title: New Orleans Woman Sentenced for Theft of Government Funds

component: USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – DEDRA BRIGHT (“BRIGHT”) , age 64, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on July 5, 2023 to payment of restitution and probation for theft of government funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641, announced United States Attorney Duane A. Evans. According to court documents, from November 2008 to November 2020, BRIGHT knowingly accessed and converted approximately $194,127.80 in Social Security Administration (“SSA”) and $1,200 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) funds. The funds were intended for BRIGHT ’s mother, who was a recipient of social security funds before she passed away in 2008. BRIGHT continued withdrawing and spending SSA and CARES Act funds from her mother’s account after her 2008 death, until the SSA learned of the mother’s death and ceased the payments. At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle sentenced BRIGHT to 5 years of probation, restitution in the amount of $194,327.80 to the SSA and $1,200 to the IRS, no fine, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100. The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Moses, Health Care Fraud Coordinator, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.


title: Worcester Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Offenses

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Worcester man was sentenced on July 7, 2023 in federal court in Worcester for distributing and possessing child pornography. Kenneth Gianatasio, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 12 years in prison and eight years of supervised release. On March 14, 2023, Gianatasio pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. In August 2019, Gianatasio initiated a conversation with an undercover agent on Kik Messenger. During the conversation, Gianatasio requested to meet the agent in order to engage in sexual activity with the agent’s fictitious underage daughter. During subsequent interviews with law enforcement, Gianatasio admitted that he used Kik as well as other applications to distribute, receive, and possess images and videos of child pornography as well as engage others in conversations about meeting to perform sexual acts on children. Gianatasio also stated that he kept his child pornography in secret applications in his devices for five years. A search of Gianatasio’s iPhone and iPad were found to contain videos and images of child pornography, including thousands of thumbnails in applications on his iPhone. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Christopher DiMenna, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistance was provided by U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Worcester Police Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lucy Sun and Kaitlin J. Brown of Levy’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Two Men Indicted for Conspiracy to Straw Purchase Firearms

body_text: BOSTON – Two men have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly conspiring to straw purchase firearms in Maine and traffic the firearms to Massachusetts. Traveyon Richardson, 25, of Bangor, Maine and Breon Stroup, 26, of Fall River, Mass., were indicted on one count each of conspiracy to straw purchase firearms. Richardson was also indicted on one count of trafficking of firearms and Stroup was indicted on one count of felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. The defendants will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date. According to the charging document, in September 2022, Stroup allegedly used Snapchat to ask Richardson to purchase two specific firearms for him in Maine, where Richardson resides. It is alleged that the following day, Stroup sent Richardson a Cash App money transfer and Richardson purchased the firearms online. Then, Richardson allegedly picked up the firearms from the federal firearm license dealer and drove the firearms to Massachusetts in October 2022. It is further alleged that approximately two weeks later, in October 2022, Richardson and Stroup had a phone conversation where Stroup assured Richardson that he had deleted his Snapchat account. When Richardson allegedly inquired about Stroup’s iCloud account, Stroup responded that he had deleted his iCloud account also. The charge of conspiracy to straw purchase firearms provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of trafficking of firearms provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Fall River Police Department and the Maine State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucy Sun of Levy’s Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Federal Jury Convicts Grundy County, Ill. Businessman of Investment Fraud

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: CHICAGO — A federal jury in Chicago has convicted a Grundy County, Ill. businessman of scheming to fraudulently raise at least $130 million from more than 500 investors. KENNETH D. COURTRIGHT, 53, of Minooka, Ill., was convicted Friday on all seven wire fraud counts against him. Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly set sentencing for Oct. 4, 2023, at 1:15 p.m. Evidence at the two-week trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago revealed that Courtright owned and operated Today’s Growth Consultant, Inc., a Minooka, Ill.-based company that did business under the name The Income Store. The company purported to build or acquire websites for investors. From 2015 to 2019, Courtright schemed to defraud investors by falsely promising to provide them with a guaranteed income stream of either 50% of the advertising revenue generated by the websites or the monthly equivalent of at least 15% of the investor’s upfront fee. Courtright backed these guarantees through fraudulent claims that his company was financially healthy. In reality, the payment of returns to investors was primarily funded through money raised from new investors. The conviction was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Yonan and Adam Rosenbloom. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission provided valuable assistance.


title: Fmr. Dallas County Sheriff’s Employee Sentenced for Stealing $250k From Jail’s Commissary Fund

body_text: A former Dallas County Sheriff’s Office supervisor who embezzled more than $250,000 from the jail’s inmate property fund was sentenced today to almost three years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton. Umeka Treymane Myers, 50, was charged via criminal information on April 28. She pleaded guilty to theft from a program receiving federal funds in June 2022 and was sentenced Monday to 33 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge David Godbey, who also ordered her to pay $429,640.66 in restitution. "For three years, Ms. Myers callously took advantage of a program receiving federal funds to support her personal bank account. Further, as a supervisor in a government role, she also selfishly risked damaging the credibility of hard-working civil servants that support our county infrastructure," said Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough. "I commend our colleagues at Dallas County for their full cooperation in rooting out greed and corruption in programs that are funded by taxpayer monies." According to plea papers, Ms. Myers worked as a supervisor at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center’s inmate property vault, which refunds inmates’ commissary account balances upon their release. When an inmate’s account contains more than $30, property vault employees give them the balance on debit cards generated by software from the Keef Group. If an employee makes an error processing a debit card, the software generates an error message, which only a lead clerk or supervisor (such as Myers), can clear. After overriding a debit card error, however, Ms. Myers used released inmates’ book-in numbers to create new and duplicate debit cards, then entered the same amount from the card issued to the released inmate on to the newly created card. Between 2018 and 2021, she fraudulently issued dozens of debit cards, which she used in Texas, Louisiana, Nevada, Maryland, and New York. (Her spending was confirmed by Winstar, Choctaw, and Margaritaville casino records, Southwest Airlines records, Bank of America ATM surveillance footage, and personal bank records.) Ms. Myers has been ordered to report to prison on Monday, Sept. 11. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation with the full cooperation of the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcus Busch prosecuted the case


title: U.S. Attorney Ritz Launches National Security and Civil Rights Unit

component: USAO - Tennessee, Western

body_text: Memphis, TN – United States Attorney Kevin Ritz today announced the creation of a National Security and Civil Rights Unit within the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee. This move permanently positions a supervisory attorney and several prosecutors to respond to and prevent hate crimes and civil rights violations, as well as threats to national security. “None of us can afford for federal investigators and prosecutors to take a passive role when it comes to protecting the rights guaranteed by the Constitution,” said U.S. Attorney Ritz. “We have a responsibility to our communities to be active participants in seeing those rights endure. This new unit mobilizes every tool at our disposal to prosecuting hate-based crimes, civil rights violations, violent extremism, and related crimes. This is a major part of our mission and deserves to always have a clear, formal home in our office.” Assistant United States Attorney Karen Hartridge was appointed by Ritz to lead the unit as Deputy Criminal Chief. For nearly nine years, Hartridge has represented the United States in the prosecution of violations of federal firearms, controlled substances, and robbery statutes. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Hartridge served in the Department of Veterans Affairs, where she supervised a team of attorneys and support personnel. As Deputy Criminal Chief, Hartridge will oversee a team of federal prosecutors on cases involving bias-related incidents, official misconduct, domestic terrorism, interstate threats, cybercrime (including exploitation of children), and other related violations of federal law. That team will expand almost immediately, according to U.S. Attorney Ritz, as he and Hartridge also announced plans to recruit multiple new Assistant United States Attorneys to work on these issues by the end of the summer. The Justice Department recently granted resources to the Western District to hire multiple additional Assistant United States Attorneys, including one to focus specifically on domestic terrorism and violent crime. “Our first job is to send a strong message to the cities and counties we serve that we take these kinds of cases seriously and that we are focused on holding people accountable when there is a report of a violation of civil rights or threat to national security,” said Hartridge. “That requires us to build a team of passionate, victim-focused prosecutors who understand the responsibility of this work. The team we have in Memphis and Jackson has given us an incredible foundation; I’m excited to work with them and our new hires to grow and sustain the new unit.” More information on the attorney vacancies, including qualifications and details on the process, can be found on USAJobs.gov . The deadline to apply is July 16, 2023. The new unit in the Western District of Tennessee prioritizes cases consistent with Attorney General Garland’s May 27, 2021 directive to U.S. Attorneys to combat hate crimes and incidents, address them when they occur, support those victimized by them, and reduce the pernicious effects these incidents have on our society. Data released in early 2023 shows an increase in hate crimes reported to the FBI by law enforcement agencies , rising from more than 8,000 in 2020 to nearly 11,000 the following year. United States Attorney Ritz recently joined three subcommittees of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) as part of this effort. The AGAC was created in 1973 to serve as the voice of U.S. Attorneys and to advise the Attorney General. United States Attorney Ritz serves on the Violent and Organized Crime Subcommittee, the Terrorism and National Security Subcommittee, and the Civil Rights Subcommittee. As a member of these subcommittees, Ritz works with other U.S. Attorneys and Department leadership to advise on issues in these areas and address their impact across the Western District of Tennessee. “We’re certainly going to continue to lean on our partnerships across local, state, and federal law enforcement to investigate and prosecute these cases wherever we can,” said Ritz. “But community members are also important partners in this fight. Part of our work is going to be talking to people in all 22 of the counties in our District about how domestic terrorism is evolving, what hate crimes look like in 2023, and how they can bring their concerns to our attention.” To report a hate crime, human trafficking, civil rights violation, or other federal crime, dial 911 for immediate help from local authorities; submit a report to the Civil Rights Division at civilrights.justice.gov ; or contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov . ###


title: Former Warren Police Officer Charged With Using Excessive Force Against A Jail Prisoner

component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: DETROIT – A former Warren police officer has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with violating a jail prisoner’s civil rights by assaulting the prisoner without justification, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today. Ison was joined in the announcement by Peter J. Lucido, Macomb County Prosecutor, and Devin J. Kowalski, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Matthew J. Rodriguez, 48, a former Warren Police Officer, was charged in the complaint with deprivation of rights under color of law. According to the complaint, Rodriguez was working as a jail officer on June 13, 2023, at the Warren Police Department, when the victim was brought to the department after being arrested. While Rodriguez was processing the victim, Rodriguez repeatedly assaulted the prisoner without justification. The surveillance video inside the police department shows that while the victim was standing with his hands down at his sides, Rodriguez struck him in the head with enough force to cause the victim to stumble backwards. Rodriguez then shoved the victim against a wall, and threw him to the floor. While the victim was laying on the floor, Rodriguez used his closed fist to punch the victim repeatedly in the head. Rodriguez also slammed the victim’s head into the floor. “The allegations in the complaint demonstrate a shocking abuse of authority by this officer which cannot be ignored, or go unpunished, stated U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison. “We are grateful for Prosecutor Lucido’s cooperation in this case, and his willingness to dismiss the state charges so that this federal case can go forward where the defendant now faces a felony charge.” “We are cooperating with the U.S. Attorney to ensure that when fundamental liberties are threatened, justice prevails. Together, we will strive to bring about justice and ensure righteousness in the legal system, reminding everyone that the protection of civil rights is a cornerstone of our democracy,” said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido. “One of the FBI’s most important missions is to protect the civil rights of all people, including those in police custody,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “This defendant’s alleged conduct is not reflective of the honor and professionalism with which the men and women of the Warren Police Department perform their duties. I am grateful for the collaboration with the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office and the Warren Police Department which has been essential to this investigation.” The defendant faces up to ten years in prison on the civil rights charge. A criminal complaint is only a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. This case was investigated by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Moran. Macomb County Prosecutor Lucido originally brought misdemeanor charges of assault and battery and willful neglect of duty against defendant Rodriguez. Prosecutor Lucido intends to dismiss these charges so that the federal felony charge against Rodriguez can go forward.


title: Readout of Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco’s Trip to Tokyo for G7 and ASEAN Justice Ministers Meetings

component: Office of the Deputy Attorney General

body_text: Deputy Attorney General (Deputy AG) Lisa O. Monaco traveled to Tokyo July 6-8 to highlight the importance of international partnerships and support for the rule of law at a Group of Seven (G7) Justice Ministers’ Meeting and a G7 Interface Meeting with Justice Ministers and Attorneys General from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In remarks at the ASEAN Interface on July 7, the Deputy AG emphasized the critical importance of strong international partnerships to combating intensifying global threats from cybercrime and transnational organized crime, particularly narcotics trafficking. She noted how the Justice Department’s prosecutors and investigators are working with global partners to disrupt the criminal ecosystem that allows increasingly brazen cyber criminals and malicious nation-state actors to flourish. She also encouraged her counterparts to join the Justice Department’s campaign against drug cartels that fuel violence around the world, warning that the United States is facing a deadly threat from fentanyl and other illicit synthetic drugs. She said: “To my colleagues — I urge you to recognize that while you may not see this deadly killer now — you will. Fentanyl trafficking is a serious threat to all of us and is an area ripe for future cooperation. ” In the meeting of G7 Justice Ministers, the Deputy AG reiterated her warning about fentanyl and acknowledged the steadfast commitment of G7 nations to support Ukraine and resolve to hold Russia accountable for the war crimes and atrocities it is perpetrating in its war of aggression in Ukraine. She joined G7 Justice Ministers in announcing new efforts to help Ukraine strengthen the rule of law and fight corruption, including through a new G7 Anti-Corruption Task Force for Ukraine, which the Justice Department will support as part of its continued response to Russia’s unprovoked and brutal war in Ukraine. Pointing to the Disruptive Technology Strike Force she launched earlier this year, the Deputy AG also encouraged her G7 counterparts to work together to deny repressive regimes the technology they abuse and exploit to monitor, harass, and intimidate, warning that: “Our adversaries are not content with the status quo — they are increasingly creative, brazen, and malicious in their efforts to weaken democracies, to sow discord, and to spread corruption across the globe. Only by defending the rule of law, protecting civil liberties, and holding fast to the values that underpin our countries can we defeat these autocratic regimes — and we can and must do these things together.” You can read more here about the commitments made by G7 Justice Ministers to support Ukraine, enhance cooperation among the G7 nations to promote the rule of law, and connect the G7 and Indo-Pacific in the fields of law and justice. While in Tokyo, the Deputy AG held a number of bilateral meetings, including with Justice Ministers and other counterparts from the United Kingdom, the Philippines, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, and Canada, as well as with the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). In all of these discussions, the Deputy AG emphasized the importance of continuing to invest in international partnerships, which are key to dismantling deadly narcotics trafficking networks, disrupting cybercrime and threats like ransomware, and preventing the misuse of critical technologies by repressive regimes to undermine democracies. Joined by U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, the Deputy AG met with the Japanese Minister of Justice, Ken Saitō, to thank him for his leadership of the G7 Justice Ministerial and for his hospitality in Tokyo. She met separately with Deputy Commissioner General of the Japanese National Police, Yoshimi Ogata, and underscored the Justice Department’s deep appreciation for the strong collaboration with Japanese law enforcement and justice partners in combating shared global threats. Before leaving Tokyo, the Deputy AG visited the American Embassy for a briefing with U.S. officials on their work in-country and to thank them for their dedicated public service.


title: Passaic County Husband and Wife Sentenced for Sex Trafficking

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A husband and wife from Passaic County, New Jersey, have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a sex trafficking scheme, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced today. Enna Gonzalez, 58, of Paterson, New Jersey, was sentenced on July 6, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to four years in prison and five years of supervised release. Gonzalez previously pleaded guilty to an indictment charging her with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. Gonzalez husband, Jean Noriega, 52, of Paterson, was sentenced June 14, 2023, to 20 years in prison and five years of supervised release. Noriega previously pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and the sex trafficking of six different victims. Judge Arleo imposed the sentences in Newark federal court. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: From 2016 through 2017, Noriega coerced multiple women to engage in commercial sex acts in New Jersey and New York. Noriega used violence, threats of violence, threats of drug withdrawal, and other means, to compel the victims to engage in commercial sex for his profit, including after his incarceration in New York on unrelated charges in 2017. Gonzalez helped Noriega control the victims through various means, including, collecting the proceeds of the commercial sex acts. She also carried out Noriega’s sex trafficking activities while Noriega was incarcerated. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI’s Newark Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, and the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office’s Human Trafficking Unit, under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, with the investigation leading to the sentencings. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sophie E. Reiter of the U.S. Attorney’s Cybercrime Unit in Newark.


title: Convicted Murderer Who Ran $1.5 Million COVID Jobless Benefits Fraud from Behind Bars Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A woman serving a life sentence in state prison for murder was sentenced today in federal court to 84 months in federal prison for leading a ring that fraudulently obtained more than $1.5 million in California unemployment insurance (UI) benefits – mostly pandemic-related relief – by using other people’s identities, some of which belonged to her fellow California prison inmates. Natalie Le Demola, 38, who was incarcerated at the California Institution for Women in Corona at the time of the offense, was sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter, who also ordered her to pay $933,181 in restitution. Demola is serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2005 of the first-degree murder of her mother. Judge Walter ordered Demola to serve her federal prison sentence consecutive to her state prison sentence. She will be eligible for parole from state prison in July 2026. Demola pleaded guilty on March 7 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, three counts of bank fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. From June 2020 until April 2021, Demola and other co-conspirators acquired the personal identifiable information (PII), such as the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers, of individuals – including identity theft victims – who were not eligible for UI benefits, including pandemic benefits, because they were employed, retired, or incarcerated. Members of the conspiracy then used the information to make fraudulent online applications for UI benefits from the California Employment Development Department (EDD). Once the applications were approved, members of the conspiracy received EDD-funded debit cards that allowed them to withdraw money from ATMs across Southern California. The total loss incurred by this conspiracy was $1,546,933. “[Demola] led and organized a scheme in which she and her coconspirators pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars allocated for residents of California who were unemployed on account of the COVID19 pandemic,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “[Demola] made a cost-benefit analysis and decided that the money and influence, including among fellow inmates, that she stood to gain was worth the additional penalties she faced if she were caught.” Prosecutors secured a total of 13 guilty pleas in this case. The investigation into this scheme was conducted by the Los Angeles El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, a multi-agency task force led by Homeland Security Investigations that includes federal and state investigators who are focused on financial crimes in Southern California. The California Employment Development Department, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Inglewood Police Department, and the United States Marshals Service participated in this investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Nisha Chandran of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section and David C. Lachman of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section prosecuted this case.


title: Chicago Street Gang Leaders Convicted on Federal Racketeering Charges

body_text: CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted three leaders of a Chicago street gang on federal racketeering charges for participating in a criminal organization that murdered rivals and violently protected its perceived territory on the city’s South Side. Convicted of racketeering conspiracy were ROMEO BLACKMAN, 27, TERRANCE SMITH, 27, and JOLICIOUS TURMAN, 31, all of Chicago. Blackman and Smith were also convicted of multiple counts of violence in aid of racketeering. The jury returned its verdicts Wednesday after a seven-week trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Blackman and Smith each face mandatory sentences of life in federal prison, while Turman faces a maximum sentence of 20 years. U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey has not yet set sentencing dates. A fourth defendant, NATHANIEL MCELROY, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge prior to trial. McElroy is awaiting sentencing. The defendants were indicted in 2018 after a joint federal and state investigation of a Chicago street gang faction known as the Goonie Boss/Goonie Gang. The defendants and other Goonie members stole firearms to arm themselves, violently prevented witnesses from cooperating with law enforcement, and publicly boasted about gang activities on social media. The jury found that members of the gang were liable for six murders while terrorizing the Englewood neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, specifically: Blackman and Smith were liable for the murder of Stanley Bobo, 18, on Oct. 23, 2014, in the 1400 block of West 72nd Street. Blackman and Smith were liable for the murder of Krystal Jackson, 25, on Nov. 19, 2014, in the 6800 block of South Loomis Boulevard. Blackman was liable for the murder of Andre Donner, 26, on Dec. 13, 2015, in the 7200 block of South May Street. Blackman was liable for the murder of Davon Horace, 19, on Jan. 25, 2016, in the 7200 block of South May Street. Blackman was liable for the murder of Gerald Sias, 38, on May 26, 2016, inside a barber shop in the 1100 block of West 63rd Street. Turman was liable for the murder of Kenneth Whittaker, 34, on July 1, 2016, near an elementary school in the 7400 block of South Morgan Street. The jury also found that Smith was liable for two attempted murders. The convictions were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Fred Waller, Interim Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Albert Berry III, Maureen McCurry, and Paige Nutini. “Combating violent street gangs is a top priority in our office,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual. “We will use all lawful tools and resources at our disposal to dismantle those street gangs and disrupt the cycle of violence in Chicago and the surrounding areas.” "Every Chicagoan deserves a safe place to live, and these convictions make it clear that serious crimes lead to serious consequences,” said FBI SAC Wheeler. The investigation of the Goonie gang spanned several years and resulted in other charges against Blackman, McElroy, and numerous other alleged Goonie members or associates for various offenses, including: Blackman was charged along with RASHAD ANCHANDO, of Chicago, and KEITH GULLENS, of Streator, Ill., with stealing firearms from a licensed dealer in a smash-and-grab burglary. Anchando pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in federal prison, while Gullens pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four and a half years. Blackman pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. McElroy and four others were indicted on federal firearms violations for scheming to “straw purchase” handguns in Michigan and re-sell them in Chicago . All five defendants pleaded guilty. One defendant is awaiting sentence, while the four others were sentenced to federal prison terms ranging from 16 months to seven years. CHRISTIAN SIVELS, of Chicago, is charged in state court with first-degree murder in the killing of David Easley on May 21, 2016. Easley, 26, was shot and killed while walking in the 7000 block of South Carpenter Street in Chicago. Sivels pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial in Cook County Criminal Court. TREVANTE REED, of Chicago, is charged in state court with first-degree murder in the killing of Gerald Sias on May 26, 2016. Sias was shot and killed while waiting inside a barbershop in the 1100 block of West 63 rd Street in Chicago. Reed pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial in Cook County Criminal Court. JAVION BUSH, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to being an accessory to the carjacking of an off-duty police officer on Oct. 18, 2018. Bush was sentenced to 15 months in prison. Upon his release from prison, Bush was charged with, and subsequently pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice by retaliating against a witness. Bush is currently awaiting sentencing in the obstruction case. Convicted felon JAVONTE N. STOKES, of Chicago, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of illegal firearm possession. Stokes was sentenced to six months in prison.


title: Boston Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Transporting Firearms

body_text: BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for illegally transporting firearms from Alabama into Massachusetts. Jarmori Brown, 21, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In March 2023, Brown pleaded guilty to one count of illegal transportation or receipt in state of residency of firearm purchased or acquired outside of state of residency, and one count of conspiracy to illegally transport firearms. In July 2022, Brown was charged along with co-defendants Brandon Moore, Jahquel Pringle and Kobe Smith. Brown has been in state custody on unrelated state charges since being charged federally. Pringle and Smith are currently in federal custody pending their trials. Moore’s case was transferred to his home district of the Middle District of Alabama, where he has since pleaded guilty. Brown, and allegedly Pringle, Smith and Moore, conspired to obtain at least 24 firearms from Alabama, where Moore lived, and then transport them to Boston. In August 2020, Brown traveled from Boston to Alabama on a commercial bus to pick up the firearms, allegedly from Moore, and then transported the firearms, concealed within luggage, back to Boston on the commercial bus. According to court documents, at least seven firearms obtained in this manner have been recovered by law enforcement from the streets of Boston and surrounding communities. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elianna J. Nuzum of Levy’s Major Crimes Unit 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Final Defendant Sentenced for Tucson-Based Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering Conspiracy

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: TUCSON, Ariz. – Cecilia Campos, 49, of Pellham, Alabama, was sentenced on June 14, 2023, by United States District Court Judge James A. Soto to 18 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. Campos pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Heroin and Methamphetamine and Conspiracy to Commit Laundering of Monetary Instruments. Campos’ co-conspirators pleaded guilty and were sentenced as follows: Juan Randolfo Parrado-Herrera, 63, of Tucson, Arizona pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Heroin, and Cocaine and Conspiracy to Commit Laundering of Monetary Instruments. He also admitted that these crimes were committed while he was serving a term of supervised release in another federal case. He was sentenced to 180 months in prison on the new charges and a concurrent term of 24 months on the supervised release violation. His prison term will be followed by 60 months of supervised release. Ana Fernanda Contreras, 32, of Tucson, Arizona pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Laundering of Monetary Instruments. She was sentenced to a term of one year probation. Markita Denise Caldwell, 48, of Raytown, Missouri, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Laundering of Monetary Instruments. She was sentenced to 10 months in prison, followed by 24 months of supervised release. Parrado-Herrera and his co-conspirators possessed with intent to distribute 1,412.5 grams of methamphetamine, 122.8 grams of heroin, and 29 grams of cocaine to locations in and outside of Arizona for several years up until June 2, 2017. As part of the conspiracy, Parrado-Herrera and Campos mailed numerous packages containing drugs from Tucson, Arizona to Hialeah and Orlando, Florida. Caldwell also mailed several different packages of narcotics to her residences in Kansas City, Missouri. Parrado-Herrera, Campos, Contreras, and Caldwell conspired to launder United States currency by directing the proceeds of narcotic sales to be deposited into accounts in the name of or accessible to Parrado-Herrera and Campos. Parrado-Herrera and Campos directed other co-conspirators across the country to deposit the proceeds of narcotic sales into bank accounts under their control, later withdrawing these proceeds from accounts in Tucson, Arizona. Parrado-Herrera and Campos laundered over $250,000 of narcotic proceeds using this method. 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 . The Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Sandra M. Hansen, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution. CASE NUMBER: CR-18-02174-JAS RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-105-Campos # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: U.S. Attorney Announces Charges Against Co-Director Of Think Tank For Acting As An Unregistered Foreign Agent, Trafficking In Arms, Violating U.S. Sanctions Against Iran, And Making False Statements To Federal Agents

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Matthew G. Olsen, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and Christie M. Curtis, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of an eight-count Indictment charging GAL LUFT with offenses related to willfully failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (“FARA”), arms trafficking, Iranian sanctions violations, and making false statements to federal agents. LUFT, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, was indicted on November 1, 2022, and arrested on February 17, 2023, in the Republic of Cyprus based on the charges in the Indictment. LUFT subsequently fled after being released on bail while extradition proceedings were pending and remains a fugitive. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Gal Luft, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen and co-head of a Maryland think tank, engaged in multiple, serious criminal schemes. He subverted foreign agent registration laws in the United States to seek to promote Chinese policies by acting through a former high-ranking U.S. Government official; he acted as a broker in deals for dangerous weapons and Iranian oil; and he told multiple lies about his crimes to law enforcement. As the charges unsealed today reflect, our Office will continue to work vigorously with our law enforcement partners to detect and hold accountable those who surreptitiously attempt to perpetrate malign foreign influence campaigns here in the United States.” FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Christie M. Curtis said: “As alleged, the defendant engaged in multiple schemes to evade sanctions and laws intended to protect our national security. The FBI is determined to defend our nation by enforcing laws designed to promote transparency of foreign influence within the United States.” According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, other filings, public information, and statements made during court proceedings: [1] For years, LUFT, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen who serves as the co-director of a Maryland-based think tank, engaged, along with others, in multiple international criminal schemes. First, LUFT conspired with others in an effort to act within the United States to advance the interests of the People’s Republic of China (“China”) as agents of China-based principals, without registering as foreign agents as required under U.S. law. As part of this scheme, while serving as the co-director of a Maryland-based non-profit think tank, LUFT agreed to covertly recruit and pay, on behalf of principals based in China, a former high-ranking U.S. Government official (“Individual-1”), including in 2016 while the former official was an adviser to the then-President-elect, to publicly support certain policies with respect to China without LUFT or Individual-1 filing a registration statement as an agent of a foreign principal with the Attorney General of the United States, in violation of FARA. Among other things, in the weeks before the 2016 U.S. presidential election, LUFT and a co-conspirator (“CC-1”), who is a Chinese national and worked for a Chinese nongovernmental organization affiliated with a Chinese energy company, created a written “dialogue” between CC-1 and Individual-1, in which LUFT wrote Individual-1’s responses and included information that was favorable to China. The dialogue was then published in a Chinese newspaper online and sent to, among others, individuals in the United States, including a journalist and professors at multiple U.S. universities. When LUFT was writing the dialogue, CC-1 told LUFT that “[i]n these articles, we do not want to spill all the beans yet, just enough to let ‘people’ know he [ i.e. , Individual-1] is in the corridor of power to be. Just broad stroke policy consideration that leaves plenty of room for interpretation and imagination to be filled in later.” After the purported “conversations” were published, LUFT told CC-1 that certain information, favorable to China, had been “tucked between the lines.” Shortly after the 2016 election, LUFT and CC-1 also discussed possible roles Individual-1 might have in the incoming U.S. administration and discussed Individual-1 taking a “silent trip” to China. LUFT responded that “[w]e are debating about his role in the new admin. There are all kinds of considerations . . .We should talk ftf [ i.e. , face-to-face] as there can be a supremely unique opportunity for china.” Second, LUFT conspired with others and attempted to broker illicit arms transactions with, among others, certain Chinese individuals and entities. In his role as a broker or middleman, LUFT worked to find both buyers and sellers of certain weapons and other materials, without a license to do so as required under U.S. law, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act. Among other things, LUFT worked to broker a deal for Chinese companies to sell certain weapons to Libya, including anti-tank launchers, grenade launchers, and mortar rounds (which LUFT and his associates referred to in coded language as “toys”). LUFT also worked to broker deals for certain weapons to be sold to the United Arab Emirates, including aerial bombs and rockets. LUFT further worked to broker deals for certain weapons to be sold by a Chinese company to Kenya, including unmanned aerial vehicles (“UAVs”) – and specifically “strike” UAVs, which LUFT acknowledged “[t]he US doesn’t want to sell[, . . .] hence the opportunity.” LUFT also discussed brokering a deal for weapons to Qatar and told CC-1 that Israel was “not a good fit” as the middleman for the deal because it had the “[s]ame problem the [] Q [ i.e. , Qataris] have w uncle [ i.e. , the United States]. Need a third party. . . . I will activate.” In his role as a broker for illicit arms deals, LUFT worked on a commission basis and traveled to meetings and received and passed on documentation needed to secure the deals. During a voluntary interview with U.S. law enforcement in which he was asked questions about his involvement in arms trafficking, LUFT made multiple false statements, including that he had not sought to engage in or profit from arms deals. Third, LUFT conspired with others and attempted to broker deals for Iranian oil – which he directed an associate to refer to as “Brazilian” oil in an effort to conceal the activity and evade sanctions – in violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. In his role as a broker or middleman, LUFT solicited buyers and passed on pricing and other information. One offer letter for Iranian oil that LUFT received noted that the “origin” of the oil was “Iranian / It can be presented as UAE origin without Iranian papers.” He also assisted in setting up meetings between Iranian representatives and a Chinese energy company for the purpose of discussing oil deals. During a voluntary interview with U.S. law enforcement in which he was asked about his role brokering deals in Iranian oil, LUFT made multiple false statements, including that he had tried to prevent oil deals with Iran and had not been present during meetings with the Chinese energy company and Iranians. * * * LUFT, 57, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen who formerly resided in both Maryland and Israel and is now a fugitive, has been charged with the following offenses, which carry the maximum prison terms listed below. The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by a judge. Count Charge Maximum Prison Term One Conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act Five years Two Conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act Five years Three Violation of the Arms Export Control Act (relating to Libya) 20 years Four Violation of the Arms Export Control Act (relating to the United Arab Emirates) 20 years Five Violation of the Arms Export Control Act (relating to Kenya) 20 years Six Making false statements Five years Seven Conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act 20 years Eight Making false statements Five years Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and its New York Field Office, Counterintelligence Division. Mr. Williams also thanked the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for their assistance. If you have any information about LUFT’s whereabouts, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. Tips can be reported anonymously and can also be reported online at tips.fbi.gov. This matter is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel C. Richenthal and Catherine Ghosh are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation. U.S. v. Luft Indictment_As Filed


title: Cheyenne Man Sentenced to 140 Months for Drug and Firearm Offenses

component: USAO - Wyoming

body_text: Grady Lynn Peoples, age 50, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced on July 6, 2023, to 140 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, and being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence, which also includes four years of supervised release, community restitution in the amount of $300, and a $200 special assessment. According to court records, in July of 2022, law enforcement saw Peoples traveling to multiple locations where drug activity was known, and saw individuals known to be involved in drug activity coming and going from Peoples’ residence. The Cheyenne DEA Task Force and the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant for Peoples’ residence in Cheyenne. During the search, agents and detectives found and seized approximately 710 grams of methamphetamine, 132.5 grams of fentanyl pills, a Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun, and $8,000 in cash. When interviewed, Peoples admitted that the drugs, gun, and cash found in his residence belonged to him. This crime was investigated by the Cheyenne DEA Task Force, Laramie County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney T.J. Forwood. Case No. 22-cr-00107-SWS


title: Kern County Man Charged in Operation Red Reaper Sentenced to over 11 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine Distribution

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: FRESNO, Calif. — Ernesto Zibray, 34, of Delano, was sentenced today to 11 years and three months in prison for distribution of over 500 grams of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, Zibray was charged as part of Operation Red Reaper, a multi-agency operation that resulted in three federal cases charging a total of 23 individuals. The months-long investigation uncovered evidence that the Nuestra Familia prison gang and its associates were responsible for large-scale trafficking of methamphetamine and other controlled substances, as well as various firearms offenses and other violent crimes in Kings and Tulare Counties. On May 6, 2019, Zibray, who was on probation for another drug trafficking offense, distributed 2 pounds of methamphetamine to a co-defendant in Delano. Moments later, investigators conducted a traffic stop on the car in which the co-defendant was traveling, searched the car, and found the methamphetamine. This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Kings County Gang Task Force, the California Department of Justice, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Petersburg, Illinois, Man Charged with Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Receipt, and Distribution of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Illinois, Central

body_text: SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A grand jury indicted a Petersburg, Illinois, man, Adam L. Power, 29, of the 500 block of 8 th Street in Petersburg, Illinois, on July 7, 2023, for producing, distributing, and receiving child pornography. Court documents allege that Power requested, traded, and received child pornography from minors through the use of online applications. Power was identifying himself as a minor female to get minor males to produce sexually explicit images and videos of themselves. Additionally, it is alleged Power distributed as well as received visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Power was originally arrested in Petersburg, Illinois, on March 21, 2023, and charged with possession of child pornography by the Menard County State’s Attorney. He was released on bond with electronic monitoring. On June 30, 2023, Power was arrested by Department of Homeland Security Agents on a federal warrant and was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury. He is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals. If convicted, the offense of sexual exploitation of a minor carries a statutory penalty of at least fifteen years to a maximum of thirty years’ imprisonment; for both receipt and distribution of child pornography, the penalty is at least five years to a maximum of twenty years’ imprisonment. Agencies participating in the investigation include the Department of Homeland Security, Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Athens Police Department, Illinois State Police, Petersburg Police Department, the Menard County Sheriff’s Office, and the Menard County States Attorney. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner K. Jacobs is representing the government in the prosecution. Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Anyone who may have information about potential victims is asked to contact Springfield Homeland Security Investigations at 217-547-2114 or Michael.F.Mitchell@ice.dhs.gov. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov .


title: Fresno Man Charged in Operation No Fly Zone Sentenced to over 2 Years in Prison for Illegal Possession of Ammunition

body_text: FRESNO, Calif. — Donald Ray Phelps Jr., 29, of Fresno, was sentenced to two years and three months in prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, the charges stemmed from Operation No Fly Zone, a multi‑agency, months-long investigation that sought to address a rise in the number of shootings and homicides in Fresno. The operation resulted in the arrests of over 40 individuals, including seven federal defendants. On March 18, 2022, investigators learned about the presence of a firearm inside a car in which Phelps was a passenger. Officers conducted a traffic stop on the car, and during a search of the car, under the seat where Phelps had been sitting, officers found a loaded, privately manufactured, semi-automatic handgun with no serial number and a compatible extended firearm magazine. This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The following agencies also assisted: Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Fresno Police Department; the Fresno-area Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC); the California Department of Justice Special Operations Unit; the California Department of Justice Human Trafficking/Sexual Predator Apprehension Team; the California Highway Patrol; the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office; the Kings County Sheriff’s Office; the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Gilio and Antonio J. Pataca prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: West L.A. Man Gets More Than 6 Years in Prison for Illicitly Obtaining Nearly $9 Million in COVID Loans, Some of Which He Used for Las Vegas Gambling

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A West Los Angeles man was sentenced today to 79 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining approximately $9 million in COVID-19 business loans, some of which he used on gambling excursions to Las Vegas and transferred to his stock trading accounts. Andrew Marnell, 43, was sentenced by United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner, who scheduled a restitution hearing for August 28. Marnell pleaded guilty in September 2021 to one count of bank fraud and one count of money laundering. From March 2020 to July 2020, Marnell schemed to defraud lenders and the Small Business Administration (SBA) by submitting fraudulent loan applications under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which Congress designed to aid businesses feeling the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and another SBA loan program called the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL). Marnell’s bogus loan applications contained numerous false and misleading statements about his shell companies’ business operations and payroll expenses. Marnell, often using aliases, submitted fake and altered documents to obtain the small business loans, including bogus federal tax filings and employee payroll records. In total, Marnell submitted applications for PPP loans in amounts exceeding $10 million and lenders funded nearly $9 million in loans to his fake companies. In addition, Marnell requested EIDL loans from the SBA in the amount of $320,000, and of that amount, $170,000 was funded. Once Marnell obtained the illicitly obtained loans, he used the money for gambling, including at a Las Vegas casino and in stock market trades, and for purchasing luxury goods. As part of his plea agreement with federal prosecutors, Marnell agreed to forfeit his ill-gotten gains, including Rolex watches, multiple laptop computers and tablets, a Range Rover automobile, a Ducati motorcycle, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash. The government also seized more than $1.5 million from various Marnell-controlled accounts, including those used to trade in the stock market. “As soon as the federal government declared a national emergency and took action to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, [Marnell] started scheming to steal relief funds intended to save small businesses from going bankrupt and millions of individuals from losing their jobs,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “[Marnell] was one of the first people arrested in this district for pandemic-related fraud, and thus he was one of the first out of the proverbial gate to start defrauding programs designed to provide emergency assistance and relief to those impacted by the pandemic, including owners of small businesses.” The Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General; the FBI; the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General; IRS Criminal Investigation; the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; and the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General investigated this matter. The California Department of Justice Bureau of Gambling Control provided assistance in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Kerry L. Quinn of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form .


title: Fresno Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Child Pornography

body_text: FRESNO, Calif. — Gary Lee Briggs, 66, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to receipt and distribution of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, on Jan. 3, 2020, a concerned citizen reported to law enforcement that Briggs appeared to be trying to lure an eight-year-old boy into Briggs’s apartment in Fresno. When officers confronted Briggs, he reported that he planned to test his ability to withstand urges that attracted him to the boy. Briggs also admitted that Facebook recently had terminated his account for having transmitted sexually explicit material on that platform. Facebook separately had notified the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that Briggs’s Facebook account had been used to transmit sexually explicit images of minors from August through December 2019. This case is the product of an investigation by the Central Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, specifically the Fresno Police Department, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa is prosecuting the case. Briggs is scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on Oct. 23, 2023. Briggs faces a mandatory prison term of between 15 and 40 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.


title: Five Springfield Men Indicted for Drug Distribution and Firearm Offenses

body_text: BOSTON – Five Springfield men were indicted on July 6, 2023, in connection with a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Abraham Heredia, 23, was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl; Jose Heredia, Jr., 34, was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug offense; Lamiek White, 29, was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm; Isais Diaz, 24, was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl; and Robert Collado, 38, was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. Heredia, Heredia, Jr. and White were arrested in June 2023. White and Abraham Heredia were arraigned in federal court in Springfield on July 6, 2023, before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Katherine A. Robertson, and the remaining defendants will be arraigned in the upcoming weeks. According to the charging documents, Heredia and Heredia, Jr. conspired on at least two dates to distribute fentanyl. On June 7, 2023, the defendants allegedly conspired to distribute more than one and a half kilograms of fentanyl. It is further alleged that approximately 200 grams of fentanyl and a firearm with an obliterated serial number were found during a search of White’s residence. Court documents also allege that Diaz conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and that he and Collado conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $10 million. The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and fine of up to $8 million. The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and fine of $8 million. The charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug offense provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to life in prison, which must be served consecutive to the sentence imposed for the drug offense. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Christopher DiMenna, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; the Holyoke, Springfield, Chicopee, West Springfield and Easthampton Police Departments; the Berkshire, Hampden and Franklin County Sherriff’s Offices; and the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit provided valuable assistance in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil L. Desroches of the Springfield Branch Unit is prosecuting the case. 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. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Two Plead Guilty to Federal Drug Crimes

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Edward Daniel Walker Jr., also known as “Jetty,” 38, of Columbus, Ohio, and Jordan Lee Jobe, 29, of Leon, West Virginia, each pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute heroin. According to court documents and statements made in court, from about April 2022 to about September 25, 2022, Walker and Jobe participated in a conspiracy to distribute heroin in the Leon area of Mason County. Walker admitted to selling heroin to customers directly and distributing quantities of heroin to other individuals for them to sell at his direction. Jobe admitted to distributing heroin for Walker and transporting Walker to obtain heroin. On September 25, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 64 in Hurricane of a vehicle driven by Jobe in which Walker was a passenger. Officers searched the vehicle and found approximately 105 grams of suspected heroin and a firearm. Walker and Jobe each admitted to intending to sell the heroin. Following the traffic stop, officers executed a search warrant that same day at a Barboursville motel room where Walker and Jobe were staying. Officer seized approximately 204 grams of suspected heroin, two firearms and $1,000 during that search. Walker and Jobe each admitted to intending to sell the heroin, and further admitted that the cash was proceeds from previous drug sales. On March 31, 2023, officers executed a search warrant at a Durham Road residence in Leon, where they arrested Walker and Jobe. Officers seized approximately 135 grams of suspected heroin found at the residence and $2,000 on Walker’s person. Walker and Jobe each admitted to intending to sell the heroin. Walker further admitted that the cash was proceeds from previous drug deals. Walker and Jobe are scheduled to be sentenced on October 16, 2023, and each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police and the Drug and Violent Crime Task Force West. United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor is prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-40. ###


title: McDowell County Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Crime

body_text: BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Myron Dwayne Brown, also known as “Mylo,” 44, of Welch, pleaded guilty today to distribution of fentanyl. According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 22, 2022, Brown sold a substance containing fentanyl to a confidential informant at a Havaco residence in McDowell County. Brown admitted to that transaction and further admitted to selling controlled substances at the Havaco residence on December 29, 2021, and February 28, 2022. Brown was aided and abetted by another individual during the December 29, 2021, transaction and the controlled substance sold was confirmed by the West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory to contain butonitazene, a federal Schedule I controlled substance. Brown is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell is prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-35. ###


title: Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Crime

body_text: HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Willie Renard Craft, also known as “Nut,” 47, of Pontiac, Michigan, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 16, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Craft’s Seventh Avenue residence. Craft told the officers there was a controlled substance in the kitchen cabinet. Officers found approximately 74 grams of fentanyl and drug packaging materials in the cabinet. Officers also found a loaded Taurus 856 .38-caliber revolver on a shelf in Craft’s bedroom, and $1,800 in Craft’s possession. Craft admitted to possessing and intending to distribute the fentanyl, and further admitted that the cash was proceeds from selling fentanyl. Craft is scheduled to be sentenced on October 16, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force, the Huntington Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Courtney L. Finney is prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-43. ###


title: Pittsburgh Resident Pleads Guilty to Concealing a Material Fact in Connection with a Naturalization Matter

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of concealing a material fact in connection with a naturalization matter, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. Man Ho, age 34, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge David S. Cercone. In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Man Ho, a citizen of Vietnam, married a U.S. citizen in July 2011 for the sole purpose of gaining permanent residency in the United States and that in matters before immigration authorities she failed to advise that the marriage was a sham marriage. The law provides for a total sentence of not more than 6 months in prison, a fine of not more than $5,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorneys Yvonne Saadi and DeMarr Moulton prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Man Ho.


title: Huntington Man Sentenced to Prison for Fentanyl Crime

body_text: HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Benjamin Jack Reed, 42, of Huntington, was sentenced today to two years and eight months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for aiding and abetting the distribution of fentanyl. According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 29, 2022, Reed and Jermaine Lee Smith, 34, of Columbus, Ohio, sold approximately 27 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant in a Huntington parking lot. Smith pleaded guilty on July 6, 2023, to aiding and abetting the distribution of fentanyl. Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on October 10, 2023. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department. United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-211. ###


title: Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to Life Imprisonment

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of First Degree Murder and Discharge of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence. The sentencing took place on July 6, 2023. Colton Bagola, 30, was sentenced to life in federal prison for the First Degree Murder charge and a consecutive 10 year sentence in federal prison on the Firearm charge. He was also ordered to pay $200 in special assessments to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Bagola was indicted for the charges by a federal grand jury in January of 2020. He was found guilty following a federal jury trial in Rapid City, South Dakota, in October of 2022. The conviction stems from Bagola shooting a 30-year-old male in the back of the head killing him on December 17, 2019, at Pine Ridge. This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court. This case was investigated by the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan Poppen and Gina Nelson prosecuted the case. Bagola was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Pittsburgh Resident Sentenced to 90 Months Imprisonment for Attempted Receipt of Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Child

body_text: PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Pittsburgh, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to 90 months imprisonment followed by 7 years of supervised release on his conviction of attempted receipt of material involving the sexual exploitation of a child, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Thomas Hunt, 32 on July 10, 2023. According to information presented to the court, Hunt attempted to meet who he believed to be a 13-year-old minor in person and attempted to receive material, from this minor, involving the sexual exploitation of minors from September 13, 2023, to October 13, 2021. Instead, Hunt was speaking to an undercover law enforcement officer. Assistant United States Attorney Michael L. Mitchell prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Hunt. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.


title: Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Conspiracy

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on June 30, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken. Alex Jaramillo, age 36, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Jaramillo was indicted by a federal grand jury in July of 2021 and pleaded guilty in March of 2023. The conviction stems from Jaramillo conspiring with others to distribute methamphetamine in South Dakota and elsewhere between March and June of 2021. The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case. Jaramillo was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Rapid City Man Sentenced for Illegally Possessing a Firearm and Ammunition

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on July 7, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken. Duane Starkey, age 33, was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Starkey was indicted by a federal grand jury in September of 2022 and pleaded guilty in March of 2023. The conviction stems from Starkey, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, being in possession of a SCCY 9mm caliber semi-automatic pistol and Remington 9mm Luger ammunition in August of 2022 in Rapid City, which was found after Starkey came into contact with law enforcement. 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 investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case. Starkey was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: U.S. Attorney Hurwit Releases Public Service Announcement to Highlight Renewed Focus on Violent Crime in Canyon County

body_text: BOISE – Today, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit, along with the Nampa Police Department, the Caldwell Police Department, the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, released a public service announcement, available here , about rising violent crime in Canyon County. The PSA highlights the work of the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force, which is comprised of FBI agents, sheriff deputies, and police officers and works directly with prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office as well as the Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office. In the PSA, U.S. Attorney Hurwit also explains that convictions for federal crimes generally mean tougher sentences and no parole. “Our mission is public safety. This means eliminating violent crime in every single neighborhood,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “My office always prioritizes prosecuting those who, through their violent acts, show no regard for the safety of others. This mission is critical in Canyon County, and I hope this PSA will encourage community members to work with law enforcement to address this threat to us all.” “To help ensure safety in Canyon County, we must work together with our law enforcement partners and community members,” said Joe Huff, Nampa Chief of Police. “One of our core values at the Nampa Police Department is teamwork and we practice it every day in many ways to include crime prevention and in solving crimes.” “Crime knows no borders and we are better together,” said Rex R. Ingram, Caldwell Chief of Police. “We are unified in numbers with a common goal of keeping Idaho a safe place for people to live, work and play.” “The Canyon County Sheriff’s Office was a founding member of the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes and Gang Task Force when it first began back in 2005. In the last 18 years, the Task Force has been a vital tool in our fight against violent criminals, gangs, and transcontinental criminal organizations (TCOs) like the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels in the Treasure Valley,” said Kieran Donahue, Canyon County Sheriff. “To date, this partnership between local and federal law enforcement agencies has led to over 600 indictments and taken hundreds of violent criminals off our streets. But our work is far from over. We must continue to be vigilant in our pursuit of violent criminals, gang members, and TCOs, who in addition to committing violent crimes, distribute unprecedented amounts of dangerous drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl to our residents. These people have no place in our community.” The FBI and Canyon County law enforcement report an increase in gang-related shootings and drive-by shootings in the recent months. Law enforcement is also seeing an increase in possession of firearms by prohibited individuals in Canyon County. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has made prosecution of crimes involving violent offenders a top priority. From previous years, the office projects an approximate 50% increase in prosecutions of individuals stemming from Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force investigations. The Task Force focuses on local violent crime and gang activity and is comprised of federal, state, and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Caldwell Police Department; Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; and the Idaho Department of Correction. The following recent federal cases illustrate the Task Force’s work: Isaac Bright, 29, of Nampa . Bright was a documented member of Latin Kings gang with an extensive criminal history. On January 29, 2022, a police officer with the Wilder Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Bright. Bright failed to stop, resulting in a high-speed pursuit. Bright was eventually arrested after discharging a firearm at the officer. He pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and was sentenced on February 14, 2023 to ten years in federal prison. Jordan Khan, 27, of Washington . Khan moved to the Treasure Valley in 2021, after being released from Washington state prison for unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance, and taking a vehicle without permission. He has an extensive criminal history. On January 27, 2022, United States Marshals were searching for a wanted fugitive believed to be at Khan’s residence. During the search, Khan was found in possession of a .40 caliber pistol and trafficking amounts of fentanyl. He pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced on March 14, 2023, to 98 months in federal prison. Steven Thornhill, 41, of Nampa. On January 12, 2022, Thornhill was arrested by officers with the Nampa Police Department. Thornhill had methamphetamine and a firearm in his possession. He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced on March 20, 2023, to 80 months in federal prison. Thornhill had an extensive criminal history including prior convictions for unlawfully possessing firearms and burglary. At the time of the instant offense, Thornhill was still on probation for two burglary convictions. In addition to the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force, the Wilder Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service participated in these cases. These cases were prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit www.treasurevalleypartners.org . U.S. Attorney Hurwit expressed his gratitude to all the law enforcement agencies who support the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force and to the individual prosecutors and task force investigators who are achieving justice through their hard work and professionalism. Anyone with information about violent crime or illegal activity can call (208) 344-7843. ###


title: Co-Director of Think Tank Indicted for Acting as Unregistered Foreign Agent, Trafficking in Arms, Violating U.S. Sanctions Against Iran, and Making False Statements to Federal Agents

body_text: A dual U.S.-Israeli citizen who serves as the co-director of a Maryland-based think tank was indicted today for allegedly engaging in multiple international criminal schemes. According to court documents, Gal Luft, 57, is charged in an eight-count indictment with offenses related to willfully failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), arms trafficking, Iranian sanctions violations and making false statements to federal agents. Luft was arrested on Feb. 17 in the Republic of Cyprus based on the charges in the indictment. Luft subsequently fled after being released on bail while extradition proceedings were pending and remains a fugitive. According to the allegations contained in the indictment, for years, Luft conspired with others in an effort to act within the United States to advance the interests of the People’s Republic of China (China) as agents of China-based principals, without registering as foreign agents as required under U.S. law. As part of this scheme, while serving as the co-director of a Maryland-based nonprofit think tank, Luft agreed to covertly recruit and pay, on behalf of principals based in China, a former high-ranking U.S. government official (Individual-1), including in 2016 while the former official was an adviser to the then-President-elect, to publicly support certain policies with respect to China without Luft or Individual-1 filing a registration statement as an agent of a foreign principal with the Attorney General of the United States, in violation of FARA. Among other things, in the weeks before the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Luft and a co-conspirator (CC-1), who is a Chinese national and worked for a Chinese nongovernmental organization affiliated with a Chinese energy company, created a written “dialogue” between CC-1 and Individual-1, in which Luft wrote Individual-1’s responses and included information that was favorable to China. The dialogue was then published in a Chinese newspaper online and sent to, among others, individuals in the United States, including a journalist and professors at multiple U.S. universities. When Luft was writing the dialogue, CC-1 told Luft that “[i]n these articles, we do not want to spill all the beans yet, just enough to let ‘people’ know he [ i.e. , Individual-1] is in the corridor of power to be. Just broad stroke policy consideration that leaves plenty of room for interpretation and imagination to be filled in later.” After the purported “conversations” were published, Luft told CC-1 that certain information, favorable to China, had been “tucked between the lines.” Shortly after the 2016 election, Luft and CC-1 also discussed possible roles Individual-1 might have in the incoming U.S. administration, and discussed Individual-1 taking a “silent trip” to China. Luft responded that “[w]e are debating about his role in the new admin. There are all kinds of considerations . . .We should talk ftf [ i.e. , face-to-face] as there can be a supremely unique opportunity for china.” Second, Luft conspired with others and attempted to broker illicit arms transactions with, among others, certain Chinese individuals and entities. In his role as a broker or middleman, Luft worked to find both buyers and sellers of certain weapons and other materials, without a license to do so as required under U.S. law, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act. Among other things, Luft worked to broker a deal for Chinese companies to sell certain weapons to Libya, including anti-tank launchers, grenade launchers and mortar rounds (which Luft and his associates referred to in coded language as “toys”). Luft also worked to broker deals for certain weapons to be sold to the United Arab Emirates, including arial bombs and rockets. Luft further worked to broker deals for certain weapons to be sold by a Chinese company to Kenya, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – and specifically “strike” UAVs, which Luft acknowledged “[t]he US doesn’t want to sell[, . . .] hence the opportunity.” Luft also discussed brokering a deal for weapons to Qatar, and told CC-1 that Israel was “not a good fit” as the middleman for the deal because it had the “[s]ame problem the [] Q [ i.e. , Qataris] have w uncle [ i.e. , the United States]. Need a third party. . . . I will activate.” In his role as a broker for illicit arms deals, Luft worked on a commission basis, and traveled to meetings and received and passed on documentation needed to secure the deals. During a voluntary interview with U.S. law enforcement in which he was asked questions about his involvement in arms trafficking, Luft made multiple false statements, including that he had just been checking prices for a friend and had not sought to engage in or profit from arms deals. Third, Luft conspired with others and attempted to broker deals for Iranian oil – which he directed an associate to refer to as “Brazilian” oil in an effort to conceal the activity and evade sanctions – in violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). In his role as a broker or middleman, Luft solicited buyers and passed on pricing and other information. One offer letter for Iranian oil that Luft received noted that the “origin” of the oil was “Iranian / It can be presented as UAE origin without Iranian papers.” He also assisted in setting up meetings between Iranian representatives and a Chinese energy company for the purpose of discussing oil deals. During a voluntary interview with U.S. law enforcement in which he was asked about his role brokering deals in Iranian oil, Luft made multiple false statements, including that he had tried to prevent oil deals with Iran and had not been present during meetings with the Chinese energy company and Iranians. Luft is charged with the following offenses, which carry the maximum prison terms listed below. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Count Charge Maximum Prison Term One Conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act Five years Two Conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act Five years Three Violation of the Arms Export Control Act (relating to Libya) 20 years Four Violation of the Arms Export Control Act (relating to the United Arab Emirates) 20 years Five Violation of the Arms Export Control Act (relating to Kenya) 20 years Six Making false statements Five years Seven Conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act 20 years Eight Making false statements Five years The FBI New York Field Office and FBI’s Counterintelligence Division are investigating the case, with valuable assistance provided by the IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel C. Richenthal and Catherine Ghosh for the Southern District of New York and Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. If you have any information about Luft’s whereabouts, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. Tips can be reported anonymously and can also be reported online at tips.fbi.gov. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.