title: Former Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company Pleads Guilty

body_text: ABINGDON, Va. – A former senior partner at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm based in New York, N.Y., that last month agreed to pay $650 million to resolve criminal and civil investigations into the firm’s consulting work with opioids manufacturers, including Purdue Pharma, L.P., pled guilty today to obstructing justice related to his work on Purdue matters. Martin Elling, 60, a U.S. citizen residing in Bangkok, Thailand, waived his right to be indicted and pled guilty today to a one-count Information charging him with knowingly destroying records with the intent to impede, obstruct, and influence the investigation and proper administration of a matter within the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice. “Today’s guilty plea moves us forward in holding accountable not only those corporations responsible for the opioid crisis in America, but also the executives that have exacerbated the tragedy,” Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee said today. “This prosecution would not have been possible without the efforts of many- including the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Boston and here in the Western District of Virginia, but also the countless hours of work by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, the Department of Justice Civil Division, FDA, HHS, the Veteran’s Administration-OIG and the FBI. A matter this significant takes a team and we had a great one. I am thankful to each and every person who put in the time to make this prosecution happen.” “Mr. Elling’s guilty plea is a significant step in our ongoing efforts to address the full scope of misconduct that fueled the opioid epidemic. By attempting to obstruct and influence the investigation into McKinsey’s work with Purdue Pharma, Mr. Elling sought to undermine justice and shield evidence about his and McKinsey’s role in this devastating public health crisis,” said Joshua S. Levy, United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. “The Department of Justice remains steadfast in our resolve to ensure that those whose conduct contributed to this epidemic are held fully accountable for their actions.” “Knowingly destroying records and documents to impede a government investigation into the unlawful prescribing of opioids impairs the ability of law enforcement to do its job and endangers the public health,” said Special Agent in Charge George A. Scavdis of the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office. “We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who attempt to thwart these important investigations and whose actions put profits over patient safety.” “On the heels of a historic $650 million judgment against the world's largest consulting firm, I am pleased to see that those who knowingly obstructed justice will share in both the culpability and be held accountable for their actions,” said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. “The victims deserve to know the full truth and not a limited and antiseptic version of what happened. Justice deserves transparency and I am thankful to the US Department of Justice and Virginia's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their continued and exemplary work.” According to court documents, in May 2013, Purdue engaged McKinsey to recover lost OxyContin sales. Purdue retained McKinsey to conduct a rapid assessment of the underlying drivers of OxyContin performance, identify key opportunities to increase near-term OxyContin revenue and develop plans to capture priority opportunities. This 2013 effort was called Evolve to Excellence, or “E2E,” and included McKinsey advising Purdue on how to “turbocharge” the sales pipeline for OxyContin by, among other strategies, intensifying marketing to High Value Prescribers. Elling served as the director of the client services team for approximately 30 of McKinsey’s engagements with Purdue. He had a senior, relationship-focused role with respect to the E2E engagement and was involved in securing the engagement for McKinsey. On July 4, 2018, Elling emailed another senior partner: “Just saw in the FT that [Purdue board member] is being sued by states attorneys general for her role on the [Purdue] Board. It probably makes sense to have a quick conversation with the risk committee to see if we should be doing anything other [than] eliminating all our documents and emails. Suspect not but as things get tougher there someone might turn to us.” According to court documents, forensic analysis of Elling’s McKinsey-issued laptop found that Elling in fact deleted materials related to McKinsey’s work for Purdue from the laptop, as well as a Purdue-related folder from his Outlook email account. On August 22, 2018, Elling emailed himself an apparent to-do list, with the subject line, “When home.” The items listed included: “delete old pur [Purdue Pharma] documents from laptop[.]” Forensic analysis of Elling’s laptop by the Department of Justice’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section determined that between approximately April 2018 and September 2018, Elling removed a folder titled “Purdue” (which included a subfolder entitled “Strategy”) from his Windows operating system that contained more than 100 items for whom the filenames indicate they were from as far back as 2004 and included the name of the Purdue Pharma CEO at the time of the origination of the Purdue Pharma engagements with McKinsey. The CEO was among the former Purdue Pharma executives who, in 2007, pled guilty and was convicted of misbranding in United States District Court in Abingdon. On August 25, 2018, Elling emailed himself the following, “Remove Pur[due] folder from garbage[.]” Elling was aware of the investigations into Purdue Pharma’s conduct and knowingly deleted folders, documents, and emails from his McKinsey-issued laptop knowing these documents would be pertinent to those investigations. Elling is scheduled to be sentenced on April 4 at 1:00 p.m. and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The criminal case against Elling and McKinsey is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ramseyer of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia; Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda P. Masselam Strachan and William B. Brady of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts; Senior Trial Counsel Kristen M. Echemendia of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section); Trial Attorneys Jessica Harvey and Steven R. Scott of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch; and Special Assistant United States Attorneys and Assistant Attorneys General Kristin Gray and Kimberly Bolton of the Virginia Office of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The matter was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration - Office of Criminal Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Offices of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Office of Personnel Management, with assistance from the Department of Justice’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section.


title: Two Men Indicted In $3M Tax Fraud Conspiracy

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: ST. PAUL, Minn. – A 10-count indictment charges two defendants with conspiracy to defraud the United States and making false claims for over three million dollars in tax refunds, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to court documents, between approximately April 2022 and May 2023, Henry Remington Herod, 42, of Minneapolis, and Matthew McDowell, 44, of Port Allen, Louisiana, conspired to defraud the United States by preparing and filing false federal income tax returns for themselves and others. The returns included false employment, income, and tax credit information they knew to be false, and which resulted in large refunds the filing taxpayers were not entitled to. According to court documents, for tax year 2021, Herod prepared and filed false tax returns claiming refundable sick and family leave tax credits available to certain self-employed individuals unable to work due to COVID-19. For tax year 2022, Herod and McDowell prepared and filed false tax returns claiming refundable tax credits for federal taxes paid on fuel ostensibly used for off-highway business purposes. Collectively, the defendants knowingly and willfully completed and filed 115 fraudulent federal income tax returns, falsely claiming approximately $3,032,839 in tax refunds the filers were not entitled to. Herod and McDowell are each charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, and Herod is charged with nine counts of making false claims. Herod made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on December 12, 2024, and McDowell made his initial appearance on December 26, 2024; both defendants were released upon conditions. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the IRS, Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Murphy is prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Man Arrested After Threats to “Hunt Down” Corporate Executives and Their Families

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. – A Wendell man was arrested on a criminal complaint for the interstate communication of threats toward executives at Advanced Auto Parts. “Whether targeting a kid in a classroom or a boss in a boardroom, we won’t normalize violent threats meant to intimidate workers or strike fear in families. Threats to kill are not how we resolve differences in America, and it’s a federal crime,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. “We’ll take swift action against anyone threatening an American anywhere in the world for what they believe, how they pray, or where they work. Period.” According to court documents, on December 6, 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was contacted by Advance Auto Parts about threatening messages sent through the company’s website demanding the company change the “moron who administrates your app and webpage” and provided a deadline of December 25. If the company did not comply, the customer stated threats such as: “I live in Raleigh and am an expert sniper…I vow that I will hunt down your entire executive board and put bullets in their FAMILIES…there will be no stopping me from punishing your executives by murdering their families for refusing to improve the accuracy of your website search function.” The complaint alleges that, through investigative means, law enforcement determined that Edward Scott Huffman, 46 of Wendell, sent the messages. The complaint alleges that Huffman was interviewed and admitted to sending the messages. The complaint further alleges that, during a search of Huffman’s cellphone, law enforcement found a picture of a rifle mounted with a scope and a text message conversation in which Huffman stated he would have murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, if he was given $50,000 and a rifle that couldn’t be traced back to him. Huffman is charged with one count of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The FBI and Wendell Police Department are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonard Champaign is prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on our website . A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.


title: Justice Department Announces Results of Review and Evaluation of the Tulsa Race Massacre

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: Note : View Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke's remarks here. The Justice Department issued a report today on the Tulsa Race Massacre. The report documents the department’s findings, made during its review and evaluation of the Tulsa Race Massacre, undertaken pursuant to the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act. The Civil Rights Division previously announced it was undertaking this review during a Cold Case Convening held on Sept. 30, 2024. “The Tulsa Race Massacre stands out as a civil rights crime unique in its magnitude, barbarity, racist hostility and its utter annihilation of a thriving Black community,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “In 1921, white Tulsans murdered hundreds of residents of Greenwood, burned their homes and churches, looted their belongings, and locked the survivors in internment camps. Until this day, the Justice Department has not spoken publicly about this race massacre or officially accounted for the horrific events that transpired in Tulsa. This report breaks that silence by rigorous examination and a full accounting of one of the darkest episodes of our nation’s past. This report lays bare new information and shows that the massacre was the result not of uncontrolled mob violence, but of a coordinated, military-style attack on Greenwood. Now, more than 100 years later, there is no living perpetrator for the Justice Department to prosecute. But the historical reckoning for the massacre continues. This report reflects our commitment to the pursuit of justice and truth, even in the face of insurmountable obstacles. We issue this report with recognition of the courageous survivors who continue to share their testimonies, acknowledgement of those who tragically lost their lives and appreciation for other impacted individuals and advocates who collectively push for us to never forget this tragic chapter of America’s history.” The report documenting the department’s findings on the Tulsa Race Massacre, examines events that occurred between on May 31 and June 1, 1921, when white Tulsans mounted a concerted effort to destroy a vibrant Black community, remembered today as Black Wall Street. During the massacre, hundreds of Black residents were murdered, their businesses and homes burned to the ground and their money and personal property stolen. Survivors were left without resources or recourse. In the aftermath, the City of Tulsa resisted offers of meaningful help to the victims and utterly failed to provide necessary aid or assistance, and efforts to seek justice through the courts foundered. Despite the gravity of the department’s findings, it is clear that no avenue of prosecution now exists for crimes that occurred during the massacre — the youngest potential defendants would today be more than 115 years old, and the relevant statutes of limitations expired decades ago. Nevertheless, as the federal government’s first thorough reckoning with this devastating event, our review officially acknowledges, illuminates and preserves for history the horrible ordeals of the massacre’s victims. As antilynching advocate Ida B. Wells said, “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” This report aims to do just that. The Nature of the Review A team of career lawyers and investigators from the Emmett Till Cold Case Unit of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division conducted the review. Members of the unit spoke with survivors and with descendants of survivors, examined firsthand accounts of the massacre given by individuals who are now deceased, studied primary source materials, spoke to scholars of the massacre and reviewed legal pleadings, books, and scholarly articles relating to the massacre. The team produced a thorough, 123-page, sourced report. Factual Findings The review revealed that, on the night of May 31, 1921, a violent attack by as many as 10,000 white Tulsans destroyed Greenwood, a uniquely prosperous Black community. The attack was so systematic and coordinated that it transcended mere mob violence. The review found that the trigger for the violence of the Tulsa Race Massacre was the kind of unfounded condemnation that, at the time, was commonly employed to justify unspeakable treatment of Black men; a white man alleged that a Black man, 19-year-old Dick Rowland, assaulted a white woman who operated an elevator he used. After Rowland’s arrest, a local newspaper then sensationalized the story and, soon, a mob of white Tulsans gathered outside the courthouse, demanding a lynching. The local sheriff called on Black men from Greenwood, many recently returned from service during World War I, to come to the courthouse to prevent a lynching. The white mob saw this effort to protect Rowland as an unacceptable challenge to the social order. The mob grew. A confrontation broke out, and when someone fired a shot, horrific violence erupted. The Tulsa police deputized hundreds of white residents, many of whom — immediately before being awarded a badge — had been drinking and agitating for Rowland’s murder. Law enforcement officers helped organize these special deputies — as well as other white Tulsans — into the forces that would eventually ravage the Greenwood community. Violence was initially unorganized and opportunistic. But at daybreak on June 1, a whistle blew, and the violence and arsons that had been chaotic became systematic. White Tulsans, many of whom had recently drilled together as the “Home Guard,” formed to replace members of the National Guard who had gone overseas during the Great War, became organized and efficient in their destruction. They looted, burned and destroyed 35 city blocks while Greenwood’s residents tried desperately to defend their homes. As the fires consumed Greenwood, many Black families fled for their lives, leaving behind their homes and valuable items. White residents chased them across and beyond the city, taking into custody men, women, children, the elderly and the infirm, and looting the homes they left behind. The destruction of the district was total. The survivors were left with little to nothing. Law enforcement officers (both from the Tulsa Police and the National Guard) disarmed Black residents, confiscated their weapons and detained many in makeshift camps under armed guard. In addition, there are credible reports that at least some law enforcement officers did more than arrest and detain Black men; some participated in murder, arson and looting. After the devastation, city officials promised to help Greenwood rebuild, but the government of Tulsa not only failed to do so, it put up obstacles to residential reconstruction. White local leaders rejected outside aid, claiming they could handle the recovery, but then provided little to no financial support. Instead, claiming the area was best suited for industrial use, they imposed harsh new fire codes that priced residents out of the area. Legal Findings The department’s report concludes that, had today’s more robust civil rights laws been in effect in 1921, federal prosecutors could have pursued hate crime charges against the massacre’s perpetrators, including both public officials and private citizens. In addition, if modern interpretations of civil rights laws were in effect in 1921, police officers, public officials and any who acted in concert with such persons could have been prosecuted for willfully violating the civil rights of massacre victims. Many of these legal avenues, however, were not available in 1921. The few avenues for federal prosecution that were available in 1921 were not pursued. Now, the statute of limitations has expired for all federal civil rights offenses. Moreover, the team could find no living perpetrators, and prosecution under any law (federal or state) would almost certainly be foreclosed by the Constitution’s Confrontation Clause, which requires the government to provide live witnesses who can be cross examined by the accused. Such witnesses would need to have sufficient knowledge to prove a particular defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The report recognizes that some may find the department’s inability to prosecute a painful or dissatisfying outcome. However, the review recognizes and documents the horrible events that occurred as well as the trauma and loss suffered by the residents of Greenwood. While legal and practical limitations prevent the perpetrators of the crimes committed in 1921 from being held criminally accountable in a court of law, the historical reckoning continues. Legal limitations may have stymied the pursuit of justice, but work continues to ensure that future generations understand the scale and significance of this atrocity. Following issuance of the report, Assistant Attorney General Clarke will convene with members of the Greenwood District, survivors and descendants of the Tulsa Race Massacre, the Tulsa civil rights community and other stakeholders. For further information please contact the Office of Public Affairs. If you have information about a civil rights cold case, meaning a hate crime or other civil rights offense that resulted in death and that occurred on or before Dec. 31, 1980, please contact the Civil Rights Division’s Cold Case Unit at Coldcase.Civilrights@usdoj.gov .


title: Pitt County Man Who Brandished Gun at State Trooper After High-Speed Chase Sentenced to Nearly Nine Years in Prison

component: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. – A Pitt County man was sentenced to 107 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. On September 30, 2024, Kenneth Charles Kinard, age 35, pled guilty to the charge. “North Carolina’s State Troopers are some of the best trained law enforcement personnel in the nation,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. “They make split second decisions that save lives – keeping our families safe on the highways, rescuing stranded motorists, and recovering victims of human trafficking. Their jobs are dangerous enough as it is. When anyone draws, levels, or fires a gun at law enforcement, we’ll take swift action to hold felons accountable.” “This case highlights the ever-present dangers our troopers face as they go about their mission to protect the people of North Carolina,” said Commander of the State Highway Patrol, Colonel Freddy L. Johnson, Jr. “I am so very thankful that our members training, and quick thinking led to a positive outcome that day and the great work by our partners at the Department of Justice in the months since have brought about a conviction and this sentencing.” According to court documents and other information presented in court, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol attempted to stop Kinard for driving 90-mph in a 70-mph zone on I-587 in Pitt County. Kinard refused to stop and accelerated leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase. The chase ended in Farmville when Kinard abruptly stopped his car and fled on foot. As Kinard was fleeing, a Trooper observed Kinard carrying a handgun. During the pursuit, Kinard turned toward the Trooper brandishing the firearm. The Trooper repeatedly ordered Kinard to drop his weapon. Kinard refused to comply, and the Trooper ultimately discharged his firearm at Kinard, striking him in the leg and causing Kinard to fall to the ground and dropping the firearm, a Ruger 9mm handgun. Kinard was previously convicted of multiple counts of grand larceny and a felony-controlled substance violation in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF); Pitt County Sheriff’s Office; Greenville Police Department; North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation; and North Carolina State Highway Patrol investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phil Aubart and Lori Warlick prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-CR-37-BO-RJ.


title: Second Whiteville Man Sentenced to Nearly Six Years in Prison for Gunfire that Injured Pregnant Woman

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. – A Whiteville man was sentenced to 71 months in prison for possessing a firearm by a felon. On October 17, 2024, Robert Jamar Avant pled guilty to the charges. “This reckless shootout, adjacent to t-ball fields where hundreds of kids and parents were playing, left a pregnant woman shot and enduring an emergency c-section to save her baby. It is a miracle the baby survived, and the Whiteville Police Department deserves credit for their swift action on this case,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. “We’ve cemented firm partnerships with local law enforcement throughout Eastern North Carolina to shut down senseless violence that degrades communities and puts innocent lives at risk. Those partnerships led to a statutory maximum sentence against one of the shooters. We won’t stop fighting for our communities until every kid lives free from gun violence.” According to court records and evidence presented to the court, Robert Avant, 33, and his co-defendant, Dashaud Maultsby, opened fire on a group of men at the Sandy Ridge Apartment Complex in Whiteville on May 13, 2021. The incident began when Maultsby got into an argument with his girlfriend while at the apartment complex. After leaving the area, he returned with Avant and they began firing AR-15 rifles at an unidentified group of men, who then returned fire. Avant retreated to his vehicle while Maultsby continued shooting as he also moved towards the vehicle. In the process, Maultsby attempted to shoot with one hand as he got into the vehicle, but his rifle fell and discharged accidentally, hitting Avant in the head. The Whiteville Police Department (WPD) responded swiftly to the scene and found Avant injured from the gunshot wound while sitting in his vehicle. As officers tended to Avant, they noticed and secured his AR-15 rifle and a pistol that were located near his leg. Avant was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms. Avant was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Additionally, a pregnant woman was shot in the torso during the incident, which necessitated an emergency cesarean section to save her child's life. Following the events, WPD officers apprehended Maultsby and Avant. On June 6, 2024, Maultsby was sentenced to 10 years, the maximum sentence allowed by statute. His criminal history includes a prior conviction for attempted trafficking of opium. 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. Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Whiteville Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaren E. Kelly is prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for the case number 7:23-cr-00087.


title: Cleaning Service Owner Charged with Employment Tax Scheme and Other Crimes

component: Tax Division

body_text: A federal grand jury in Las Vegas returned an indictment earlier this week charging a former Nevada business owner for not paying employment taxes, not filing personal tax returns and obstructing justice. According to the indictment, Deborah Meadows, formerly of Las Vegas, owned and operated A to Z Employment Services LLC, which provided carpet, upholstery and roadside cleaning services in Nevada. Meadows allegedly was responsible for all financial matters related to the company, including for filing the company’s quarterly employment tax returns and withholding Social Security, Medicare and income taxes from her employees’ wages and paying those funds over to the IRS, as well paying the Social Security and Medicare taxes the company owed. From at least the fourth quarter of 2018 through the fourth quarter of 2020, Meadows allegedly withheld taxes from her employees’ wages, but did not pay over all those taxes to the IRS. In addition, from 2018 through 2021 Meadows also allegedly did not file his own personal tax returns as required by law. After the grand jury began its investigation, Meadows allegedly responded to a grand jury subpoena by providing altered bank records and inaccurate tax records. The altered bank records allegedly showed that AZ-TEC Restoration LLC, another company Meadows owned and operated, had made tax payments to the IRS, when in fact the company had not done so. She also provided inaccurate individual and employment tax returns that allegedly showed taxes paid to the IRS, when in fact Meadows knew at the time that this did not happen. If convicted, Meadows face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each employment tax charge, a maximum penalty of one year in prison for each failure to file an individual tax charge and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each obstruction charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Trial Attorney Regina Jeon and Assistant Chief Eric Powers of the Tax Division 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.


title: Independence Man Indicted for Meth Trafficking, Illegal Firearms

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., man who led police officers on a high-speed chase has been indicted by a federal grand jury for illegally possessing methamphetamine and four firearms. Clinton W. Davis, 36, was charged in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, Jan. 8. The federal indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Davis on Dec. 23, 2024. The federal indictment charges Davis with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms. According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Independence police officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop at approximately 2:23 a.m. on Dec. 8, 2024. Davis, who was driving a Honda Accord with an expired temporary license, accelerated and led officers in a high-speed chase that reached speeds up to 105 miles per hour on 23 rd Street in Independence. Shortly after Davis drove the Honda over stop sticks, or tire deflation devices, at 23 rd Street and Blue Ridge Cutoff, his vehicle was found in the grassy area near the entrance ramp to I-435 northbound from 23 rd Street. The Honda had four flat tires and Davis, according to a passenger in the vehicle, had fled on foot. Davis could not be located. Officers searched the Honda and found body armor and a backpack that contained a loaded Glock 9mm semi-automatic firearm and a Ruger .22-caliber semi-automatic firearm. The backpack also contained methamphetamine, mushrooms, and a drug ledger. On Dec. 20, 2024, officers were conducting surveillance of Davis and followed him as he drove a BMW, which officers later learned had been stolen during a residential burglary, to a gas station. The SWAT team moved in after Davis parked at a gas pump, with law enforcement vehicles blocking his escape by pulling in behind and in front of the BMW. Davis, who initially attempted to drive away, refused to get out of the vehicle. Officers deployed several rounds of CS gas into the vehicle, shattering the windows, as well as one bean bag that struck Davis in the arm. Davis eventually got out of the car and was taken into custody. Officers searched the BMW and found a loaded Smith & Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic firearm shoved between the driver’s seat and the center console. Officers also found a backpack that contained a loaded Ruger .45-caliber semi-automatic firearm that had been reported stolen, a box of .40-caliber ammunition, and methamphetamine. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Davis has two prior felony convictions for assault, as well as prior felony convictions for possessing methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashleigh A. Ragner. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department. Project Safe Neighborhoods 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.


title: Armed Robber from New York Sentenced to 10 Years

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. – A New York man was sentenced to 120 months in prison for robbing Lowest Price Tobacco and Vape in Knightdale. On September 19, 2024, Mekhi Marquise Hooi pled guilty to Hobbs Act Robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. According to court documents and other information presented in court, Mekhi Hooi, 20, entered the Lowest Price Tobacco and Vape in Knightdale. Hooi then charged the clerk while brandishing a 9mm firearm, and demanding the clerk put money and tobacco products in a bag. During the robbery, Hooi threatened to shoot the clerk if he did not move faster. Hooi fled the scene and was ultimately apprehended in New York City and extradited to North Carolina to face his charges here. Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Knightdale Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles E. Loeser prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-62-D-RN.


title: KC Sex Offender Indicted for Child Pornography

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who is a registered sex offender has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to child pornography. Bryan Keith Rice, 50, was charged in a five-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Rice is required to register as a sex offender due to his prior felony conviction for possessing child pornography. The federal indictment charges Rice with three counts of transporting child pornography across state lines, one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison D. Dunning. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigation, the Platte County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and the Jackson County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department. Project Safe Childhood This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."


title: Florida Man Sentenced to 41 Months For Stealing COVID-19 Relief Funds

component: USAO - Colorado

body_text: DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Fredrick Mendez, 45, of Boca Raton, Florida, was sentenced to 41 months in prison and three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,589,565.75 after pleading guilty to wire fraud. On March 27, 2020, the President of the United States signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, which provided emergency assistance to small business owners suffering adverse economic effects caused by the Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic. The CARES Act created Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), a program administered by the Small Business Administration that provided loans to small businesses to retain workers, maintain payroll, and certain other expenses consistent with PPP rules. The CARES Act also expanded the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (“EIDL”) to provide funding to help small businesses recover from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the plea agreement, from approximately March 2020 through November 2021, Mendez prepared and submitted fraudulent EIDL and PPP applications on behalf of the following business entities: SkyWorth Technical Solutions Inc., Northern Technology Inc., Acumen Energy Group Inc., and Acumen Holding Group, LLC. These applications contained materially false statements, including false representations about the entities’ number of employees, gross revenues, and cost of goods sold; Mendez further falsely certified that the information provided in the EIDL applications was true and accurate and that the funds would be used for working capital and other normal operating business expenses when, in fact, he used the bulk of the proceeds for his personal benefit. “This defendant lied and stole government funds meant to help people struggling in the COVID-19 pandemic,” said United States Attorney Matt Kirsch. “Our office continues to identify and prosecute people who stole taxpayer dollars during a time of crisis.” “This prison sentence and forfeiture order should serve as another strong deterrent against pandemic-related fraud,” said Marc DellaSala, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service Denver Field Office. “Our pursuit of criminals stealing from government aid programs intended for struggling small businesses and families will not tire. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our Pandemic Fraud Task Force partners for their continued dedication to protecting America’s financial infrastructure.” The defendant was sentenced by United States District Court Judge S. Kato Crews. The United States Secret Service handled the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Cassidy handled the prosecution. On July 11, 2023, the Attorney General selected the District of Colorado’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of five national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. The Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors, as well as those who committed multiple instances of pandemic relief fraud. The Strike Force uses prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. Additional information regarding the Strike Force may be found at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-results-nationwide-covid-19-fraud-enforcement-action . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form


title: New Orleans Man Sentenced for Federal Gun and and Drug Charges

body_text: NEW ORLEANS , LOUISIANA – DERICK GETTRIDGE , age 27, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on December 17, 2024, by United States District Judge Brandon S. Long, after previously pleading guilty to Counts 1 and 2 of an indictment. The indictment charged GETTRIDGE with possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(D) (Count 1); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(a)(A) (Count 2). GETTRIDGE was sentenced to a total of 63 months in prison, comprising of 3 months for Count 1 and 60 months for Count 2, to be served consecutively. Additionally, Judge Long ordered a 4-year term of supervised release and imposed a mandatory special assessment fee of $200. According to court documents, New Orleans Police Department officers stopped GETTRIDGE for traffic violations. During a search of his vehicle, the officers found three digital scales, sandwich baggies, and two Glock pistols, which GETTRIDGE admitted that he possessed in the furtherance of his narcotics trafficking. Police officers also discovered $892.00 in U.S. currency in GETTRIDGE’s pocket. 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. U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Troy Bell of the Violent Crimes Unit.


title: Tennessee man admits selling unapproved drugs used in bodybuilding through his Kalispell business known as Rat’s Army

component: USAO - Montana

body_text: MISSOULA — A Tennessee man accused of creating and selling unapproved drugs for use in bodybuilding from his Kalispell business known as Rat’s Army admitted to a federal crime on Jan. 9, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today. The defendant, Tyler Jordan Hall, 31, of Greenville, Tennessee, was arraigned on and pleaded guilty to an information charging him with introduction of unapproved drugs into interstate commerce. Hall faces a maximum of three years in prison, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release. U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. Sentencing was set for May 15 before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Hall was released pending further proceedings. The government alleged in court documents that from June 2020 through March 2022, Hall operated a business in Kalispell known as Rat’s Army, LLC, to import, create, bottle and label drugs. Hall marketed these substances to individuals in the bodybuilding and fitness community to increase muscle mass, reduce body fat and counter the unwanted side effects of using bodybuilding drugs. Hall regularly caused the introduction of unapproved new drugs containing Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs) and other active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) into interstate commerce. Many of these substances were not safe for human use except for under the supervision of a practitioner licensed to administer prescription drugs. Some drugs were of similar composition to Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs, which require special boxed warnings in their labeling emphasizing serious potential side effects, including pulmonary embolism. The government further alleged that Hall obtained proceeds of approximately $3,805,470 from Rat’s Army. This income was, at least in part, from the sale of unapproved drugs, including Raloxifene, Tamoxifen and Pramipexole, in interstate commerce. Hall knowingly took steps to mislead and defraud United States regulatory agencies, including the FDA, about the true nature of products he was selling on the Rat’s Army website. Hall falsely portrayed his products as “research chemicals” and “not for human consumption,” despite knowing and intending that the products were for human ingestion to affect the structure and function of their bodies. Hall also took steps to mislead and defraud consumers to whom he was offering the sale of these drugs by posting misleading Certificates of Analysis on the website to convince consumers that Rat’s Army was manufacturing products which were legitimate and safe to consume. Hall knew the substances he was distributing required prescriptions, but he falsely claimed, “you do not need a doctor to write a prescription” or “access to a pharmacy, or pharmacist” to obtain products through Rat’s Army. He repeatedly held out his company as a “pharmaceutical manufacturing” business, but he was not a pharmacist, nor did he ever employ a licensed pharmacist at Rat’s Army. And Hall never registered Rat’s Army with the FDA as a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility as is required. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FDA conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Serial Fraudster Sentenced Again

component: Criminal - Office of International Affairs

body_text: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that JOHN VOLOSHIN, also known as “Josh Thomas,” 69, formerly of New Haven and Woodbridge, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to approximately 41 months of imprisonment, time already served, and three years of supervised release, for fraud and identity theft offenses. Judge Chatigny ordered Voloshin to serve the first six months of supervised release in a halfway house. According to court documents and statements made in court, in May 2012, Voloshin was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 33 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for operating multiple fraud schemes that caused losses of more than $1.5 million to individuals and lenders. He was released from prison in May 2014. In November 2014, he was sentenced to an additional nine months of imprisonment for violating the terms and conditions of his federal supervised release for repeatedly lying to his supervising probation officer by concocting a bogus job for a real estate concern in London. He was released from prison in June 2015. In the fall of 2015, Voloshin engaged in another fraud scheme by soliciting money from individuals and falsely representing that the money would be fully invested to generate very high returns. In November 2017, he was sentenced to 27 months of imprisonment for the offense and for violating his supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $275,000 in restitution, in addition to his restitution obligation from his 2012 conviction. He was released from prison in May 2018. Between January and April 2019, Voloshin defrauded a company in Bloomfield that provided accounting and tax preparation services to individuals and companies. Voloshin stole blank checks for both the company’s business account and the company owner’s personal account, forged the owner’s name on the checks, and negotiated the checks for his own benefit. Voloshin also stole and negotiated checks and money orders that were written out as payment by third parties to the company. As part of the scheme, Voloshin incorporated an entity in Wyoming with a name very similar to that of the company, opened a bank account in the name of the sham company, deposited misappropriated checks into the account, and used the stolen funds for his own benefit. Through this scheme, Voloshin defrauded victims of $56,548.71. On September 23, 2020, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Voloshin. He was arrested on July 14, 2021, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and had been detained since his arrest. On May 30, 2024, he pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Judge Chatigny ordered Voloshin to make full restitution. This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Bloomfield Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David T. Huang and Sean P. Mahard. U.S. Attorney Avery thanked Interpol and Brazilian authorities for their assistance in apprehending Voloshin, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for coordinating the extradition proceedings in this matter.


title: 40 Years for Drug Trafficker Linked to Murder, Dismemberment, and Disposal of Confidential Informant

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. – A Goldsboro drug trafficker was sentenced to 480 months in prison for conspiracy and trafficking significant quantities of methamphetamine. The lengthy sentence was imposed due to his previous criminal history and the evidence tying him to the murder, dismemberment, and disposal of a confidential informant during the course of the investigation. On August 29, 2024, Tamarcus Shaquan Ellis, age 34, was convicted by a federal jury for one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and two counts of distribution of five grams or more of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting. Ellis is facing state charges of first-degree murder and concealment of body. “We won’t tolerate drug traffickers using violence, surveillance, and intimidation to dodge accountability and undermine the safety and dignity of American communities,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. “Ellis’ large-scale trafficking and ties to the gruesome murder of an informant – dismembered, wrapped in a tarp, and set on fire – have put him in federal prison for the next forty years. This U.S. Attorney’s Office is home to one of the most aggressive counter-narcotics teams in the nation. We won’t flinch or be intimidated by drug traffickers, here or abroad, using violence to protect their turf. Victims and their families deserve it and the well-being of our community demands it.” “The level of violence uncovered in this investigation was disturbing and bringing an end to this network of drugs, crime, and intimidation was a top priority,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “ATF and our law enforcement partners are proud to know that this dangerous individual is no longer a threat to our community.” “The successful federal prosecution of this dangerous individual demonstrates the unwavering commitment of law enforcement to protect our community from violence and the devastation caused by drugs. Together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, we will continue to pursue justice for victims and ensure that those who bring harm to our city are held accountable,” said Goldsboro Police Chief Michael West. According to court documents and other information presented in court, the ATF was investigating Ellis as part of an operation targeting crystal methamphetamine dealers operating in Goldsboro and Jacksonville in early 2021. By late March 2021, the ATF had arrested a number of high-level methamphetamine traffickers and began targeting Ellis’ drug trafficking organization. Over the course of multiple months in the Spring of 2021, investigators used a confidential source to make controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Ellis’ organization. Due to the number of takedowns of other methamphetamine traffickers in February and March of 2021, Ellis went to great lengths to avoid direct involvement in the drug transactions through his use of low-level underlings in his organization to deliver the drugs while he monitored the drug deal from nearby. In addition to counter-surveilling buy locations for law enforcement presence, Ellis made last minute changes to the buy location in order to limit the risk of detection. In one instance, Ellis changed the location from Goldsboro to LaGrange, which is approximately ten miles away. At trial, the Government presented evidence that Ellis’s cell phone hit various cell phone towers en route to LaGrange during this drug deal. The underlings testified at trial that Ellis supplied them with drugs for the delivery to the confidential source. In a sentencing memorandum supporting the imposition of a life sentence and at the sentencing hearing, prosecutors outlined evidence related to Ellis’s role in the dismemberment and disposal of the body of the confidential source used in the case. According to the details of the memorandum and evidence presented at sentencing, the torso of a woman’s body was dumped in the driveway of a residence on Bright Street in Goldsboro just before midnight on May 24, 2021. The torso, which had been set on fire, was determined to be a confidential source used to make controlled purchases from Ellis. Review of video footage showed Ellis’s white Ford Ranger pickup truck entering the driveway of the residence with the torso wrapped in a tarp in the back of the pickup truck. Footage from a nearby pole camera shows what appears to be Ellis and another individual dragging the tarp from the truck and dumping the torso on the ground. The pickup truck then traveled to Ellis’s loft apartment in downtown Goldsboro. At approximately 12:33 a.m. on May 24, 2021, a person believed to be Ellis is seen leaving his loft apartment, entering the Tahoe he used during counter-surveillance, returning to the Bright Street location, dumping an accelerate on the torso and lighting it on fire. The Tahoe is then shown on downtown security cameras returning the Ellis’s loft. Later that day, Ellis was stopped driving the white pickup (which had a unique sticker on its back window) seen in the surveillance video. After obtaining a search warrant, officers with the Goldsboro Police Department searched Ellis’ residence and a Rap Studio he owned. At the residence, they found two loaded guns and over $63,000 in cash. At the Rap Studio, they found a large amount of human blood and a bullet lodged in the floor. The DNA profile of the blood was linked to the deceased confidential source. This prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The ATF and the Goldsboro Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis Duffy and Evelyn Yarborough prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-CR-273-FL.


title: Former Cruise Line Employee Guilty of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on January 8, 2025, ABDUL ROUVOOF SHAIK (“SHAIK”) , age 30, a Republic of India national, pled guilty to Possession of Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(4)(B) and (b)(2). SHAIK faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, a period of supervised release of up to life, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee. According to court documents, SHAIK was previously employed by Carnival Cruise Lines and was arrested in July 2024 after special agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, found SHAIK in possession of child pornography at the Erato Street Cruise Terminal in New Orleans. Sentencing in this matter is scheduled for April 16, 2025 before United States District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.


title: The City of New York and Queens Borough Public Library Settle Federal Claims That the Hunters Point Branch Failed to Comply With the Americans With Disabilities Act

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced today a settlement agreement with the Queens Borough Public Library (QBPL) and the City of New York (the City) to resolve violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA) at the Hunters Point Library Branch of the QBPL (the HPL Branch). The ADA applies to QBPL because it is a “public accommodation” as defined by Title III of the ADA and to the City because it is a “public entity.” Title II and Title III of the ADA require that newly constructed public accommodations are accessible to individuals with mobility impairments. “The design and construction of the Hunters Point Library Branch of the Queens Borough Public Library blatantly violated the ADA’s requirement that individuals with disabilities have equal access to public accommodations,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Today’s settlement agreement ensures that access. My Office will continue to enforce the ADA and its protections against discrimination for people with disabilities.” The HPL Branch, located at 47-40 Center Boulevard in Long Island City, Queens, was designed by Steven Holl Architects pursuant to a contract with the City. Construction was completed in the fall of 2019. Among the library’s unique architectural features is a two-story high, five-tiered mezzanine area intended to house HPL’s periodical and adult fiction sections. However, only the top and bottom tiers are accessible to individuals with mobility impairments, in violation of the ADA. The United States conducted an ADA compliance review in December 2019 of the HPL Branch shortly after it opened. That review identified approximately 95 violations of the ADA’s accessibility requirements which the City and QBPL have now agreed to remediate. Among the work that the City and QBPL will perform is construction of a platform lift from the fifth tier to the fourth tier of the Mezzanine area and a skywalk/skybridge to the third tier. The platform lift and skywalk/skybridge will provide stair-free access to the third and fourth tiers. QBPL will not house any portion of the HPL collection on the second tier of the Mezzanine Tiers so long as that tier remains inaccessible to people with mobility disabilities. Additional remediation will include creating wheelchair accessible spaces in the children’s area and the rooftop terrace. Under the terms of the agreement, all remediation work will be completed within five years. This matter is being handled by the Office’s Civil Division Civil Rights Chief Michael J. Goldberger.


title: James M. Warden, Longest-Serving Assistant U.S. Attorney in the History of the Southern District of Indiana, Retires After Nearly 40 Years of Public Service

component: USAO - Indiana, Southern

body_text: INDIANAPOLIS— Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana issued the following statement on the retirement of Assistant United States Attorney, James M. Warden. “Jim Warden is one of the finest and most dedicated public servants I’ve had the privilege to know. Throughout his career he has demonstrated tremendous commitment to the protecting the public, and holding offenders accountable for the harm they cause in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Myers. “Jim took on many of the most complex and serious prosecutions our office handled, working to master technical issues while representing the United States with unfailing civility and wit. Several generations of prosecutors, professional staff, and agents have benefited from his mentorship, wise counsel, and generosity with his time. I wish Jim and his family nothing but the best in his next chapter and am fortunate to call him a friend.” Mr. Warden is a native of Bloomington and began serving as an U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana on May 20, 1985, after being selected by then-U.S. Attorney John D. Tinder. Warden retires as the longest-ever serving attorney in the Office’s ninety-seven-year history. His tremendous career spanned seven different Presidentially appointed U.S. Attorneys and twelve Presidentially appointed Attorneys General. As a federal prosecutor, Warden led investigations and prosecutions of a wide variety of offenses, specializing in prosecution of criminal tax violations, complex frauds, violent crime, and public corruption. Throughout his illustrious career, James Warden has led the Office in prosecuting many ‘firsts,’ including the office’s first money laundering and currency transaction structuring cases. In 1999, Warden secured the district’s first car-jacking conviction . Warden prosecuted numerous bank robbers, including the Curry Brothers , who robbed four Indiana banks in 2008 and stole over a million dollars before being convicted and sent to federal prison—Daniel Curry was sentenced to 90 years after his conviction at trial. Warden secured major convictions against many public officials, including former Marion County Chief Deputy Prosecutor David Wyser , who accepted a $2,500 bribe in exchange for approving the early release of a convicted killer in 2013. Warden also served for many years as the office’s lead prosecutor for criminal offenses arising from the Bureau of Prisons’ Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, including murders , assaults against staff, official corruption, and trafficking of weapons and other contraband offenses. In addition to his accomplishments as a federal prosecutor Warden founded and chaired the Indiana Bank Fraud Working Group for 35 years, led several other financial crime task forces, and mentored and trained many colleagues and investigators along the way. Warden earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana University-Bloomington in 1974, and his law degree from the Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis in 1977. He began his legal career as a municipal court public defender in Marion County, before serving for two years as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Hancock County. He served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Marion County from 1979 until joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he held several supervisory and leadership positions, including as lead prosecutor for the white-collar crime unit and grand jury division. Warden proudly and honorably served his country for over thirty years in the United States Navy, rising to the rank of Captain and serving as a military judge. ###


title: Sarasota Doctor Indicted For Coercion And Enticement Of Sexual Activity By A Minor And Production Of Child Sex Abuse Material

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Pete Supan (35, Bradenton) with coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and production of child sex abuse material. If convicted on all counts, Supan faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. According to the indictment, Supan coerced and enticed an individual under the age of 18 to engage in sexual activity. He also persuaded, induced, enticed, or coerced the minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Derry. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.


title: Hampton Woman Pleads Guilty to $161 Million Mortgage Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - Georgia, Northern

body_text: ATLANTA - Kimberly Johnson has pleaded guilty for her role in a mortgage fraud scheme spanning more than three years and resulting in the approval of approximately 450 mortgage loans based on fabricated documents and false information. Many of the loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), resulting in claims being paid for mortgages that have defaulted. “The defendant and her co-conspirators brazenly manipulated the real estate lending process out of sheer greed,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan. “Criminals like Johnson, who engage in mortgage fraud, threaten the soundness of the real estate market in our communities. Our office is committed to prosecuting these bad actors who abuse the system for their personal gain and to safeguard the mortgage lending system for those who rely on this financial support.” “Kimberly Johnson engaged in a massive mortgage fraud scheme, fabricating material documents on over 450 loans to falsely qualify individuals for loans they would not have otherwise qualified for,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Jerome Winkle with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG). “When individuals commit fraud against federally funded programs, it creates significant risks to the programs and limits the financial resources available to assist hard working individuals realize the American dream of homeownership. HUD OIG will continue to work with its prosecutorial and law enforcement partners to vigorously pursue those who seek to profit by abusing HUD-funded programs.” “Ms. Johnson’s guilty plea is the result of our commitment to hold anyone who exploits the mortgage lending system for personal gain fully accountable,” said Edwin S. Bonano, Special Agent in Charge of FHFA-OIG’s Southeast Region. “This case highlights the importance of collaboration between our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the housing market and prevent fraud that undermines public trust.” “The defendant in this case pleaded guilty for her role in altering and fabricating supporting documents in fraudulent mortgage loan applications, as part of a scheme that resulted in the approval of approximately 450 mortgage loans,” said Kyle A. Myles, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC OIG), Atlanta Region. “The FDIC OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement colleagues to investigate those who commit fraudulent acts and threaten to undermine the safety and soundness of our nation’s financial system.” “The FBI will vigorously investigate criminal offenses that impact the integrity of the residential mortgage market. In this case, Johnson had the duty to conduct business honestly but instead chose to engage in mortgage fraud, securing mortgages for individuals who otherwise would not have qualified for one,” said Sean Burke, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We are proud to have worked with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the effort to prosecute anyone who engages in this type of misconduct.” According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Kimberly Johnson participated in a conspiracy in which homebuyers and mortgage brokers submitted fraudulent loan applications to induce mortgage lenders to fund mortgages. Johnson’s role in the scheme was to alter or fabricate the supporting documents for the loans, including bank statements, pay stubs and Forms W-2. Over the course of more than three years, Johnson helped approximately 450 homebuyers to commit mortgage fraud by obtaining loans for which they were unqualified. The fraudulent loan applications were submitted to numerous mortgage lenders, and some of the mortgage brokers who worked on obtaining the loans were part of the conspiracy. These fraudulent loans totaled approximately $161 million. Many of those loans have already defaulted. Kimberly Johnson, 55, of Hampton, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States in a mortgage fraud scheme and, as part of her plea, has agreed to pay restitution to the victims of the conspiracy, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which insures many of the residential mortgages in the United States. Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Geraghty. This case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General, the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Prout is prosecuting the case. For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga .


title: North Louisiana Man Convicted by Federal Jury of Sexual Exploitation, Trafficking and Production of Child Pornography Involving Children in the Philippines

component: USAO - Louisiana, Western

body_text: MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Richard Dean Hicks , 68, of Pioneer, Louisiana, has been convicted by a jury in Monroe following a three-day trial. United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty presided over the trial. Hicks was charged in a superseding indictment September 27, 2023, with attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of sex trafficking of a minor, one count of promotion and solicitation of child pornography and five counts of attempted production of child pornography. The charges in the indictment stemmed from a nationwide investigation that began in 2012 into individuals who were soliciting child sex traffickers in the Philippines to share child sexual abusive material (CSAM) via live stream video. The individuals under investigation paid money for the child sex traffickers in the Philippines to sexually abuse children, while they watched and directed the sex trafficker’s sexual abuse of the children. Through this investigation, agents with Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant at a residence in Philadelphia. As a result of evidence obtained, agents were able to identify an individual in the Philippines who was selling the sexually explicit live webcam shows of female adults engaging in the sexual abuse of underage children. Further investigation led to the identification of an individual in Louisiana, later identified as Hicks, who had been communicating with multiple females in the Philippines. From December 2017 through July 2020, Hicks and the females in the Philippines shared approximately 500 text messages and live video Skype calls wherein Hicks would pay the Philippine females to sexually abuse children as young as 5 years of age while he watched and told the women the type of sexual abuse he wanted them to perform on the children. Evidence was introduced at trial proving that Hicks had communicated with these females in the Philippines via text messages and Skype video calls and paid money through Western Union on numerous occasions to view these individuals performing sexually explicit acts with underage children. The payments ranged from $25 to $120. On May 31, 2022, agents obtained a federal search warrant for Hicks’ residence in Pioneer, Louisiana, and seized all of his computers and other electronic equipment used to participate in watching these sex shows in exchange for money. The jury took just 2½ hours to reach their verdict of guilty on all counts in the indictment. Hicks was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service immediately following the verdict. Hicks faces a sentence not less than 15 years and up to life in prison, followed by up to lifetime supervised release, and a fine of up to $ 250,000. His sentencing will be set at a later date. “This case involves some of the most heinous forms of child abuse that we have seen,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “It is because of the determination and hard work of the agents with Homeland Security Investigations that this international investigation led to north Louisiana and the home of this defendant. Children should never be exposed to this kind of abuse and it is our calling to continue fighting to stop this kind of illegal activity by defendants like Hicks.” "This type of abuse is uniquely insidious. Criminal buyers like Hicks pay to direct adults to sexually abuse children in other countries on livestreams that are challenging for investigators to find and disrupt. Despite the complexity of this case the jury saw the magnitude of the crime and their verdict sends the message those who victimize children will be held accountable. HSI will never cease in our efforts to dismantle these abuse networks and seek justice for the children they victimize,” said Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune for Homeland Security Investigations New Orleans. The defendant who was arrested in Philadelphia was sentenced to 228 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release. The female subjects in the Philippines are still the subject of a joint ongoing investigation with the Philippines and U.S. law enforcement. Numerous other females have been arrested. Pursuant to this investigation, there have been over 300 children rescued to date. The case was investigated by HSI New Orleans with assistance from HSI New England, divisions of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Casey N. Richmond and J. Luke Walker. This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678 . # # #


title: Jacksonville Man Sentenced To Fifteen Years As An Armed Career Criminal

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – Senior United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Jucory Randell Kirtsey (44, Jacksonville) to 15 years in federal prison for possessing of a firearm as a convicted felon. Kirtsey qualified for an enhanced sentence as an Armed Career Criminal. He entered a guilty plea on September 5, 2024. According to court documents, on September 6, 2023, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Kirtsey’s residence due to narcotics activity. Officers located a loaded Taurus pistol inside the home. Kirtsey later admitted to possessing the pistol. As a convicted felon, Kirtsey is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. Kirtsey’s criminal history includes more than 10 felony convictions involving narcotic sales and trafficking. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro. 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.


title: Stillwater Man Convicted for Possession of Methamphetamine

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: TULSA, Okla. – A federal jury convicted Flint Donavan Luster, 36, was convicted of Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. “This investigation shows the collaborative effort of law enforcement working together to keep the citizens in our communities safe by keeping drugs off our streets,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. In September 2023, Luster was pulled over by a Tulsa County Sheriff’s deputy for a traffic violation. The deputy learned the truck was stolen and took Luster into custody. Upon search of the truck, deputies found more than 400 grams of methamphetamine inside. Evidence presented at trial showed a search warrant was conducted on Luster's home. Law enforcement found cash, scales, firearms, and additional methamphetamine. Luster will remain in federal custody pending sentencing at a later date. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Payne County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Bailey and Attila Bogdan prosecuted the case.


title: Chairman of High Times’ Parent Agrees to Plead Guilty in Scheme to Give Undisclosed Payments to Analyst Touting its Securities Offering

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – The founder and chairman of Hightimes Holding Corp., the company that publishes High Times magazine, has agreed to plead guilty to joining a criminal conspiracy to pay more than $150,000 in undisclosed compensation to an analyst for an investment newsletter that touted its stock and assisted Hightimes in raising at least $6 million. Adam Levin, 45, of Marina Del Rey, was charged last month with one count of conspiracy to tout securities for undisclosed compensation. In a plea agreement filed December 20, Levin agreed to plead guilty to that felony offense. Levin is scheduled to appear January 14 in United States District Court to make his initial appearance in this case. Levin is the fourth defendant to be charged in this scheme in which companies paid the analyst at “Palm Beach Venture,” an investment newsletter with subscribers nationwide. That analyst, Jonathan William Mikula – along with his associate, Christian Fernandez, who acted as a money launderer for the scheme; and Raj Beri, the CEO of a Beverly Hills company who brokered deals for undisclosed payments by other issuers, each received a portion of the payments. Mikula, Fernandez and Beri each pleaded guilty last year and are scheduled to be sentenced in July. The payments made by executives such as Levin were in exchange for Palm Beach Venture publishing promotional pieces for securities offerings, according to court documents. Federal law requires full and public disclosure from anyone who has received payment – directly or indirectly – from an issuer for publishing, publicizing or circulating any advertisement or communication that describes the issuer’s security offered for sale. According to Levin’s plea agreement, in 2020 and 2021, “Hightimes raised approximately $20 million from more than 10 investor-victims, with at least $6 million in investment proceeds associated with Palm Beach Venture’s promotion.” In exchange for the favorable articles in the newsletter, Levin admitted he paid $150,000 via wire transfers, as well as tens of thousands of dollars for entertainment expenses. To conceal the scheme, Levin entered into a sham “marketing agreement” and routed the payments through a Canadian bank to a shell company in Canada, according to the plea agreement. Mikula then caused Palm Beach Venture to promote Hightimes’ securities offering on April 6 and September 23 in 2020 in articles that falsely stated, “Neither the Palm Beach Research Group nor its affiliates receive compensation for bringing this deal to you,” the plea agreement states. Levin also admitted that he lied to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission when he denied knowing that he entered into a “pay-for-play arrangement.” The FBI is investigating this matter. The SEC filed a civil action against Hightimes that was resolved in 2023 with Hightimes agreeing to a cease-and-desist order and paying a penalty of $558,071. Any investors who believe they are a victim of the crimes in this scheme are encouraged to go to https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/united-states-v-jonathan-william-mikula-christian-fernandez-and-amit-raj-beri for further information and updates regarding this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Adam P. Schleifer of the Corporate and Securities Fraud Strike Force is prosecuting this case.


title: Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison

body_text: FORT WAYNE – Zavian I. Kizer, 23 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after he pled guilty to distributing and possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson. Kizer was sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release. According to documents in the case, from 2020 through 2022, Kizer obtained fentanyl pills in Arizona for transportation and distribution in the Northern District of Indiana. He had recruited various individuals to transport the pills to Indiana and thereafter ship the money back to Arizona. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Fort Wayne Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which includes the Indiana State Police, the Allen County Sheriff’s Department, and the Fort Wayne Police Department, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s North Central Laboratory, the Phoenix (Arizona) Police Department, the Glendale (Arizona) Police Department, and the Allen County (Indiana) Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony W. Geller and Lesley J. Miller Lowery. This case was part 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 United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Former President of Asphalt Paving Company Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging

component: Antitrust Division

body_text: The former president of a Michigan asphalt paving company pleaded guilty Wednesday for his role in a conspiracy to rig bids for asphalt paving services contracts in Michigan. According to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Timothy Baugher, former president of Pontiac-based Asphalt Specialists LLC (ASI), conspired with F. Allied Construction Company Inc. (Allied), and employees from those companies to rig bids in each other’s favor. Baugher participated in the conspiracy from July 2017 through May 2021. Wednesday’s guilty plea is the 10th in the Antitrust Division’s ongoing investigation into collusion in the Michigan asphalt paving industry. Baugher’s former employer, ASI, and another former ASI executive also pleaded guilty for their participation in the conspiracy with Allied in January 2024. Allied and two of its executives previously pleaded guilty in August 2023 for their participation in the conspiracy. On Aug. 15, 2024, ASI was sentenced to pay a fine of $6,500,000. Under the terms of the conspiracy, the co-conspirators coordinated each other’s bid prices so that the agreed-upon losing company would submit intentionally non-competitive bids. These bids gave customers the false impression of competition when, in fact, the co-conspirators already had decided among themselves who would win the contracts. “Americans deserve to pay a fair, competitive price to fix transportation infrastructure,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Doha Mekki of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The division and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold accountable executives who cheat consumers by undermining the competitive process.” “Fair and open marketplace competition is essential in providing consumers and taxpayers the integrity expected in procuring contracts funded with public dollars” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony Licari of the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General, Midwestern Region. “Corporate executives who collude to fixing prices and rigging bids will be held accountable.” “Activities related to bid-rigging and collusion do not promote an environment conducive to open competition which harms the consumer,” said Executive Special Agent in Charge Kenneth Cleevely of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. “The guilty plea in this case represents a win for all law enforcement agencies who investigate those who engage in this type of harmful conduct to ensure that justice is served." Baugher pleaded guilty to one count of violating Section 1 of the Sherman Act. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine for the charge. The maximum penalty for corporations is a $100 million criminal fine. The fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Wednesday’s guilty plea resulted from an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct in the asphalt paving services industry being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office and the Offices of Inspectors General for the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Postal Service. Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258 or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations .


title: Armed Bank Robbery Lands Oklahoma City Man in Federal Prison for More Than a Decade

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Western

body_text: OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday, AKIN ZHON WOFFORD , 29, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to serve 135 months in federal prison for armed bank robbery and possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. On February 7, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a two-count Indictment against Wofford, charging him with armed bank robbery and possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. On August 21, 2024, a federal jury convicted Wofford on both counts. According to evidence presented at trial, on November 7, 2022, Wofford entered a branch of City National Bank and Trust in Oklahoma City. After he waited several minutes in the lobby, Wofford pulled out a firearm, jumped over the teller counter, pointed it at a bank employee, and demanded money. Wofford then opened the teller drawer and grabbed handfuls of cash before he exited the bank. An investigation into the vehicle used during the bank robbery ultimately led authorities to Wofford. He was arrested on November 18, 2022. At the sentencing hearing on January 9, 2025, U.S. District Judge David L. Russell sentenced Wofford to serve 135 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, the Court noted the circumstances of the offense, including the risk of danger caused by the robbery, and Wofford’s history of violence. This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Gridley and Stanley J. West prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. Reference is made to public filings for additional information.


title: Albany County Man Sentenced to 87 Months for Receipt of Child Pornography

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Taykwun Smoaks, age 32, of Albany, was sentenced today to 87 months in prison for receipt of child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement. As part of his prior guilty plea, Smoaks admitted that from February to March 2023, he received and possessed images and videos of child pornography on his computer and external hard drive. Smoaks admitted that he downloaded more than 600 videos and 22,000 still images, including images of prepubescent minors, images that involved sadistic and masochistic conduct, and images involving the sexual abuse of toddlers and infants. United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also ordered Smoaks to serve a 15-year term of post-incarceration supervised release; to pay restitution of $3,000 to each of 15 victims for a total amount of $45,000 in restitution; and to forfeit the electronic devices used to commit the offense. Smoaks will also be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison. HSI and NYSP investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping prosecuted the case. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Oklahoma City Pilot Pleads Guilty to Transporting Firearm in Aircraft from Mexico to Oklahoma

body_text: OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday, AIMAN SOBHY ELKHATIB , 31, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to engaging in interstate transportation of a firearm while under indictment, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. On June 17, 2024, a federal Grand Jury returned a two-count Superseding Indictment against Elkhatib, charging him with transportation of a firearm while under indictment and bringing in certain aliens. According to public record, on April 25, 2024, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received information that an aircraft had unlawfully entered the United States from Mexico and failed to stop for a customs inspection. Agents encountered the aircraft at Sundance Airport in Yukon, Oklahoma, where it was occupied by Elkhatib and another individual. Upon searching the aircraft, agents found and seized a firearm. At the time of the incident, Elkhatib was under criminal indictment in Oklahoma County District Court, where he previously pleaded guilty to larceny of an automobile, second degree burglary, and possession of a firearm while in the commission of a felony in case number CF-2023-940. Yesterday, Elkhatib pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the Superseding Indictment, and admitted he flew from Mexico through Texas to Yukon, Oklahoma, in an aircraft he knew contained a firearm. At sentencing, Elkhatib faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. This case is the result of an investigation by HSI, Customs and Border Protection, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Air and Marine Operations Center. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bow Bottomly is prosecuting the case. Reference is made to public filings for additional information.


title: Queens, New York Man Sentenced to 18 Months for Human Smuggling

component: USAO - Vermont

body_text: Rutland, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on January 9, 2025, Luis Fernando Barragan-Palacios, 29, of Queens, New York, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier to a term of 18 months’ imprisonment. The Court did not impose supervised release because Barragan-Palacios, originally of Oaxaca, Mexico, is expected to be deported after imprisonment. Barragan-Palacios previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to transport people who had entered the United States illegally. According to court records, Barragan-Palacios completed approximately 30 smuggling trips, shuttling nearly 100 migrants who entered the country illegally from the Canadian border into Vermont, to the New York City area between August 2023 and January 2024, receiving approximately $500,000 in proceeds. In January 2024, authorities arrested Barragan-Palacios after he failed to yield to a marked Border Patrol vehicle and initiated a high-speed pursuit in wintry road conditions along the Canadian border, reaching speeds up to 85 mph, with six migrants lying down in the bed of his rented pickup truck or seated unbelted in the truck’s cab. United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Lasher and Colin Owyang. Barragan-Palacios was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Barclay Johnson.