title: Federal jury convicts Richmond felon for illegally possessing a firearm

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

body_text: RICHMOND, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Richmond man yesterday for being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Jan. 20, 2024, Richmond Police officers were patrolling the Fairfield Court community when they observed a car leaving Fairfield Court at a high rate of speed and running stop signs. When the officers attempted to catch the vehicle, the driver, Rashad Laroy Ebron, 32, suddenly stopped his car, exited the vehicle, and tossed something onto the floorboard. Ebron then closed the door and locked the car. Officers observed a 9mm handgun in plain view on the floorboard of the vehicle. Ebron claimed that he could not unlock the vehicle because the keys were locked inside the car and that he had no wallet or identification. The officers were able to identify Ebron, however, and confirmed that he was a convicted felon. The officers arrested Ebron, located the car keys, unlocked the vehicle, and recovered the firearm. Ebron was convicted of grand larceny in 2011, evading police in 2013, and robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in 2016. As a previously convicted felon, Ebron cannot legally possess a firearm or ammunition. Ebron faces up to 15 years in prison when sentenced on Sept. 29. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. accepted the verdict. Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia L. Norman and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Groover, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, are prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-47.


title: Former New Jersey Department of Children and Family Services Caseworker Admits Possession and Transportation of Child Pornography

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A former caseworker for the New Jersey Department of Children and Family Services, Division of Child Protection and Permanency, admitted possessing and transporting child pornography, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. Trent Collier, 57, of Kearny, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Newark federal court on May 21, 2024, to an indictment charging him with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of transportation of child pornography. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: On Sept. 28, 2021, Collier arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport aboard a flight from the Dominican Republic. Law enforcement officers searched Collier’s cellular phone and identified at least two images of child sexual abuse. In a statement to law enforcement, Collier admitted that he had previously sent child pornography to at least one other individual using his cellular phone and that that individual also sent child pornography to Collier’s cellular phone. A further search of Collier’s cellular phone uncovered multiple additional images of child sexual abuse, including images depicting the sexual exploitation of toddlers. The charge of possession of child pornography carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. The charge of transportation of child pornography carries a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Each count also carries a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 10, 2024. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker; and the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, under the direction of Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, with the investigation. He also thanked the New Jersey State Police. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren D. Kober of the General Crimes Unit in Newark. collier.indictment.pdf


title: Kansas Man Sentenced to 24 Years for Meth Trafficking

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Pittsburg, Kansas, man who led Kansas authorities on a motorcycle chase before being apprehended in Missouri has been sentenced in federal court for possessing methamphetamine to distribute. Justin T. Lapping, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark on Tuesday, May 21, to 24 years and six months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered the federal prison sentence to be served consecutively to any sentence imposed in a pending state case in Taney County, Mo. Lapping was sentenced as a career criminal due to his prior felony convictions. On May 11, 2023, Lapping pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. A Crawford County, Kan., sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop Lapping on Aug. 9, 2022, but he fled on his motorcycle. Soon after entering Barton County, Mo., on Highway 160, Lapping abandoned his motorcycle and fled on foot from law enforcement officers. Officers deployed tasers and Lapping was taken into custody. He was carrying a Ziploc baggie that contained 187.9 grams of methamphetamine. According to court documents, Lapping has nine prior felony convictions, five of which are for drug trafficking, and two of which involve his flight from law enforcement in a vehicle. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the FBI, the Barton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Crawford County, Kan., Sheriff’s Department. Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.


title: Federal, State, and Local Agencies Honored with Midwest HIDTA Awards

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: SIOUX FALLS – Alison J. Ramsdell, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota, has announced multiple local recipients of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) awards. The presentation took place in Sioux Falls on April 24, 2024. The awards were presented for the extraordinary work done on the Three Sisters and Grand Ram Operations , which involved the dismantling of drug trafficking activity from Mexico to South Dakota and other states. The Midwest HIDTA Outstanding Prosecution Award was given to those involved with Operation Three Sisters , an investigation that began when Sioux Falls Police Department (SFPD) Narcotics Detectives received information about a couple in Sioux Falls who was selling large amounts of methamphetamine. Members of the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force conducted an investigation into those two individuals, which resulted in the seizure of approximately two pounds of methamphetamine from their home. Investigators also located information at the home that led to the source of the illicit drugs. That information was utilized by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) agents to conduct an investigation into an individual who was arranging to have methamphetamine brought to Sioux Falls from Mexico through California. Agents were then able to work up to two individuals in Mexico who were working to source narcotics to Sioux Falls and other areas. As a result of the investigation, large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl were removed from the distribution stream. In all, the investigation revealed that more than 250 pounds of methamphetamine had been distributed in the community. The investigation and subsequent prosecutions demonstrate the impact that significant information sharing can have in dismantling large drug distribution conspiracies. The key to reaching the source in Mexico was intelligence sharing and a willingness to work together by local, state, and federal agencies investigating different members of the conspiracy. In total, twenty defendants were federally prosecuted and convicted as a result of this operation, including Salvador Madrigal, Jr., who was sentenced to 33 years and four months in federal prison on August 7, 2023. Recipients of the Outstanding Prosecution Award include agents from the SFPD, DCI, DEA, ATF, IRS, and SDHP, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Hodges and Elizabeth Ebert, Legal Administrative Specialist Lindsay Nicola (USAO), and Litigation Support Manager Jeff Peters (USAO). The Midwest HIDTA Outstanding Investigative Collaboration Award was given to those involved with Operation Grand Ram . During this operation, investigators infiltrated the distribution network of the drug trafficking organization (DTO). Investigators discovered that defendants were bringing methamphetamine from California and Minneapolis to South Dakota for further distribution. They also learned that at least one defendant was obtaining methamphetamine from Sioux Falls and bringing it to Wisconsin to sell. Ultimately, investigators learned that proceeds from the drugs sold in South Dakota were being sent back to individuals in Mexico. Throughout the operation, investigators seized multiple pounds of methamphetamine, thousands of fentanyl pills, and thousands of dollars. Operation Grand Ram resulted in the federal prosecution of 16 individuals for distribution of controlled substances, money laundering, and firearm violations in the District of South Dakota. Recipients of the Outstanding Investigative Collaboration Award include agents from HSI, MCSO, DEA, IRS, and SFPD, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges. The HIDTA program, created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, provides assistance to Federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States. This grant program is administered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). There are currently 33 HIDTAs, and HIDTA-designated counties are located in 50 states, as well as in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia. The DEA plays a very active role and has more than 1,500 authorized special agent positions dedicated to the program. At the local level, the HIDTAs are directed and guided by Executive Boards composed of an equal number of regional Federal and non-Federal (state, local, and tribal) law enforcement leaders. South Dakota counties involved in the Midwest HIDTA include Beadle, Brookings, Brown, Clay, Codington, Custer, Lawrence, Lincoln, Meade, Minnehaha, Pennington, Union, and Yankton.


title: Hopkinsville Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking

component: USAO - Kentucky, Western

body_text: Paducah, KY – A Hopkinsville, Kentucky man was sentenced this week to five years in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Ronald Yeatts of the United States Army’s Central Investigations Division at Fort Campbell, and Christian County Sheriff Tyler DeArmond made the announcement. According to court documents, Stephen Antwain Taylor, 31, was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. There is no parole in the federal system. The case was investigated by the United States Army’s Central Investigations Division at Fort Campbell and the Christian County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the DEA Paducah Post of Duty. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leigh Ann Dycus, of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office, prosecuted the case. ###


title: President And Owner Of Baltimore County Business Convicted After Seven Day Trial For Honest Services Wire Fraud And Bribery

component: USAO - Maryland

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland –After a seven-day trial, a federal jury returned guilty verdicts yesterday convicting Wayne I. Kacher, Jr., age 51, of Harford County, Maryland, on federal charges of conspiring to commit honest services wire fraud and bribery, honest services wire fraud, and bribery involving federal funds. The guilty verdict was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office. As detailed in trial testimony, the Maryland Broadband Cooperative, Incorporated (“MdBC”) was a not-for-profit corporation whose purpose was to work with internet service providers to offer broadband internet service to under-served and un-served areas in Maryland. For a fee, public and private entities could join the cooperative and gain access to the broadband infrastructure that MdBC installed. MdBC’s office was located in Salisbury, Maryland. William Patrick Mitchell worked as the President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of MdBC. Defendant Wayne Kacher (“Kacher”) was the president and owner of Bel Air Underground, Inc. (“BAU”), a company that is principally located in Baltimore County, Maryland. BAU frequently acted as a subcontractor on projects for MdBC. Kacher was also the president and owner of Pro Comm Engineering and Locating Services, LLC (“Pro Comm”), which was principally located in Baltimore, County Maryland. Pro Comm also acted as a subcontractor on projects for MdBC. From 2014 to 2018, MdBC paid Kacher’s company, BAU, more than $11 million for broadband network related work. Of that amount, approximately $7.9 million was for work on installing and improving a fiber optic broadband connection from NASA Wallops Island to Patuxent River Naval Air Station (hereafter “Pax River”) in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, to enhance the communications capacity between those locations. The trial evidence showed that from at least 2014 to 2018, Kacher provided Mitchell with financial benefits, including cash payments, and payments for an all-terrain vehicle and a John Deere Gator owned by Mitchell. Kacher also paid for renovations and improvements to Mitchell’s residence, including paying for the construction of a pole building on Mitchell’s property. Kacher gave these things to Mitchell because of and in exchange for the work that MdBC was subcontracting to BAU and Pro Comm. At sentencing, not yet scheduled by the court, Kacher faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for conspiracy; twenty years in federal prison for honest services wire fraud; and a maximum of ten years in prison for federal program bribery. On May 10, 2024, William Patrick Mitchell, age 58, previously pleaded guilty to Counts One and Two of the Superseding Indictment, which charged Mitchell with Conspiracy and Honest Services Wire Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 371 and 1346. Judge Gallagher will sentence Mitchell on October 4, 2024. United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended DCIS and the FBI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Phelps and Christine Goo, who are prosecuting the federal case. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Gallup Man Charged in Gallup Shooting Over Barking Dogs

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Gallup man was charged by criminal complaint in connection with a shooting incident that occurred during a confrontation over barking dogs. Harley Davidson Joe , 38, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, appeared before a federal judge today and was released pending trial. According to the criminal complaint, on May 11, 2024, three individuals were walking their dogs in Gallup when Joe drove past them in a truck. The dogs began barking at the truck but did not go towards the vehicle. Joe stopped and exited the vehicle and confronted the group about their dogs barking. An argument ensued, during which Joe brandished a handgun. John Doe 1 saw Joe firing shots towards him and returned fire in self-defense, firing approximately ten rounds until his firearm was empty. Joe then entered his truck and drove away. John Doe 1, and the two other individuals ran back to their residence. Joe later called for an ambulance, claiming he had been shot by an unknown person. Medical personnel found Joe at a residence in Gallup and determined that he had suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was transported to the Gallup Indian Medical Center where he was treated. At Joe 's residence, investigators found his green Dodge pickup with blood inside and a Glock 17 handgun, which Joe initially denied possessing. However, he later told agents that he retrieved the firearm from under the driver's seat after he had been shot and fired approximately five rounds towards two males who ran towards him. If convicted of the current charges, Joe faces not less than ten years up to life in prison. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin L. Dillon is prosecuting the case. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. # # #


title: Tompkinsville Woman Sentenced to Over 3 Years for Stalking and Mailing Threats

body_text: Bowling Green, KY – A Tompkinsville, Kentucky woman was sentenced yesterday to 3 years and 3 months in federal prison for stalking and mailing threating communications to a government official in 2023. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the Louisville Field Office, and Chief Michael Delaney of the Bowling Green Police Department made the announcement. According to court records, Tara K. Thomas, 32, was sentenced to 3 years and 3 months in prison, followed by a 3-year term of supervised, for one count of stalking and one count of mailing threatening communications. There is no parole in the federal system. Thomas sent multiple threating communications to a government official via Facebook Messenger on September 21, 2021. In January 2023, while an inmate at the Warren County Detention Center, she sent multiple threating communications to the same government official through the United States Postal Service. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bowling Green Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond McGee, of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office, prosecuted the case. ###


title: Four Peorians Sentenced After Multiple Attempts to Steal Guns  from Federal Firearms Licensees

body_text: PEORIA, Ill. – After serving over six months in county jail, the last of four defendants, Erika Garner, 22, of the 6500 block of North Lexington Drive in Peoria, Illinois, was sentenced on May 21, 2024, to time served, followed by three years of supervised release for conspiring in August 2023 to burglarize gun stores in Spring Valley, Taylorville, LeRoy, Lincoln, Decatur and Bloomington. Three other defendants also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal and possess firearms from federal firearms licensees. Dezmond Hardy, 23, of the 4000 block of North Brandywine Drive, Peoria, Illinois was sentenced on May 16, 2024, to 21 months’ imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Shaleik Ward, 20, of the 2700 block of West Trewyn Avenue, Peoria, Illinois was sentenced on May 9, 2024, to 15 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Terrence Daniels, 23, of the 4000 block of North Brandywine Drive, Peoria, Illinois was sentenced on May 9, 2024, to 45 months’ imprisonment, followed by three years supervised release. Daniels’ sentence was a combination of a 33-month prison sentence imposed for the conspiracy charge and a 12-month consecutive prison sentence imposed for committing the offense while on supervised release for committing the same conduct in 2019 and 2020 when he and others stole 50 firearms during a five-county burglary spree of gun stores. A complaint was filed in August 2023, followed by an indictment in September 2023 against Daniels, Ward, Hardy and Garner. All four entered guilty pleas in January 2024. Daniels, Ward, and Hardy have remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since their arrest. Garner was originally released on bond, but her bond was revoked in November 2023 after she was found to have violated her conditions of release. All the defendants must jointly pay $2,500 in restitution for damages to one of the businesses. At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid, the government presented evidence that on multiple occasions between August 14 and August 18, 2023, the defendants, in varying combinations of participants, drove from Peoria to six different towns located throughout Central Illinois, and attempted to burglarize guns stores. The defendants attempted to steal guns from Mean Metal in Spring Valley; Powder Keg Outfitters in Taylorville; Guns and Glory in Le Roy; Tactical Bunker in Lincoln; Archers Alley in Decatur; and Smiley’s Sports Shop in Bloomington. Although multiple businesses suffered property damage, the defendants failed to enter any of the stores and no firearms were taken during the attempted burglaries. All four defendants were arrested on August 18, 2023, when members of the Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force and Peoria Police conducted a vehicle containment maneuver on War Memorial Drive as the defendants returned from their most recent failed attempt. The statutory penalties for conspiracy to steal and possess firearms from a federal firearms licensee is up to five years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. “Stolen guns are used to commit acts of violence in our communities,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna. “Our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners worked together to quickly resolve this case before any guns got into the wrong hands.” The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, comprised of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Peoria Police Department; the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department; Illinois Department of Corrections; and the Illinois State Police, investigated the case. The Spring Valley, Taylorville, and Decatur Police Departments also participated in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution. 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: U.S. Attorney Will Thompson Commends the Release of Framework for Prosecutors to Strengthen National Response to Sexual Assault And Domestic Violence

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Will Thompson commends the announcement of the Department of Justice’s new resource for prosecutors, “ Framework for Prosecutors to Strengthen Our National Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Involving Adult Victims. ” The announcement was made on Monday, May 20, 2024, in Dallas, Texas, at the Conference on Crimes Against Women by Rosemarie Hidalgo, Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). The guide, written by prosecutors for prosecutors, sets out five principles that, if implemented, will lead to better outcomes for victims, safer communities, and greater accountability for perpetrators of sexual assault and domestic violence. “The framework announced today reaffirms our commitment to expanding access to justice for all survivors, who deserve respect and the right to be heard,” Hidalgo said. “Enhancing the prosecution response to sexual assault and domestic violence in a trauma-informed manner is a key piece in ending gender-based violence, as part of a broader coordinated community response that includes services and support for survivors, and can have a real, immediate impact on the safety of survivors and entire communities.” “This guide is a welcome resource for prosecutors at all levels of government, and goes to the heart of our primary obligation to the Constitution, to the rule of law, and to see that justice is done,” Thompson said. “In clear language informed by decades of expertise, insight and experience, it offers a blueprint for a stronger, consistent, and more effective response to these crimes.” Declinations of meritorious allegations may result from misconceptions about how crimes involving sexual assault and domestic violence are committed and reported, how victims give their accounts, and the evidence required to prove their accounts. This guide equips prosecutors to build provable cases by: (1) relying on the evidentiary value of the victim’s account to frame the investigation; (2) meeting with victims and working with investigators and victim specialists to do so; (3) using the law and evidentiary rules effectively; (4) being thoughtful about what justice and accountability look like; and (5) sustaining a productive, healthy, and committed workforce by redefining success– all of which are rooted in a prosecutor’s primary obligation to seek the truth and uphold the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law. “As the state sexual assault coalition, the West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services (WVFRIS) applauds the efforts of the U.S. Department of Justice to assist prosecutors in holding offenders accountable in cases of sexual assault and domestic violence,” said WVFRIS Executive Director Nancy Hoffman. “This is particularly timely in West Virginia, as our state Sexual Assault Kit Initiative has completed the processing of thousands of sex crime kits that had not been submitted for testing. With DNA results and hundreds of matches in CODIS, this project is now in the process of supporting local law enforcement officers in investigating and prosecuting those cases. Strengthening prosecution efforts will be the final step in providing justice for the victims each case represents.” More than 120 state, Tribal, military, and federal prosecutors, as well as advocates, academics, and investigators from an array of jurisdictions were consulted in developing this guide. This guide is designed to encourage prosecutors with all levels of experience to implement its principles when evaluating, investigating, and prosecuting allegations involving sexual assault and domestic violence. In conjunction with this guide, OVW launched a new webpage with resources designed to assist prosecutors in implementing the guide and its principles. This guide further serves as a complement to the Justice Department’s 2022 updated guidance on Improving Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence by Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias. OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies, and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW funds national training and technical assistance and undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw . A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. ###


title: Indianapolis Man Sentenced to Over Eight Years in Federal Prison for Series of Armed Robberies of Four Massage Parlors in One Month

body_text: INDIANAPOLIS- Roy King, 42, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 97 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to three counts of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of attempted robbery. According to court documents, on three separate occasions in September of 2023, the defendant robbed multiple spa and massage parlors in Indianapolis. During each of these robberies, the defendant held employees at gunpoint and demanded cash. On October 8, 2023, the defendant attempted to rob a fourth spa. Unlike the prior robberies, he did not use a gun, but instead brandished a TV remote, pretending it was a gun. This robbery was unsuccessful and was arrested. The robberies committed and attempted by the defendant are summarized as follows: DATE LOCATION September 5, 2023 Angel Spa, Michigan Rd. September 10, 2023 Sunshine Spa, North Post Rd. September 26, 2023 Rosemary Massage Parlor, South Gray Rd. October 8, 2023 N Spa, East Washington St. The defendant has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2003, including convictions related to assault with a deadly weapon, gang activity, and distribution of controlled substances. “Four different times, three of them at gunpoint, the defendant chose to terrorize innocent people who had the misfortune to work at a business this violent criminal decided to target. Each time, he made them fear for their lives just so he could steal a few hundred dollars,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Armed, repeat criminals are a menace to our communities and must be held accountable. The federal prison sentence imposed here demonstrates that this violent lawlessness will carry serious consequences.” The FBI investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew P. Brookman. U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy C. Fugate, who prosecuted this 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. ###


title: Niagara Falls man pleads guilty to cocaine charge after leading police on a brief car chase

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Jonathan Bersani, 32, of Niagara Falls, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis A. Testani, who is handling the case, stated that on April 14, 2023, law enforcement attempted a traffic stop on Bersani’s vehicle. However, instead of yielding to law enforcement, Bersani drove into the civilian vehicle in front of him, pushing the vehicle approximately 10 feet forward, and then into the law enforcement vehicle behind him, causing significant damage to all three vehicles. Bersani then fled in his vehicle, and, ultimately, on foot after his vehicle was rendered inoperable. Bersani was ultimately apprehended and, within close range of his path of flight, law enforcement recovered a black bag containing approximately 183 grams of cocaine. Bersani was also in possession of $3,266 in cash. Later that day, a search warrant was executed at Bersani’s residence, during which another 27 grams of cocaine, and drug paraphernalia were seized. The plea is the result of an investigation by the Niagara County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti and Homeland Security Investigations BEST Team, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. # # # #


title: Lexington Woman Sentenced for Trafficking  Methamphetamine and Fentanyl

component: USAO - Kentucky, Eastern

body_text: LONDON, Ky. – A Lexington, Ky, woman, Stacey R. Smith, 42, was sentenced on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier, to 175 months in prison, for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine and 400 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl. According to her plea agreement, beginning in January 2021 to March 2022, Smith conspired with others to distribute 500 grams of methamphetamine and 400 grams of fentanyl. Specifically, from a source of supply in the Lexington area, Smith obtained pound quantities of methamphetamine and ounce quantities of what she believed to be heroin, which laboratory testing confirmed was fentanyl. Smith then sold the drugs to several others, including her co-defendant, Shane Brock, 62, of London. These other drug dealers would then distribute the drugs to more drug dealers and end users. For his role in the conspiracy, Brock was previously sentenced to 97 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Under federal law, Smith must serve 85 percent of her prison sentence. Upon her release from prison, she will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years. Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Erek Davodowich, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Louisville Field Division; and Sheriff John Root, Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence. The investigation was conducted by the DEA and Laurel County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Dotson prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. — END —


title: Distribution of child pornography sends Missoula man to prison for more than 17 years

component: USAO - Montana

body_text: MISSOULA — A Missoula man who admitted to trading videos and images of child pornography with others on social media sites and who possessed thousands of images of child sexual abuse material was sentenced on Tuesday to 17 years and six months in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today. Nicholas Geoffrey Combs, 29, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to distribution of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided. The court also ordered $36,000 restitution. “There is no more important duty of our office than to protect kids by holding accountable those who seek to victimize them. Our office has prosecuted many people who pose grave dangers to children, but Combs’ conduct is among the worst I’ve seen during my time as Montana’s U.S. Attorney. His possession of thousands of images of graphic sexual and physical violence perpetrated against children, including infants, was grotesque and all parents should be relieved he will spend the next 30 years of his life either in federal prison or under federal supervision,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said. In court documents, the government alleged that in June 2022, Snapchat reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a Snapchat user had uploaded two videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit content to its service. A law enforcement investigation determined that the Snapchat account belonged to Combs and that he had sent two videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit content to another Snapchat user. Combs admitted to trading videos and images of minors engaged in sexually explicit content with other users on social media sites, including Reddit and Snapchat. Combs also admitted he was sexually attracted to minors, had solicited and received sexually explicit pictures from children with whom he interacted online and sometimes pretended to be a child to solicit the images. Law enforcement seized Combs’ electronic devices and determined that they contained thousands of images and videos of graphic sexual and physical violence against children, including babies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian C. Lowney prosecuted the case. The Missoula Police Department and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the investigation. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . XXX


title: Independence Woman Sentenced for Stealing $500,000 from Employer

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for stealing more than $500,000 from her employer. Tammy Myers, 50, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 21 months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Myers to pay $521,996 in restitution and to forfeit to the government $429,025, which represents her gain from the criminal conduct. On Jan. 10, 2024, Myers pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Myers admitted that she embezzled over $500,000 from the company over a decade by paying her personal credit cards from company accounts and writing checks to herself that were pre-signed by the company’s owner. Her fraud scheme was discovered in 2022 when the company hired a consulting firm to review its finances. Myers was employed by Builders Overhead Door Service, Inc., in Blue Springs, Mo., from 1998 through 2022. Myers, who became the head of accounting in 2012, admitted that she engaged in a scheme to defraud Builders Overhead Door Service from January 2013 to December 2022. Myers admitted she used the company’s bank account information to pay off the balances on her personal credit cards, totaling $429,025. All of the purchases on the credit cards were for personal expenses and were for things such as travel, entertainment, utilities, groceries, and retail shopping. Myers used company funds to pay for a helicopter trip in South Dakota, travel expenses for a family trip to Tennessee, and costs associated with her diamond art hobby, among other personal expenses. In addition to paying her personal credit cards, Myers admitted she wrote checks to herself from the company’s bank account without the authorization of the owner. Myers deposited the unauthorized checks, which had been pre-signed by the owner, into her personal bank account and spent that money on personal expenses. The total amount of unauthorized checks she wrote to herself was $86,477. Myers also admitted that while she was using company funds to pay her personal credit cards and writing checks to herself, she let the company fall behind on payroll, real estate, and sales and use taxes. This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Cooper. It was investigated by the FBI.


title: Honduran national who pled guilty to sexually abusing a child found guilty of illegally reentering the United States

component: USAO - Virginia, Eastern

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Honduran national today of illegally reentering the United States. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Sergio Alberto-Rodriguez, 38, was removed from the United States on Nov. 5, 2008. On June 24, 2020, U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) learned that Alberto-Rodriguez was incarcerated at the Arlington County Adult Detention Center after his arrest for aggravated sexual battery of a 10-year-old family member. Alberto-Rodriguez pled guilty to that charge on Feb. 7 in the Circuit Court of Arlington County and was taken into federal custody on Feb. 20. The jury found that Alberto-Rodriguez had reentered the United States illegally. Alberto-Rodriguez faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison, $250,000 fine, and 1 year of supervised release when sentenced on Sept. 11. He also may be deported or removed thereafter. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Liana Castano, Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. accepted the verdict. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariana Lazzaroni and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alessandra Serano are prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-56.


title: Ringleader and Company Insider Plead Guilty to Defrauding Biochemical Company and Diverting Products to China Using Falsified Export Documents

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced that Pen Yu, also known as Ben Yu, 51, of Gibsonton, Florida, and Gregory Muñoz, 45, of Minneola, Florida, have each pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy for their roles in a scheme to fraudulently procure deeply discounted products from Massachusetts biochemical company Sigma-Aldrich Inc., doing business as MilliporeSigma, and export them to China using falsified export documents. In addition, the Justice Department announced that it has declined the prosecution of MilliporeSigma after considering the factors set forth in the Department’s Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations and the National Security Division Enforcement Policy for Business Organizations (NSD Enforcement Policy). The NSD Enforcement Policy creates a presumption that companies that (1) voluntarily self-disclose to NSD potentially criminal violations arising out of or relating to the enforcement of export control or sanctions laws, (2) fully cooperate, and (3) timely and appropriately remediate will generally receive a non-prosecution agreement, unless aggravating factors are present. This is the first time that NSD has declined the prosecution of a company under the NSD Enforcement Policy. “When a business uncovers criminal wrongdoing within its ranks, the company is far better off reporting the violation than waiting for the Justice Department to discover it,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “That’s exactly what MilliporeSigma did in the first-ever corporate declination under our National Security Division’s voluntary self-disclosure program. Because of MilliporeSigma’s timely disclosure and exceptional cooperation, a rogue company insider and his accomplice pled guilty to fraudulently diverting millions of dollars worth of biochemicals to China, and the company will not be prosecuted. As national security and corporate crime increasingly intersect, companies that step up and own up under the Department’s voluntary self-disclosure programs can help themselves and our nation.” “When MilliporeSigma found evidence that one of its employees was diverting biochemical products to an unauthorized purchaser in China, they did not sweep the misconduct under the rug. Instead, the company made the early decision to cooperate with the Justice Department, resulting in the convictions of responsible individuals,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s announcement reflects the value for companies like MilliporeSigma to quickly self-disclose potential criminal activity and reaffirms our commitment to work in partnership with the private sector to root out conduct that violates the law and jeopardizes our national security.” “When company and university insiders abuse the trust that their institutions place in them, they will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “Here, Millipore Sigma’s prompt disclosures led to the uncovering of this multimillion- dollar criminal enterprise, and enabled law enforcement to disrupt the scheme and stop further illegal exports to China. These disclosures led to the seizure of multiple illegal shipments to China and the conviction of two of the most culpable participants in the scheme. Millipore Sigma’s prompt and full cooperation was essential in obtaining this result.” “Faking an affiliation with an academic research lab to obtain controlled biochemical materials, and then sending those materials to China, is not only wrong, but illegal,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod. “Today’s announcement provides yet another fact pattern for universities to beware of — the misuse of academic institutions by outsiders who seek to obscure the actual customer of controlled items.” According to court documents, beginning in at least July 2016 and continuing through at least May 2023, Yu ordered biochemical products from MilliporeSigma, a subsidiary of multinational science and technology company Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, with help from Muñoz, a MilliporeSigma salesperson, by falsely representing that Yu was affiliated with a biology research lab at a large Florida university. This fictitious affiliation led MilliporeSigma to provide Yu over $4.9 million worth of discounts and other benefits, such as free overnight shipping, not available to the public. Yu gave Muñoz thousands of dollars in gift cards for facilitating these fraudulent discounted orders. When the products arrived at the university stockroom, a stockroom employee diverted the products to Yu, who repackaged them and shipped them to China. To avoid scrutiny, Yu made false statements about the value and contents of these shipments in export documents. This scheme continued until MilliporeSigma compliance personnel identified certain orders as suspicious, prompting the company to retain outside counsel who voluntarily disclosed the misconduct to the Department of Justice’s National Security Division only a week later. MilliporeSigma made the disclosure well before its counsel had completed their investigation and understood the full nature and extent of the scheme. MilliporeSigma offered exceptional cooperation to the prosecution team, including by proactively identifying and producing documents to the Department that established probable cause to search residences and electronic devices of culpable individuals. MilliporeSigma’s cooperation allowed investigators to quickly identify the individuals responsible for the scheme, including Yu and Muñoz, and secure their felony guilty pleas. As a result of MilliporeSigma’s timely self-disclosure and extraordinary cooperation, MilliporeSigma will not be charged, despite the criminal wrongdoing committed by Muñoz, a MilliporeSigma employee. The Defense Criminal Investigative Service; Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security; and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Marcet for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Garrett Coyle of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the cases. Note: View the information and plea agreement for Yu. View the information and plea agreement for Muñoz. View the declination letter here .


title: Winter Garden Man Sentenced To Federal Prison For Aggravated Identity Theft

body_text: Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell has sentenced Michael Barrington Douglas (52, Winter Garden) to two years and one day in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for aggravated identity theft and false representation of a Social Security number. As part of his sentence, Douglas also must pay restitution to the Florida Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Douglas entered a guilty plea on January 17, 2024. According to court documents, Douglas was born in Jamaica and entered the United States on an immigrant visa in 1991. In 1999, an immigration judge ordered Douglas removed from the United States after he was convicted of felony firearm and drug offenses. Douglas, however, never departed the United States. Instead, he assumed the identity of J.M., a U.S. citizen, and remained in the United States. On April 8, 2021, Douglas obtained a Florida driver license in J.M.’s name and date of birth. To obtain the driver license, Douglas falsely claimed he was a U.S. citizen and presented J.M.’s birth certificate and Social Security card. Because Douglas was not authorized to work in the United States following his removal order, he used J.M.’s identity to apply for and obtain employment. Douglas worked at a hotel in Lake Buena Vista from 2012 to 2023. He was furloughed for a period during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which he applied for and received unemployment insurance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) benefits using J.M.’s identity. Douglas also used J.M’s identity to apply for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which he received and spent at various locations in the Middle District of Florida. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General, and the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro and Assistant United States Attorney Richard Varadan.


title: Two Alleged Members of a Transnational Money Laundering Organization Arrested for Laundering Millions of Dollars in Drug Proceeds

component: Criminal - Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two alleged members of a transnational money laundering organization were arrested on criminal charges related to their alleged involvement in a scheme to launder millions of dollars in illegal drug proceeds for Mexican drug trafficking organizations, including the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels (also known as CJNG). Li Pei Tan, 46, of Buford, Georgia, was arrested today. Chaojie Chen, 41, a foreign national residing in Chicago, was arrested on April 18. According to court documents, Tan and Chen allegedly worked for a money laundering organization that laundered millions of dollars in proceeds related to the importation of illegal drugs into the United States, primarily through Mexico, and the unlawful distribution of these drugs. Tan, Chen, and their co-conspirators allegedly traveled throughout the United States to collect proceeds derived from trafficking in fentanyl and other drugs (or to cause them to be collected). They allegedly communicated and coordinated with co-conspirators in China and other foreign countries to arrange for the laundering of these proceeds through financial transactions that were designed to conceal the illicit source of the drug proceeds. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Drug Threat Assessment , the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are at the heart of the fentanyl crisis in the United States. Tan and Chen are charged in separate criminal complaints with conspiring to commit money laundering. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram made the announcement. The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit is investigating the case, with assistance from the DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit and the DEA’s offices in Chicago, Atlanta, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edgardo J. Rodriguez for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Mary K. Daly of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Georgia and Northern District of Illinois. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.


component: Criminal Division

body_text: Two alleged members of a transnational money laundering organization were arrested on criminal charges related to their alleged involvement in a scheme to launder millions of dollars in illegal drug proceeds for Mexican drug trafficking organizations, including the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels (also known as CJNG). Li Pei Tan, 46, of Buford, Georgia, was arrested today. Chaojie Chen, 41, a foreign national residing in Chicago, was arrested on April 18. According to court documents, Tan and Chen allegedly worked for a money laundering organization that laundered millions of dollars in proceeds related to the importation of illegal drugs into the United States, primarily through Mexico, and the unlawful distribution of these drugs. Tan, Chen, and their co-conspirators allegedly traveled throughout the United States to collect proceeds derived from trafficking in fentanyl and other drugs (or to cause them to be collected). They allegedly communicated and coordinated with co-conspirators in China and other foreign countries to arrange for the laundering of these proceeds through financial transactions that were designed to conceal the illicit source of the drug proceeds. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Drug Threat Assessment , the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are at the heart of the fentanyl crisis in the United States. Tan and Chen are charged in separate criminal complaints with conspiring to commit money laundering. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia; and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram made the announcement. The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit is investigating the case, with assistance from the DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit and the DEA’s offices in Chicago, Atlanta, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Trial Attorney Mary K. Daly of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Edgardo J. Rodriguez for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Georgia and Northern District of Illinois. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF . A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Self-proclaimed king of Bissonnet heads to prison for multi-state sex trafficking scheme

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – A 48-year-old man has been sentenced for sex trafficking four women by means of force and of taking three women across state lines to engage in prostitution, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. On Oct. 10, 2023, a federal jury in Houston deliberated for approximately three hours before convicting Larry “Lavish” Lewis following a six-day trial. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Lewis to serve 480 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by 10 years of supervised release. At the hearing, the government asked the court to consider the victims in the case and highlighted Lewis’s complete absence of remorse for his crimes. “Today, the victims of Lewis’s abhorrent crimes have finally received the answer they have been waiting to hear for years,” said Hamdani. “The message the court delivered in its sentence is clear: traffickers do not get to profit from the sale of victims’ bodies. They do not get to use drugs, beatings and threats to compel others to engage in prostitution. Traffickers, like Lewis, are not welcome in the Southern District of Texas, or anywhere outside of a federal penitentiary, and my office will see to that.” Lewis used physical force and coercion to compel four women to engage in commercial sex in the Bissonnet street area of Houston and various cities in Texas and Louisiana. The jury also found he coerced them to cross state lines to engage in prostitution. At trial, the victims detailed how Lewis recruited them on false promises of good money and a good life. Lewis confiscated the identification cards of two women and tightly controlled access to their hotel rooms. The women were completely dependent on him for food, lodging and basic necessities. Lewis’ rules dictated where and how long they worked. The women were required to give Lewis all money they earned after commercial sex dates. The victims detailed the consequences of breaking Lewis’ rules. He kicked one victim in the head into a window because he believed she disrespected him. During another incident, Lewis whipped the same victim with an electrical cord following an attempt to escape using his vehicle. Another victim described how Lewis broke her ribs and left bruises all over her body after receiving many beatings. The jury ultimately did not believe defense claims that the women sought out Lewis because of his marketing expertise in the commercial sex industry. Lewis has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sebastian A. Edwards and Christine J. Lu prosecuted the case. Texas Department of Public Safety and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of the FBI as part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA). HTRA law enforcement includes members of the Houston Police Department, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Attorney General’s Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Department of Labor (DOL), DOL – Wage and Hour Division, Department of State, Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission, Texas Department of Public Safety, Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General (OIG), Social Security Administration – OIG and Sheriff’s Offices in Harris and Montgomery counties in coordination with District Attorney’s offices in Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend Counties. Established in 2004, the United States Attorney’s office in Houston formed HTRA to combine resources with federal, state and local enforcement agencies and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those that the traffickers victimized. Since its inception, HTRA has been recognized as both a national and international model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses.


title: District Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Firing 14 Rounds at MPD Officer

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Saeve Edward Evans, 38, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for firing 14 rounds at a Metropolitan Police Department officer. The officer was not injured. The shooting, in the early morning of August 1, 2023, occurred at 1711 Benning Road, a three-story apartment building in Northeast Washington D.C. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). In addition to the 10-year prison term, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered Evans to serve five years of supervised release. Evans pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on January 29, 2024, to assault on a police officer while armed, and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term of over one year. According to court documents, on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, Evans was walking a dog at about 5:25 a.m. around the interior courtyard of the apartment building at 1711 Benning Road, Northeast. An unknown individual walked in front of the building and, unprovoked, Evans pulled out a gun, pointed the gun towards the sky, and fired three times in the air. The unknown individual ran away. Three minutes later, at 5:28 a.m., an MPD officer arrived at the scene to investigate the gunfire. The officer, who was wearing a full police uniform and driving a marked MPD cruiser, stood on Gales Place, Northeast, and spotted Evans within the courtyard. Evans yelled at the officer to “come and get it” and then aimed at the officer, fired the gun three times, then moved towards the apartment entrance. Moving up a ramp, Evans pointed his gun at the officer again and fired nine more rounds. The officer returned fire before taking cover behind his police cruiser. Inside the building, Evans climbed the stairs to the third-floor landing and fired two more shots at the officer through large windows. In total, Evans fired 14 rounds at the officer. Additional MPD officers from the Fifth District responded to assist and entered the building on Benning Road. Officers located Evans on the third-floor landing of the apartment building. Before officers placed Evans under arrest, Evans said, “Ain’t no gun, I took it off me.” Officers recovered the firearm on the third-floor landing. DNA evidence further linked the firearm -- a black Springfield XD 9x19 pistol with an empty 16 round magazine -- to Evans. DNA evidence linked Evans to the gun, which was stolen on March 9, 2023, from the state of Texas. This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Song and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Cloherty.


title: Three Highland Park Men Indicted for Allegedly Stealing Checks from Post Offices and Using Instagram to Find Accounts to Deposit Them

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – Three men from the Highland Park area of Los Angeles have been charged in a five-count indictment alleging they schemed to defraud banks by stealing mail from United States Post Office docks and elsewhere in Southern California to fraudulently obtain other people’s checks, used Instagram to find third-parties to deposit the stolen money in their bank accounts, and once led police on a high-speed chase, dumping mail out a car window while on a freeway, the Justice Department announced today. The indictment returned on May 14 charges the following defendants with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud: Antonio Hernandez, 20; Ivan Murillo-Hernandez, 20; and Alexis Garcia Martinez, 28. Hernandez also is charged with one count of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of robbery of a post office, and one count of mail theft. Murillo-Hernandez also is charged with one count of mail theft. Hernandez and Murillo-Hernandez have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them and are scheduled to go to trial on July 8. Martinez is in state custody on unrelated charges and is expected to be transferred over to federal custody in the coming weeks. The total intended losses to the banks alleged in this scheme is at least $800,000, law enforcement estimates. According to the indictment, from November 2022 to August 2023, Hernandez, Murillo-Hernandez, and others stole mail from U.S. post office docks and other locations in the mail stream – including by using threats of violence – with the aim of stealing mail containing checks belonging to various victims. The indictment alleges mail thefts from a Highland Park apartment building as well as from post offices in Studio City, Azusa, Upland, Anaheim, El Segundo, and Beverly Hills. The defendants allegedly attempted to steal mail from a La Mirada post office but were unsuccessful. Martinez allegedly provided vehicles to Hernandez and others to travel to post offices to commit back dock thefts and advised them on how to commit such crimes without law enforcement detecting them. Hernandez and Murillo-Hernandez allegedly used social media to solicit bank account holders to provide their debit card and account information by promising them a cut of any fraudulently obtained funds deposited into their accounts. To avoid banks’ fraud protections, the co-conspirators requested bank accounts that had been open for a certain amount of time so they could access the stolen funds more quickly. For example, in December 2022, Hernandez allegedly posted a story on his Instagram account advertising the sale of stolen checks and seeking third parties with Bank of America accounts older than two years in which to deposit stolen checks. Hernandez and Murillo-Hernandez then allegedly deposited the stolen funds into the third-party bank accounts by falsely representing that they were the payees on the checks and were entitled to the money. Then, they rapidly depleted the fraudulently deposited funds from the third-party accounts by making cash withdrawals, electronic transfers, or debit card purchases, according to the indictment. Also, Hernandez and Murillo-Hernandez sold and attempted to sell stolen checks to others who fraudulently cashed them, the indictment states. The defendants allegedly recruited at least three people under the age of 18 in the scheme. In April 2023, after stealing mail from an Anaheim post office, Hernandez, Murillo-Hernandez, and three minors led police of a high-speed chase on the 57 and 60 freeways and dumped mail out of a gray Toyota Camry as they fled, according to the indictment. One of the minors involved in the chase who had evaded law enforcement later posted a video on Instagram taken from inside the Camry depicting a pursuing police car as seen in the front passenger side rear view mirror for followers and potential stolen check customers to “like.” An indictment contains allegations that a defendant committed a crime. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for the bank fraud conspiracy charge. Hernandez also would face up to 30 years in federal prison for the bank fraud count, up to 10 years in federal prison for the post office robbery count, and a two-year mandatory consecutive prison sentence for the aggravated identity theft count. Hernandez and Murillo-Hernandez would face up to five years in federal prison for the mail theft count. The United States Postal Inspection Service, with assistance of the Los Angeles Police Department, California Highway Patrol, and the Anaheim Police Department, is investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Angela C. Makabali of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.


title: Wilson County Man Sentenced to Over 17 Years in Federal Prison on Child Exploitation Charges

body_text: NASHVILLE – Jonathon Aaron Ladd, 30, of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, was sentenced yesterday to 210 months in federal prison for the production, transportation, and distribution of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee. That term of imprisonment will be followed by 10 years of supervised release. In 2020, the defendant made a sexually explicit video recording of a six-year-old girl in his care. He shared that video, along with another sexually explicit video of a different child, in an online chat application with other sexual predators. A federal grand jury indicted the defendant in 2021 on one count of production of child pornography, one count of transportation of child pornography, and one count of distribution of child pornography. On September 21, 2023, he pled guilty to all counts in the indictment. “Protecting children will always be a top priority for the Justice Department,” said United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis. “In this case, as a result of the excellent work done by law enforcement and members of our office, the defendant will spend the next 17 years in federal prison and far away from children.” “This sentencing is a prime example of the joint efforts in which HSI works with our law enforcement partners to rescue children who are being sexually exploited,” said HSI Nashville Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud. “Let this be a warning to anyone who engages in the abhorrent behavior of producing and distributing child sexual assault material. Our investigators work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to deliver justice to those who would harm our children.” Homeland Security Investigations; the FBI Memphis Field Office, Nashville Resident Agency; and the Metro Nashville Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Daughtrey prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . # # # # #


title: Gynecologist, Two Pharmacists, and Others Sentenced for Operating Massive “Pill Mill” Network

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: ATLANTA – Thirteen individuals, including an Atlanta-area gynecologist and two pharmacists, have now been sentenced for their roles in operating an Atlanta-area “pill mill” network that supplied addicts and drug dealers with large amounts of dangerous prescription drugs through illegal prescribing and dispensing. “These individuals showed no regard for the safety and well-being of our community when illegally distributing prescription drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “We are resolute in our efforts to fight the opioid epidemic on all fronts, and licensed professionals who exploit and endanger the public with illicit drug operations for personal greed are no exception and will be held accountable.” “Pharmaceutical products that are distributed for non-medical reasons can be just as deadly as illicit drugs,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “Dr. Mills distributed vast quantities of pharmaceutical products and had total disregard for human life. The moment he decided to illegally distribute drugs, he became nothing more than a drug trafficker.” “As one of several members of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, IRS Criminal Investigation is proud to work side-by-side with other law enforcement partners to combat organized crime,” said Demetrius Hardeman, CI Special Agent in Charge, Atlanta Field Office. “The sentence today signifies the end to an Atlanta area criminal operation. Criminal enterprises are on notice that their illegal activities will be investigated and forwarded to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecution.” According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Anthony Mills was a medical doctor, licensed to practice medicine in the State of Georgia since 1997, whose specialty was listed with the medical board as "Gynecology.” Since at least October of 2018, Dr. Mills operated a pill mill out of his personal home where he issued hundreds of prescriptions for controlled substances (such as large quantities of oxycodone) to addicts and drug dealing sponsors in exchange for cash. Dr. Mills did not obtain prior medical records of his patients, conduct physical exams, or do anything to establish a valid patient-physician relationship. Instead, he often issued prescriptions in the names of individuals he never met or evaluated. Some of the prescriptions that Dr. Mills issued were in the names of individuals whose identities had been stolen or who were incarcerated or deceased at the time Dr. Mills wrote the prescriptions. A large percentage of the illegitimate prescriptions were filled by licensed pharmacist Raphael Ogunsusi through his pharmacies, Evansmill Pharmacy and Retox Pharmacy located in Stonecrest and Conyers, respectively. Ogunsusi knew that Dr. Mills’ prescriptions were illegal, but he nonetheless filled those prescriptions. Ogunsusi accepted large cash payments in exchange for filling these illegal prescriptions, including as much as $900 to fill just one prescription for oxycodone and $500 to fill one prescription for Percocet. Ogunsusi knew these prices were well over the market value for legitimate controlled substance prescriptions. To disguise the significantly inflated prices that he was charging, Ogunsusi falsified the pricing information on his pharmacy computers to give the appearance that he had charged market prices for the prescriptions. Ogunsusi also required sponsors to purchase a battery of additional non-controlled substances, which he referred to as the “Shebang,” as a condition for filling illegal controlled substance prescriptions. The purpose of these non-controlled substances was to maximize his profits and to conceal that most of his customers only wanted to fill controlled substances at his pharmacies. Ogunsusi also directed his pharmacy employees, including another licensed pharmacist, to fill the illegal prescriptions. In addition to Dr. Mills and Ogunsusi, numerous pill sponsors who obtained illegal prescriptions from Dr. Mills were charged and sentenced, with the most recent sentencing occurring on May 22, 2024. These sponsors obtained prescriptions from Dr. Mills and/or Ogunsusi and sold them to drug users. U.S. District Judge William M. Ray, II sentenced the defendants in this case as follows: Anthony Mills, M.D., 57, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to dispense and distribute prescription controlled substances and was sentenced to 11 years in prison and three years of supervised release. Raphael Ogunsusi, RPh, 71, of Conyers, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to dispense and distribute prescription controlled substances and money laundering and was sentenced to nine years and seven months in prison and one year of supervised release. Moses Kirigwi, RPh, 32, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to using a telephone in connection with the unlawful dispensing and distribution of prescription controlled substances and was sentenced to 90 days in prison and one year of supervised release with the first three months served in home detention. Thomika Riley, 50, of McDonough, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to dispense and distribute prescription controlled substances and was sentenced to six years and six months in prison and three years of supervised release. Brittany Tinker, 30, of Stonecrest, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to dispense and distribute prescription controlled substances and was sentenced to six years and six months in prison and three years of supervised release. Natalie Jackson, 40, of East Point, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to dispense and distribute prescription controlled substances and was sentenced to four years and three months in prison and two years of supervised release. Rogerick Smith, 46, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to dispense and distribute prescription controlled substances and was sentenced to seven years and eight months in prison and three years of supervised release. Keandre Bates, 31, of Decatur, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to dispense and distribute prescription controlled substances and was sentenced to nine years and two months in prison and three years of supervised release. Jeana Alston, 43, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to dispense and distribute prescription controlled substances and was sentenced to three years and one month in prison and two years of supervised release. Chafulumisa Lisbon, 33, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to dispense and distribute prescription controlled substances and was sentenced to nine years and two months in prison and three years of supervised release. Javon Hamilton, 34, of Bluffton, South Carolina, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to dispense and distribute prescription controlled substances and was sentenced to nine years and two months in prison and three years of supervised release. Marcena Jordan, 30, of Albany, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to dispense and distribute prescription controlled substances and was sentenced to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release. Travious Polain, 33, of Decatur, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to dispense and distribute prescription controlled substances and was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison and three years of supervised release. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. The Rockdale County Sherriff’s Office, Rockdale County District Attorney’s Office, DeKalb County Police Department, DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, Richland County (South Carolina) Sheriff’s Department, Saluda County (South Carolina) Sheriff’s Office, Sandy Springs Police Department, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, and Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency also provided valuable assistance in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. O’Neal and Laurel Boatright Milam prosecuted the case. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov . 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: Arizona Man Sentenced for Brutal Assault on Former Girlfriend

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A federal judge handed down a 20-month prison sentence to an Arizona man who pleaded guilty to an alcohol-fueled assault on his then-girlfriend that left her in need of extensive medical treatment. There is no parole in the federal system. According to publicly available court records, on November 3, 2022, Norbert Michael Tsosie , 31, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation from Lukachukai, Arizona, assaulted his then girlfriend, Jane Doe, in Dulce, New Mexico. The couple had gotten into an argument earlier in the afternoon while shopping in Farmington. Although it seemed that they had resolved the argument, Tsosie suddenly and without warning became violent in the vehicle Jane Doe was driving. He punched the windshield and dashboard, kicked the window, then turned his attack on Jane Doe. He punched her face, kicked her with his boots, and choked her until she was nearly unconscious. Though she was injured, Jane Doe and Tsosie returned to Doe’s parents’ house. The next day, Tsosie claimed not to remember what happened. Jane Doe told Tsosie that she wanted to end their relationship, then drove Tsosie around to try to find him a place to stay before she went to the emergency room at San Juan Regional Medical Center. Jane Doe suffered a concussion, cervical strain, ankle sprain, and facial contusion and required additional medical care in the weeks following due to the ongoing pain and injuries from the attack. Upon his release from prison, Tsosie will be subject to three years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Bell is prosecuting the case. # # #


title: Ohio Resident Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl and Fluorofentanyl

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Youngstown, Ohio, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and fluorofentanyl, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. Teqwan Scott, 29, pleaded guilty before Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab to conspiring to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 10 grams or more of fluorofentanyl between May 2021 and October 2022. Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for October 1, 2024. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, United States Postal Inspection Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Lawrence County Drug Task Force, Mercer County Drug Task Force, New Castle Police Department, Sharon Police Department, and Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation resulting in the conviction of Scott.


title: Mississippi Man Admits $51 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme Involving Durable Medical Equipment, Genetic Cancer Screening Tests, and Compounded Medications

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A Mississippi man who owned, operated, had financial interests in, or was affiliated with pharmacies, durable medical equipment (DME) companies, and a laboratory today admitted his role in a health care fraud scheme that caused losses to Medicare in excess of $51 million, Attorney for the United States Caroline Sadlowski announced. Keaton Langston, 39, of Booneville, Mississippi, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court to an information charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court: Langston and others owned, operated, had financial interests in, or were affiliated with pharmacies, DME companies, and a laboratory that Langston and others used to defraud health care benefit programs by offering and paying kickbacks and bribes in exchange for doctors’ orders for DME, genetic cancer screening tests, and compounded medications. The pharmacies, DME companies, and laboratory submitted or caused the submission to Medicare of claims for reimbursement without regard to medical necessity, and sent a portion of the proceeds to others as payment for the doctors’ orders generated through the conspiracy. Langston and others concealed the payment of bribes, in part, by entering into sham contracts designed to make it appear that suppliers were engaged in and being paid for legitimate marketing and referral services based on the hours and expenses incurred or on a flat-rate basis. The pharmacies, DME companies, and laboratory billed Medicare and other health care benefit programs at approximately $51 million for tests and orders that were the product of the illicit scheme. Langston received approximately $10 million from these reimbursements. The charge of conspiracy to commit health care fraud is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 1, 2024. Attorney for the United States Sadlowski credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark; the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz; the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian J. Solecki; and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher F. Algieri with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Specht of the Special Prosecutions Division. langston.information.pdf


title: Riverside Man Charged in Indictment Alleging Pattern of ‘Swatting’ Calls Threatening Schools and an International Airport

body_text: RIVERSIDE, California – A Riverside County man has been arrested on an 18-count indictment alleging he placed “swatting calls” threatening to commit mass shootings at several schools in the Inland Empire and Sandy Hook, Connecticut, and to bomb Nashville International Airport on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), the Justice Department announced today. Eduardo Vicente Pelayo Rodriguez, 31, of Riverside, is charged with one count of stalking, seven counts of transmitting threats in interstate commerce, seven counts engaging in hoaxes, and three counts of transmitting threats or false information regarding fire and explosives. He was arrested Tuesday and his arraignment is scheduled for this afternoon in United States District Court in Riverside. “Swatting” refers to falsely reporting in the name of another person that an emergency is in progress or about to occur, with the intent to result in emergency services or law enforcement responding to that other person’s location or investigating them. According to the indictment that a federal grand jury returned on May 16 and was unsealed today, Rodriguez in January and February of 2023 used a Voice over Internal Protocol (VoIP) service to place more than a dozen calls impersonating the victim. Initially, Rodriguez called a suicide prevention center and a veterans crisis hotline, claimed to be the victim, and said that he was contemplating committing suicide or killing others. Rodriguez allegedly then called school staff at seven different schools -- in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, as well as Sandy Hook, Connecticut – and threatened to commit either a mass shooting or bombing at the schools. Finally, Rodriguez allegedly called Nashville International Airport in Tennessee, said he had planted a bomb on a plane and in the airport, and said, “this is for ISIS,” and “one hour, boom.” Law enforcement responded to these phone calls and determined they were fake. “The sorts of ‘swatting’ crimes alleged against this defendant are highly troubling,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “The indictment alleges that the defendant placed calls to schools, airports, and other locations that were designed to cause maximum fear and trigger an emergency response. ‘Swatting’ is a serious crime that can cause great trauma and risk loss of life, so it is important that we hold wrongdoers accountable.” “Mr. Rodriguez is alleged to have conducted swatting attacks, to include the callous targeting of an open wound at Sandy Hook, without regard for the potential consequences of this insidious type of hoax,” said Krysti Hawkins, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. “Perpetrators of swatting hoaxes should understand that the FBI and our local partners take these threats seriously and that the penalties – if convicted – are considerable.” An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted of the charges, Rodriguez would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison on the stalking count, five years on each of the threats counts, five years on each of the hoax counts, and 10 years on each of the counts relating to fire and explosives. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating this matter. The Riverside Police Department, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Newton (Connecticut) Police Department, and the Nashville Airport Authority provided substantial assistance. Assistant United States Attorney Jenna W. Long of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.


title: Washington State Man Admits Possessing Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A Washington state man pleaded guilty to possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. Jose Luis Pineda Torres, 48, of Monroe, Washington, pleaded guilty before U.S. District William J. Martini in Newark federal court on May 20, 2024, to an information charging him with one count of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: On Feb. 15, 2023, Pineda Torres travelled to a warehouse in Secaucus, New Jersey, where individuals loaded boxes into his vehicle. The boxes contained powder and more than 20,000 pills containing fentanyl and weighing more than 6 kilograms. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. The count to which Pineda Torres pleaded guilty is punishable by a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 29, 2024. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordann R. Conaboy of the U.S. Attorney’s Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark. pinedatorres.information.pdf


title: Randolph County Man Admits to Methamphetamine Charge

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Donald Ray Cantrell, Jr., 48, of Mill Creek, West Virginia, pled guilty today to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. According to court documents and statements made in court, Cantrell was on supervised release after serving time for a drug charge. U.S. Probation officers searched Cantrell’s home during a visit and found 220 grams of methamphetamine. Cantrell faces up to 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 Mountain Region Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the West Virginia State Police investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.


title: Convicted Felon Indicted Following Large Salt Lake City Drug Bust

component: USAO - Utah

body_text: Salt Lake City, Utah – A Utah convicted felon was indicted by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City today for multiple federal crimes after Salt Lake City Police detectives allegedly seized approximately 45 pounds of methamphetamine, 15,000 fentanyl pills, and two firearms from his home and from a storage unit associated with him. According to court documents, on May 9, 2024, Anthony Owen Pawley, 65, of Murray, Utah, was stopped for a traffic violation by detectives assigned to the Salt Lake City Police Department’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Team. During the traffic stop, a canine officer alerted to narcotics. While searching the vehicle, detectives found five pounds of suspected methamphetamine and several hundred blue pressed pills suspected to contain fentanyl. During the investigation, detectives also found approximately 40 pounds of field tested and confirmed methamphetamine and approximately 15,000 fentanyl pills, along with two firearms at his residence and at a storage unit in Murray associated with Pawley. SLCPD Pawley is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute, and felon in possession of a firearm. His initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for May 24, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah and the Salt Lake City Police Department made the announcement. The case is being investigated by the Salt Lake City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorney Cameron P. Warner of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. The Salt Lake City Police Department’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Team (VCAT) is a specialized unit within the department tasked with combating violent crime by identifying and apprehending violent criminals and fugitives. Operating under the SLCPD’s Special Operations Division, VCAT collaborates closely with the Investigations Division, patrol divisions, and Data and Research divisions to pinpoint and enforce targeted measures in hot spot areas and regions experiencing a surge in violent crime. Established to address emerging violent crime trends and the activities of repeat violent offenders in Salt Lake City, VCAT coordinates efforts with detectives, the Salt Lake Information Center (SLIC), and the SLCPD’s Crime Intelligence and Analysis Unit (CIAU) to identify and apprehend violent offenders. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.