, of Nashville, Tennessee, secretly and unlawfully funneled $67,000 of what is commonly referred to as “soft money” (funds not subject to the limitations, prohibitions, and reporting requirements of the Federal Election Campaign Act [FECA]) from Kelsey’s Tennessee State Senate campaign committee to a national political organization that funded advertisements urging voters to support Kelsey in the August 2016 primary election.
Smith pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the solicitation, receipt, direction, transfer, and spending of at least $25,000 in “soft money” in connection with a federal election. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In connection with this scheme, Kelsey was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2021 and charged with conspiracy to defraud the Federal Election Commission, illegally transferring “soft money” as a federal candidate, illegally transferring “soft money” as a state officeholder, and making and accepting excessive contributions to a federal campaign. The case is scheduled for trial in January 2023.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney John Taddei of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda Klopf for the Middle District of Tennessee and David Pritchard for the Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Nashville Social Club Owner Pleads Guilty to Campaign Finance SchemeRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – The former owner and operator of a social club in Nashville pleaded guilty today to violating campaign finance laws to benefit Tennessee State Senator Brian Kelsey’s 2016 campaign for
U.S. Congress.According to court documents, Joshua Smith, 45, of Nashville, Tennessee, secretly and unlawfully funneled $67,000 of what is commonly referred to as “soft money” (funds not subject to the limitations, prohibitions, and reporting requirements of the Federal Election Campaign Act [FECA]) from Kelsey’s Tennessee State Senate campaign committee to a national political organization that funded advertisements urging voters to support Kelsey in the August 2016 primary election.
Smith pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the solicitation, receipt, direction, transfer, and spending of at least $25,000 in “soft money” in connection with a federal election. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9, 2023 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In connection with this scheme, Kelsey was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2021 and charged with conspiracy to defraud the Federal Election Commission, illegally transferring “soft money” as a federal candidate, illegally transferring “soft money” as a state officeholder and making and accepting excessive contributions to a federal campaign. The case is scheduled for trial in January 2023.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and
U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case.Trial Attorney John Taddei of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S.
Attorneys Amanda Klopf for the Middle District of Tennessee and David Pritchard for the Western
District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Nashville Social Club Owner Pleads Guilty to Crime Involving Campaign Finance SchemeRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – A Nashville, Tennessee man pleaded guilty today to violating campaign finance laws to benefit Tennessee State Senator Brian Kelsey’s 2016 campaign for U.S. Congress.
According to court documents, Joshua Smith, 45, secretly and unlawfully funneled $67,000 of what is commonly referred to as “soft money” from Kelsey’s Tennessee State Senate campaign committee to a national political organization that funded advertisements urging voters to support Kelsey in the August 2016 primary election.
Smith pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the solicitation, receipt, direction, transfer, and spending of soft money in connection with a federal election. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr. will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Smith and Kelsey were indicted in October 2021 by a federal grand jury in Nashville. Kelsey is scheduled for trial on January 23, 2023 and is presumed innocent.
U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda Klopf of the Middle District of Tennessee and David Pritchard of the Western District of Tennessee and Trial Attorney John Taddei of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice are prosecuting the case.
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Monmouth County Man Convicted of Trafficking Crack and Powder CocaineRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Monmouth County, New Jersey, man was convicted of multiple narcotics trafficking offenses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Damion Helmes, 42, of Cliffwood, New Jersey, was convicted on Oct. 17, 2022, of four counts of an indictment, following a two-week trial before Chief U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson in Trenton federal court. Helmes was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base, one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, one count of possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base, and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Helmes was found not guilty of two firearms offenses.
In August 2019, Helmes, and 19 other individuals were charged by complaint with conspiracy to distribute cocaine base and conspiracy to distribute cocaine after an extensive investigation by the FBI’s Jersey Shore Gang and Criminal Organization Task Force. On Aug. 25, 2022, a grand jury sitting in Trenton returned a six-count third superseding indictment charging Helmes with conspiracy and substantive cocaine and crack cocaine offenses as well as firearms offenses. Helmes is the last of the 20 defendants charged in the original criminal complaint to be convicted of one or more federal crimes.
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:
Between April 2019 and August 2019, Helmes, his codefendants, and others engaged in a narcotics conspiracy distributing cocaine and cocaine base for profit that operated primarily in municipalities throughout Monmouth County – including Cliffwood, Keansburg, Matawan, Keyport, Red Bank, Long Branch, Neptune, and Asbury Park, as well as Brick Township in Ocean County. Helmes obtained regular supplies of cocaine from his conspirators, cooked portions of that cocaine into crack cocaine, and redistributed cocaine and crack cocaine for profit to other conspirators, distributors, sub-dealers, and end users throughout Monmouth County.
Helmes faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a potential maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, and a fine of up to $5 million fine on the counts of conspiracy to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base and possessing 28 grams or more of cocaine base with the intent to distribute. He also faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison as well as a $1 million fine on the cocaine conspiracy and cocaine distribution counts of conviction.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents and task force officers of the FBI, Newark Division, Red Bank Resident Agency, Jersey Shore Gang and Criminal Organization Task Force (including representatives from the Bradley Beach, Brick, Howell, Toms River, Union Beach and Marlboro police departments, and the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office) under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark; the Red Bank Police Department, under the direction of Chief Darren McConnell; the Keansburg Police Department, under the direction of Chief Andrew Gogan; the Middletown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Craig Weber; the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago; the Highlands Police Department, under the direction of Chief Robert Burton; the Holmdel Police Department, under the direction of Acting Chief Frank Allocco; and the Long Branch Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director William Broughton, with the investigation leading to the guilty verdict.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ian D. Brater and Alexander E. Ramey of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton.
Mobile Man Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Prison for Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 25 months in prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, from at least March 2021 through February 2022, Tyler Keith Coleman, 25, executed a scheme to defraud multiple victims by making numerous fraudulent and unauthorized deposits of altered and counterfeit payroll checks worth more than $47,000 into his various personal bank accounts. The victims of Coleman’s fraud scheme included several businesses in Mobile and Baldwin County where Coleman had previously worked. Coleman used legitimate payroll checks from those businesses to generate counterfeit checks that he later deposited, causing financial losses to the victims. In connection with the scheme, Coleman admitted that he possessed and used means of identification of real people—namely, the signatures of various authorized signatories on the fraudulent checks.
United States District Judge Kristi K. DuBose ordered Coleman to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo testing and treatment for substance abuse, will receive mental health evaluation and treatment, and will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge DuBose ordered Coleman to pay $47,779.67 in victim restitution and $200 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The United States Postal Inspection Service and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Mission Man Sentenced for EscapeRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that a Mission, South Dakota man convicted of Escape from Custody was sentenced on October 14, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.
Steven Burning Breast, 26, was sentenced to four months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Steven Burning Breast was indicted for Escape from Custody by a federal grand jury in August 2022. He pleaded guilty on September 2, 2022.
Burning Breast was in Bureau of Prisons custody serving a sentence for Involuntary Manslaughter. He was placed at the Community Education Center in Rapid City to finish serving his sentence as part of a re-entry process. He walked away from the facility without permission and was found in Rapid City a few days later. His sentence in this case will be served consecutively to the time remaining on his Involuntary Manslaughter sentence.
This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Burning Breast was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
McKeesport Man Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Drugs and Stolen FirearmRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA -- A resident of McKeesport Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to one year and one day of imprisonment and three years of supervised release related to his possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl and possession of a stolen firearm, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States Senior District Judge Joy Flowers Conti imposed the sentence on Terrance Yarbrough, age 29.
According to information presented to the court, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant upon a McKeesport residence used by Yarbrough to distribute narcotics. Law enforcement recovered two digital scales, packaging material, rubber banded glassine bags containing controlled substances, and a 9mm caliber handgun, which was loaded with an extended magazine containing 16 rounds of ammunition. Following a waiver of his rights, Yarbrough admitted to distributing drugs from the residence, to possessing the firearm, and to knowing that the firearm was reported stolen.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Drug Enforcement Administration and the McKeesport Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Yarbrough.
Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Burglaries in Northwest WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Delante R. Pierce, 36, who had no fixed address, was sentenced today to a five-year prison term on charges stemming from two break-ins in Northwest Washington in the fall of 2021, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Pierce pleaded guilty in August 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of second-degree burglary and attempted second-degree burglary. He was sentenced by the Honorable Michael O’Keefe. Following his prison term, Pierce will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 11, 2021, Veterans Day, shortly after 6 a.m., Pierce entered a restricted area of a hotel in the 1200 block of 22nd Street NW, and stole, among other things, a tool kit. Pierce then entered an occupied residence in the 2100 block of N Street NW. The resident was awakened from his sleep and discovered Pierce standing in his bedroom. Pierce initially claimed he was there to fix a sink, but he then fled the residence with the victim’s Apple Watch and other possessions. He left behind the items he had just stolen from the hotel. A short time later, police were able to locate Pierce in the Adams Morgan neighborhood by tracking the victim’s Apple Watch. Pierce abandoned bags containing the victim’s property and fled the police, but he was quickly apprehended. After being identified by the victim, Pierce was placed under arrest. He has remained in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Crystal Waddy. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Macon Businessman Convicted of Stealing Disability BenefitsRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A Macon resident who collected monthly disability benefits while running a successful cleaning company – which he never disclosed to the government – was convicted by a jury this morning on federal charges for theft and making false claims.
Demetris Hill, 54, of Macon, was convicted of one count of theft of government property and one count of false claims against the government for which he faces a total maximum prison term of 15 years in addition to a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release per count. U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self III presided over the trial which began on Oct. 17. Sentencing for the defendant will occur on Jan. 10, 2023.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Hill applied for and was approved for disability benefits from the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) in May 2012. Hill agreed during the application process to immediately report any work, earnings or changes in his disability status to the RRB. RRB then repeatedly reminded Hill of his reporting obligations by sending him six annual notifications during 2014 – 2019. Each of those reminders counseled Hill that he had a responsibility to report any work to RRB, whether or not Hill made any money from working and regardless of what type of work Hill performed. Sometime in 2013, after he had been receiving disability benefits for approximately one year, Hill helped open a cleaning company, styling himself as an executive and partner of the company, and as its resident agent. Over the years, Hill’s involvement in the business grew to include money and client management, along with other day-to-day operations. As the business became more financially successful, Hill continued to collect full disability benefits from RRB that he was not entitled to, due to his work and financial earnings. These benefits amounted to well over $100,000.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joy Odom and Elizabeth Howard are prosecuting the case.
Keokuk Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA – John Herman Soper, age 50 of Keokuk, was sentenced today, October 19, 2022, to 19 years in prison following his plea to the charges of Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine and Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition.
According to court documents, on October 30, 2021, law enforcement responded to a reported disturbance related to Soper threatening a person with a firearm. Officers were aware Soper had active arrest warrants and was involved in recent shots-fired incidents. Officers located Soper and searched him and his vehicle. Soper was in possession of a loaded handgun, cash, and approximately one-quarter pound of ice methamphetamine. Officers had information from numerous sources that Soper was obtaining pound quantities of ice methamphetamine.
Because of his prior serious drug convictions, Soper qualified as an Armed Career Criminal and a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence applied. One of Soper’s prior convictions included a previous federal conviction for Conspiracy to Manufacture Methamphetamine.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Fort Madison Police Department, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Keokuk Police Department, Lee County Narcotics Taskforce, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
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. In May 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Kanawha County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jason Lewis Johnson, 49, of South Charleston, pleaded guilty today to distribution of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Johnson admitted to selling approximately 6.7 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in South Charleston on February 4, 2022. Johnson further admitted to selling the confidential informant 13.4 grams of methamphetamine on February 14, 2022, and 12.4 grams of methamphetamine on February 24, 2022, both times in St. Albans.
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on February 2, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT).
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-130.
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KC Man Sentenced to 17 Years for Two Armed Robberies of Hotels on the Same DayRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in two armed robberies of hotels on the same day.
Anthony Payne, Jr., 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Tuesday, Oct. 18, to 17 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Payne to pay $860 in restitution.
On Jan. 20, 2022, Payne pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting a robbery, one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, and two counts of aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime.
Payne admitted that he and two co-defendants robbed the Arrowhead Inn, 6006 E. 31st Street in Kansas City, Mo., at gunpoint on July 2, 2018. Payne entered the hotel with co-defendants Joe Lee Nichols, 29, and Torrence Demond Key, 30, both of Kansas City, Mo. Payne and Nichols brandished handguns and the three men stole approximately $260 from the hotel.
Payne also admitted that the three men robbed Wood Springs Suites Hotel, 11301 Colorado in Kansas City, Mo., at gunpoint on the same day. Payne and Nichols again brandished handguns and the three men stole approximately $600 from the hotel.
According to court documents, Payne was previously convicted in state court for his role in the armed robbery of a Sonic restaurant. He received a suspended imposition of sentence in that case and was placed on probation for five years, but after multiple violations was eventually incarcerated.
Nichols and Key each have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bruce Rhoades and Maureen Brackett. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, and the FBI.
Justice Department Files Lawsuit Challenging Policy Barring Native Americans from Accessing South Dakota Hotel and Sports LoungeRead the Press Release
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against the owners and operators of the Grand Gateway Hotel, and the Cheers Sports Lounge and Casino, a sports bar that operates within the hotel, located in Rapid City, South Dakota. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants discriminated against Native American customers in violation of Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin in places of public accommodation, such as hotels and other places of entertainment. The suit is brought against the corporate owner, Retsel Corporation, and two of the company’s directors, Connie Uhre and her son, Nicholas Uhre.
“Policies prohibiting Native Americans from accessing public establishments are both racially discriminatory and unlawful,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously protect the rights of all people to go about their daily lives free from discrimination at hotels, restaurants and other public accommodations around the country.”
“Restricting access to a hotel based on a person’s race is prohibited by federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell for the District of South Dakota. “At the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we are called to ensure that individuals are treated equally at public accommodations in South Dakota. We are committed to protecting that fundamental right for Native Americans.”
The lawsuit, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota, alleges that, since at least March 20, the Retsel Corporation, Connie Uhre and Nicholas Uhre discriminated against Native American customers through policies and practices that denied Native Americans the full and equal enjoyment of access to the services, accommodations and privileges at the Grand Gateway Hotel and the Cheers Sports Lounge and Casino.
Specifically, the complaint alleges that on March 20, Connie Uhre told other Rapid City hotel owners and managers that she did “not want to allow Natives on property...The problem is we do not know the nice ones from the bad natives…so we just have to say no to them!” That same day, Connie Uhre allegedly posted a statement in a comment thread from her Facebook account announcing that “we will no longer allow any Native American [sic]” in the Grand Gateway or in the Cheers Sports Lounge and Casino. The complaint further alleges that on at least two occasions on March 21 and March 22, respectively, the defendants turned away Native Americans who sought to book a room in the Grand Gateway.
Under Title II, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division can obtain injunctive relief that changes policies and practices to remedy the discriminatory conduct. Title II does not authorize the division to obtain monetary damages for customers who are victims of discrimination.
More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals may report discrimination in places of public accommodation that violates Title II by calling the Justice Department at 1-833-591-0291, or submitting a report online.
The complaint contains allegations of unlawful conduct, and the allegations must be proven in federal court.
Justice Department Files Lawsuit Challenging Policy Barring Native Americans from Accessing South Dakota Hotel and Sports LoungeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against the owners and operators of the Grand Gateway Hotel, and the Cheers Sports Lounge and Casino, a sports bar that operates within the hotel, located in Rapid City, South Dakota. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants discriminated against Native American customers in violation of Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin in places of public accommodation, such as hotels and other places of entertainment. The suit is brought against the corporate owner, Retsel Corporation, and two of the company’s directors, Connie Uhre and her son, Nicholas Uhre.
“Policies prohibiting Native Americans from accessing public establishments are both racially discriminatory and unlawful,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously protect the rights of all people to go about their daily lives free from discrimination at hotels, restaurants, and other public accommodations around the country.”
“Restricting access to a hotel based on a person’s race is prohibited by federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell for the District of South Dakota. “At the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we are called to ensure that individuals are treated equally at public accommodations in South Dakota. We are committed to protecting that fundamental right for Native Americans.”
The lawsuit, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota, alleges that, since at least March 20, the Retsel Corporation, Connie Uhre and Nicholas Uhre discriminated against Native American customers through policies and practices that denied Native Americans the full and equal enjoyment of access to the services, accommodations and privileges at the Grand Gateway Hotel and the Cheers Sports Lounge and Casino.
Specifically, the complaint alleges that on March 20, Connie Uhre told other Rapid City hotel owners and managers that she did “not want to allow Natives on property. . . . The problem is we do not know the nice ones from the bad natives…so we just have to say no to them!” That same day, the complaint alleges, Ms. Uhre posted a statement in a comment thread from her Facebook account announcing that “we will no longer allow any Native American [sic]” in the Grand Gateway or in the Cheers Sports Lounge and Casino. The complaint further alleges that on at least two occasions on March 21 and March 22, respectively, the defendants turned away Native Americans who sought to book a room in the Grand Gateway.
Under Title II, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division can obtain injunctive relief that changes policies and practices to remedy the discriminatory conduct. Title II does not authorize the division to obtain monetary damages for customers who are victims of discrimination.
More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals may report discrimination in places of public accommodation that violates Title II by calling the Justice Department at 1-833-591-0291, or submitting a report online.
The complaint contains allegations of unlawful conduct, and the allegations must be proven in federal court.
Justice Department Files Complaint to Enjoin Massachusetts Beverage Seller from Distributing Unapproved New DrugRead the Press Release
The United States filed a complaint to enjoin a West Boylston, Massachusetts, defendant from distributing a product the government alleges to be an unapproved new drug, a misbranded drug product and an adulterated food product, the Department of Justice announced.
In a civil complaint for permanent injunction filed on Oct. 18, the United States alleges that Daniel Marold, an individual conducting business under the name Chill6, violated the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. According to the complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Marold sold various flavors of “Chill6” beverage powder directly to consumers through a website that claimed Chill6 will cure, treat, mitigate and prevent, among other things, anxiety, insomnia, alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The complaint also alleges that Marold’s Chill6 contains Phenibut HCI, an unsafe food additive.
According to the complaint, Marold continued distributing Chill6 after receiving a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July 2021. The United States seeks an injunction that would enjoin Marold from selling Chill6 in its current form and comply with federal food safety regulations before selling any other drug or food product.
“Those who distribute drugs, dietary supplements or foods must comply with federal law designed to ensure these products are safe,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will continue to work closely with FDA to stop the distribution of unapproved new drugs and adulterated food products.”
“The FDA is responsible for making sure drugs meet the necessary safety guidelines for human consumption,” said U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins for the District of Massachusetts. “We allege that Chill6 does not, and even after being warned, Mr. Marold continued distributing this unapproved substance. Be it by criminal offense or civil violation, we are committed to ending the distribution of unregulated and adulterated supplements.”
“The FDA’s primary responsibility is to protect U.S. patients and consumers from unproven and dangerous products,” said Judith McMeekin, Pharm.D, the Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs. “With our partners at the Department of Justice, we will keep pursuing individuals and firms that distribute products that put the public at risk and violate federal law.”
Trial Attorney Manu J. Sebastian of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Sharobem in the District of Massachusetts are handling the case with the assistance of Associate Chief Counsel Leah A. Edelman of the FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
The claims made in the complaint are allegations that, if the case were to proceed to trial, the government must prove by a preponderance of the evidence.
Justice Department Announces Charges and Arrests in Two Cases Involving Export Violation Schemes to Aid Russian MilitaryRead the Press Release
In separate charges unsealed today in the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Eastern District of New York and the District of Connecticut, and with the support of the Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, the Justice Department has charged nearly a dozen individuals and several corporate entities with participating in unlawful schemes to export powerful, civil-military, dual-use technologies to Russia – some of which have been recovered on battlefields in Ukraine while another nuclear proliferation technology was intercepted before reaching Russian soil.
In the Eastern District of New York, five Russian nationals and two oil brokers for Venezuela are charged in an indictment unsealed today for their alleged participation in a global sanctions evasion and money laundering scheme. One defendant was arrested on Oct. 17 in Germany and another defendant was arrested on Oct. 17 in Italy, both at the request of the United States. As alleged, the defendants obtained military technology from U.S. companies, smuggled millions of barrels of oil, and laundered tens of millions of dollars for Russian industrialists, sanctioned entities, and the world’s largest energy conglomerate.
Separately, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, a superseding indictment was unsealed charging four individuals – three of whom were arrested by Latvian authorities on Oct. 18 and one by Estonian authorities on June 13 at the request of the United States – and two companies in Europe with violating U.S. export laws by attempting to smuggle a dual-use, export-controlled item – a high-precision computer-controlled grinding machine – to Russia. Commonly known as a “jig grinder,” the item is export-controlled for its use in nuclear proliferation and defense programs.
“These charges reveal two separate global schemes to violate U.S. export and sanctions laws, including by shipping sensitive military technologies from U.S. manufacturers – including types found in seized Russian weapons platforms in Ukraine – and attempting to reexport a machine system with potential application in nuclear proliferation and defense programs to Russia,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As I have said, our investigators and prosecutors will be relentless in their efforts to identify, locate, and bring to justice those whose illegal acts undermine the rule of law and enable the Russian regime to continue its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.”
“This week’s indictments and arrests highlight the FBI’s work countering Russia’s flagrant evasion of U.S. sanctions and violation of export regulations,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI, along with our U.S. and international partners, will continue to aggressively disrupt the procurement of oil, laundered money, and unlawfully obtained military technology from U.S. companies to support Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine.”
United States v. Orekhov et al., Eastern District of New York
According to court documents, Yury Orekhov, 42, a Russian national residing in Germany; Artem Uss, 40, of Moscow; Svetlana Kuzurgasheva aka Lana Neumann, 32, of Moscow; Timofey Telegin, 39, of Moscow; and Sergey Tulyakov 52, of Moscow are named in the indictment unsealed today. Also charged are Juan Fernando Serrano Ponce, aka Juanfe Serrano, and Juan Carlos Soto, who allegedly brokered illicit oil deals for Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), the Venezuelan state-owned oil company, as part of the scheme. On Oct. 17, Orekhov was arrested in Germany and Uss was arrested in Italy, both at the request of the United States, and will undergo extradition proceedings.
“As alleged, the defendants were criminal enablers for oligarchs, orchestrating a complex scheme to unlawfully obtain U.S. military technology and Venezuelan sanctioned oil through a myriad of transactions involving shell companies and cryptocurrency. Their efforts undermined security, economic stability and rule of law around the world,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “We will continue to investigate, disrupt and prosecute those who fuel Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine, evade sanctions and perpetuate the shadowy economy of transnational money laundering.”
According to court documents, Orekhov served as the part owner, CEO and Managing Director of Nord-Deutsche Industrieanlagenbau GmbH (NDA GmbH), a privately held industrial equipment and commodity trading company located in Hamburg, Germany. The other owner of NDA GmbH is Artem Uss, the son of the governor of Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Krai region. Kuzurgasheva served as the CEO of one of the scheme’s shell companies and worked for NDA GmbH under Orekhov.
Using NDA GmbH as a front company, Orekhov and Kuzurgasheva sourced and purchased sensitive military and dual-use technologies from U.S. manufacturers, including advanced semiconductors and microprocessors used in fighter aircraft, missile systems, smart munitions, radar, satellites, and other space-based military applications. These items were shipped to Russian end users, including sanctioned companies controlled by Telegin and Tulyakov that serviced Russia’s military. Some of the types of electronic components obtained through the criminal scheme have been found in Russian weapons platforms seized on the battlefield in Ukraine. As alleged, in 2019, Orekhov travelled to the United States to source parts used in the Russian-made Sukhoi fighter aircraft and the American-made F-22 Raptor stealth fighter aircraft.
Orekhov and Uss also allegedly used NDA GmbH as a front to smuggle hundreds of millions of barrels of oil from Venezuela to Russian and Chinese purchasers, including a Russian aluminum company controlled by a sanctioned oligarch and the world’s largest oil refining, gas and petrochemical conglomerate based in Beijing. Serrano Ponce and Soto brokered deals worth millions of dollars between PDVSA and NDA GmbH, which were routed through a complex group of shell companies and bank accounts to disguise the transactions. In one communication with Serrano Ponce, Orekhov openly admitted that he was acting on behalf of a sanctioned Russian oligarch, saying “He [the oligarch] is under sanctions as well. That’s why we [are] acting from this company [NDA GmbH]. As fronting.” The scheme also involved falsified shipping documents and supertankers that deactivated their GPS navigation systems to obscure the Venezuelan origin of their oil.
Payment for NDA GmbH’s illicit activities was often consummated in U.S. dollars routed through U.S. financial institutions and correspondent bank accounts. To facilitate these transactions, Orekhov and his co-conspirators used fictitious companies, falsified “know your customer” documentation and bank accounts in high-risk jurisdictions, causing U.S. banks to process tens of millions of dollars in violation of U.S. sanctions and other criminal laws. In one conversation with Soto, Orekhov bragged that “there were no worries...this is the shittiest bank in the Emirates…they pay to everything.” The scheme also utilized bulk cash drops with couriers in Russia and Latin America, as well as cryptocurrency transfers worth millions of dollars, to effectuate these transactions and launder the proceeds.
The defendants are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Orekhov, Uss, Kuzurgasheva, Serrano Ponce, and Soto are additionally charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA); bank fraud conspiracy for the oil smuggling scheme; and money laundering conspiracy for the oil smuggling and IEEPA scheme.
Orekhov, Kuzurgasheva, Telegin and Tulyakov are additionally charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud; money laundering conspiracy for illicit procurement of U.S. dual use technology; conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA) and smuggling goods from the United States.
If convicted of bank fraud conspiracy, the defendants face a maximum of 30 years in prison with additional prison time as the result of conviction on additional charges. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and Italian and German law enforcement authorities provided valuable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Artie McConnell for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Scott A. Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
United States v. Romanyuk et al., District of Connecticut
According to court documents, beginning in 2018, Eriks Mamonovs, 33, and Vadims Ananics, 46, both citizens of Latvia who operated CNC Weld, a Latvia-based corporation, conspired with Stanislav Romanyuk, 37, a citizen of Ukraine and resident of Estonia who operated Estonia-based BY Trade OU, and others, including Janis Uzbalis, 46, of Latvia and individuals in Russia and a Russia-based company, to violate U.S. export laws and regulations and smuggle a jig grinder that was manufactured in Connecticut to Russia.
“The indictment alleges that these defendants attempted to smuggle a high-precision export-controlled item to Russia where it could have been used in nuclear proliferation and Russian defense programs,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery of the District of Connecticut. “The danger created by such conduct is profound. I thank HSI, the Department of Commerce and the FBI, and our partners in Latvia and Estonia, who thwarted this alleged scheme and are working to bring these defendants to justice in a U.S. court of law.”
A jig grinder is a high-precision grinding machine system that does not require a license to export to European Union countries but does require a license for export and reexport to Russia because of its applications in nuclear proliferation and defense programs. At no time did the defendants apply for, receive or possess a license of authorization from the U.S. Department of Commerce to export or reexport the jig grinder to Russia, as required by the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), which restrict the export of items that could make a significant contribution to the military potential of other nations or that could be detrimental to the foreign policy or national security of the United States.
U.S. authorities, working with Latvian authorities, intercepted the jig grinder in Riga, Latvia, before it was to be shipped to Russia.
Mamonovs, Ananics, Romanyuk, Uzbalis, and others are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison; violation of the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA), which carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison; smuggling goods from the United States, an offense that carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison; and international money laundering conspiracy, an offense that carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Mamonovs is also charged with making false statements to the U.S. Department of Commerce, an offense punishable by up to five years in prison.
The indictment also charges CNC Weld, BY Trade OU with conspiracy, violation of the ECRA, smuggling goods from the United States, and international money laundering conspiracy.
Ananics, Mamonovs and Uzbalis were arrested on Oct. 18 in Riga, Latvia at the request of the United States. Romanyuk was arrested in Tallinn, Estonia at the request of the United States, on June 13, 2022. The Justice Department is seeking their extradition.
HSI field offices in New Haven, Portland (Ore.), and the Hague, Netherlands; the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement in Boston; and the FBI are investigating the case. The Prosecutor-General’s Offices of the Republic of Latvia and Estonia, Latvian State Revenue Service, Estonian Tax and Customs Board, and the Latvian State Police provided valuable assistance. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs is providing valuable assistance.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rahul Kale and Konstantin Lantsman of the District of Connecticut, and Trial Attorney Matthew Anzaldi of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
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Both actions were coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2 and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Jury Convicts Longtime Hoover Criminal Gang Members of Racketeering Conspiracy, Murder in Aid of RacketeeringRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A federal jury in Portland found two longtime Hoover Criminal Gang members guilty today for conspiring to commit racketeering through various criminal acts spanning decades, including murder, robbery, and drug dealing.
Lorenzo Laron Jones, 49, and Ronald Clayton Rhodes, 37, both residents of Portland, were found guilty of racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, and using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence.
“Prosecuting violent street gangs as racketeering enterprises is a powerful law enforcement tool we believe will reduce shootings in Portland and begin to restore the safe, vibrant community the public deserves,” said Steven T. Mygrant, Chief of the Narcotics and Criminal Enterprises Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon. “Today’s convictions are an important milestone, but only the beginning of our effort to hold accountable all those responsible for gun violence in Portland.”
“When groups like this flood local streets with violence, the most effective response is for team law enforcement, the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office, alongside state and local law enforcement, to come together and leverage our most sophisticated investigative and prosecutorial methods. The most powerful response is a joint response,” says Kieran L. Ramsey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Portland Field Office. “These convictions cannot undo the damage that has been done but we hope it sends a clear message that we will continue to pursue the most violent and persistent offenders and hold them accountable for their blatant disregard for human life and the safety of our communities.”
“This verdict is the culmination of a tremendous amount of work by everyone involved and highlights how, working together with multiple law enforcement agencies, we are now able to hold gang members responsible for homicides and firearm related crimes and provide some closure to the victims and their families,” said Commander Timothy Robinson of the Portland Police Bureau’s Detective Division. “I would especially like to thank current and former detectives. They worked tirelessly on these cases, while still shouldering an ever-increasing caseload. Their search for justice and dedication to our community is unwavering.”
According to court documents, the Hoovers are a criminal street gang operating in Oregon known to engage in acts of violence including murder, robbery, and drug dealing. The Hoovers originated in Los Angeles in the late 1960s and established a presence in Portland in the early 1980s. The gang has a loose hierarchical structure in which members have different amounts of power and influence based on age and gang activity. To maintain status and increase one’s position in the gang, members are expected to carry out violence on behalf of the enterprise.
The Hoovers are rivals with many Portland gangs, including multiple Blood and Crip sets, and are self-described “everybody killers.” Hoover members are expected to use violence to retaliate any perceived slight or actual act of violence against a Hoover member or ally.
Jones and Rhodes are longtime Hoover members who, together, have engaged in a 30-year pattern of violent racketeering activity. As senior members of the gang, Jones and Rhodes mentored younger members and new recruits, using them to conduct business and violence on behalf of the gang.
During trial, the government proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Jones murdered Wilbert Butler on September 17, 2017, in Portland. Jones was also proven to have engaged in multiple attempted murders, illegally possessed firearms as a convicted felon, and distributed controlled substances throughout the Portland area. Among other criminal acts, Rhodes was convicted of participating in the murder of Portland resident Kyle Polk on December 16, 2015, near a convenience store in southeast Portland.
On November 7, 2019, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a 13-count superseding indictment charging Jones, Rhodes, and two accomplices with racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence and causing death through the use of a firearm.
Jones and Rhodes face mandatory life sentences in federal prison. They will be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. McShane at a later date.
As part of the government’s ongoing investigation into the Hoover Criminal Gang’s racketeering activities, several other Hoover members and associates face pending federal charges or have been convicted and sentenced in federal court for crimes committed in support or on behalf of the gang’s criminal enterprise.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Portland Police Bureau, and Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Gresham Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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 prosecution is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the U.S. 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.
Irvington Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – An Irvington man was sentenced to 150 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute it.
According to court documents and evidence presented at a May 2022 jury trial, Vincent Vo Tran, 26, was arrested in May 2021 after one of his coconspirators led sheriff’s deputies on a high-speed chase that ended at Tran’s trailer in Irvington. During a search of the trailer, deputies recovered, among other things, a cache of guns and ammunition, including a Draco AK-style pistol found sitting underneath a digital scale covered in methamphetamine residue.
Later, in November 2021, deputies executed a search warrant at a house that Tran shared with his girlfriend and coconspirator in Mobile. Inside the house, deputies found, among other things, more than half a pound of 99.2% pure methamphetamine, more than 15 pounds of vacuum sealed marijuana, 3.5 grams cocaine, and bags of THC-infused gummies stuffed inside a children’s playpen. The jury reviewed evidence of drug distribution extracted from Tran’s cell phone, including text messages, drug ledgers, and photos and videos of drugs taken with the phone. Tran also admitted in an interview with deputies that he had recently been buying ounces of methamphetamine and named his supplier.
United States District Judge Kristi K. DuBose ordered Tran to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge DuBose ordered Tran to pay $200 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Roller and Lawrence Bullard prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Iowa City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug and Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – An Iowa City man, Angel Quintero Santos, age 22, a resident of Mexico who resided in Iowa City, was sentenced on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, to 60 months in prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Illegal Alien in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition. Following his imprisonment, Quintero Santos was ordered to serve four years of supervised release.
The Johnson County Drug Task Force (JCDTF) identified Quintero Santos as a distributor of, among other things, LSD, marijuana, THC wax, and psilocyn (mushrooms), following a drug overdose of a juvenile, who purchased LSD from Quintero Santos. Another juvenile admitted purchasing multiple controlled substances from Quintero Santos for approximately one month. Officers conducted an undercover purchase of LSD and THC wax from Quintero Santos. The following day, the JCDTF executed search warrants at Quintero Santos residence and his girlfriend’s residence and located multiple controlled substances, two firearms, ammunition, and extended magazines. One of the firearms had been reported stolen. In an interview, Quintero Santos admitted that he was illegally present in the United States. On April 4, 2022, Quintero Santos pleaded guilty.
United States Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Johnson County Drug Task Force, North Liberty Police Department, and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement investigated the case.
Investiture Ceremony Held for United States Attorney Mark TottenRead the Press Release
Upholding the rule of law, keeping the district safe, protecting Civil Rights top priorities
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Today, a formal investiture ceremony was held for United States Attorney Mark A. Totten at the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation. Chief United States District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou administered the ceremonial oath of office.
“My focus is on upholding the rule of law, keeping the district safe, and protecting Civil Rights,” Totten said during the ceremony, which was attended by judges, family, and members of the law enforcement, legal, and local communities.
Totten underscored his commitment to addressing violent crime, disrupting the trafficking of narcotics, and protecting democratic institutions.
“I am honored to serve as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan and lead a team of outstanding attorneys and support staff dedicated to protecting our state,” he said recognizing the hard work and dedication of his office.
Totten praised the partnerships his office has with local, state, federal, and tribal agencies. He also noted the importance of working together with the community to continue building trust and strengthening law enforcement and community relations.
As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Totten is the chief federal law enforcement officer in the Western District of Michigan. He supervises a staff of approximately 42 attorneys and 44 support staff. The District covers 49 counties, including the western half of Michigan’s lower peninsula and the whole of the upper peninsula. The main office is in Grand Rapids, but the District also has staffed offices in Lansing and Marquette, and an unstaffed office in Kalamazoo.
Totten was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he lives today. Most recently, he served as Chief Legal Counsel in the Executive Office of the Governor for the State of Michigan. Prior to entering government service, Totten was a law professor at Michigan State University from 2008-2018, where he taught criminal law and criminal procedure. From 2011-2013 he served part-time as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney handling criminal appeals in the office he now leads. He was a judicial law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and began his career as an attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Appellate Staff, in Washington, D.C. Totten received his B.A. from Cedarville College and his law degree and a Ph.D. in ethics from Yale University.
Totten was nominated by President Joe Biden on November 12, 2021, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him on April 27, 2022. Chief U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker previously administered the official oath of office May 5, 2022 at the federal courthouse in Grand Rapids.
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Indianapolis Police Sergeant Indicted for Using Excessive ForceRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Indianapolis, Indiana, returned an indictment yesterday charging an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department sergeant with violating the civil rights of an arrestee by using excessive force.
Sgt. Eric Huxley, 44, is charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law. The indictment alleges that on or about Sept. 24, 2021. Sergeant Huxley, wearing shoes, kicked an arrestee identified as J.V. in the head and face, without lawful justification. The indictment also alleges that the offense resulted in bodily injury to J.V. and involved the use of a dangerous weapon.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana and Special Agent in Charge Herbert Stapleton for the FBI Indianapolis Field Division made the announcement.
The FBI Indianapolis Field Division investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Preston for the Southern District of Indiana and Trial Attorney Alec Ward of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.