title: Previously Extradited Nigerian National Pleads Guilty For His Role In Multimillion-Dollar Business Email Compromise Scheme

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Oludayo Kolawole John Adeagbo, 45, a Nigerian national previously extradited from the United Kingdom, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for his role in a multimillion-dollar business email compromise (BEC) scheme, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina (WDNC), and Alamdar S. Hamdani, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX). Adeagbo, aka John Edwards and John Dayo, arrived in the United States in August 2022 after he was extradited from the United Kingdom to face criminal charges brought against him by federal prosecutors in Charlotte and in Houston. Adeagbo has now pleaded guilty for his criminal conduct in both cases, following the transfer of the case in the U.S. District Court in the SDTX to the U.S. District Court in the WDNC. A BEC scheme, also referred to as “cyber-enabled financial fraud,” is a sophisticated scam that often targets individuals, employees, or businesses involved in financial transactions or that regularly perform wire transfer payments. Fraudsters are usually part of larger criminal networks operating in the United States and abroad. There are many variations of BEC scams. Generally, the schemes involve perpetrators gaining unauthorized access to legitimate email accounts or creating email accounts that closely resemble those of individuals or employees associated with the targeted businesses or involved in business transactions with the victim businesses. The scammers then use the compromised or fake email accounts to send false wiring instructions to the targeted businesses or individuals, to dupe the victims into sending money to bank accounts controlled by perpetrators of the scheme. Generally, the money is quickly transferred to other accounts in the United States or overseas. The BEC scheme in the WDNC According to filed plea documents and court proceedings, from Aug. 30, 2016, to Jan. 12, 2017, Adeagbo, his codefendant, Donald Ikenna Echeazu, 42, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United Kingdom extradited to the United States, and others defrauded a North Carolina university (the University) of more than $1.9 million via a BEC scheme. Court records show that Adeagbo and his co-conspirators obtained information about significant construction projects occurring throughout the United States, including an ongoing multi-million-dollar project at the victim University. To execute the scheme, Adeagbo, Echeazu, and others registered a domain name similar to that of the legitimate construction company in charge of the University’s project and created an email address that closely resembled that of an employee of the construction company. Using the fake email address, the fraudsters deceived and directed the University to wire a payment of more than $1.9 million to a bank account controlled by an individual working under the direction of Adeagbo and his co-conspirators. Upon receiving the payment, Adeagbo and his co-conspirators laundered the stolen proceeds through a series of financial transactions designed to conceal the fraud. The BEC scheme in the SDTX According to information contained in court documents, from November 2016 until July 2018, Adeagbo conspired with others to participate in multiple cyber-enabled business email compromises in an attempt to steal more than $3 million from victim entities in Texas, including local government entities, construction companies and a Houston-area college. As with the scheme in North Carolina, Adeagbo and his co-conspirators registered domain names that looked similar to legitimate companies. They then sent emails from those domains pretending to be employees at those companies to clients or customers of the companies they impersonated, and deceived those customers into sending wire payments to bank accounts the co-conspirators controlled. Adeagbo remains in federal custody. At sentencing, he faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison on each count. According to the plea agreements, Adeagbo will be required to pay a money judgment to be determined by the court and restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which is alleged to be at least $14,185,847.42. A sentencing date has not been set. U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell in the WDNC sentenced Echeazu to 18 months in prison followed by a year of supervised release and ordered the defendant to pay $655,408.87 in restitution for his role in the conspiracy. U.S. Attorney King and U.S. Attorney Hamdani commended the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office for handling the North Carolina investigation and the FBI’s Houston Cyber Task Force for conducting the investigation in Texas with the assistance of the FBI’s Cyber and Criminal Investigative Divisions. They also thanked the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, the Metropolitan Police Service, the City of London Police, and the Crown Prosecution Service for their substantial assistance, and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for securing the arrest and extradition of Adeagbo and Echeazu. Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Billings of the WDNC is in charge of the prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rodolfo Ramirez of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the SDTX handled the criminal proceedings in Houston, along with Trial Attorney Brian Mund of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS). If you suspect you are a victim of a BEC scheme, you can file a complaint online with the FBI’s Internet Complaint Crime Complaint Cetner (IC3) at bec.ic3.gov . The IC3 staff reviews complaints to detect patterns or other indicators of significant criminal activity for potential criminal prosecution. The FBI provides a variety of resources relating to BEC scams through the IC3, which can be located at www.ic3.gov . For more information on BEC scams, visit: https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/business-email-compromise .


title: Justice Department Secures Agreement in Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Michigan Rental Property Owner

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: The Justice Department announced today that Michigan landlord, Mohamad Hussein, has agreed to pay $185,000 in damages and a civil penalty to the government to resolve the Fair Housing Act (FHA) lawsuit concerning Hussein’s sexual harassment of actual and prospective female tenants. Hussein has owned and managed over 15 rental properties in and around Dearborn Heights, Michigan, since 2013. “No one should be denied the opportunity to live in safe and affordable housing because of their refusal to submit to a landlord’s sexual demands,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When landlords sexually harass their tenants, they deprive tenants of the ability to feel safe and secure in their own homes. The Justice Department is committed to holding predatory landlords accountable to ensure that all tenants are protected from unlawful discrimination.” “Housing is one of our most basic needs, and no one should have to endure sexual harassment in order to keep a roof over their head,” said U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan. “My office is committed to enforcing the Fair Housing Act to prevent all forms of harassment in housing. We appreciate the partnership and support of the Civil Rights Division to advance those efforts here in the Eastern District of Michigan.” The lawsuit, filed in March 2023, alleged that Hussein subjected actual and prospective female tenants to sexual harassment by making unwelcome comments and advances and offered actual and prospective female tenants housing-related benefits in exchange for engaging in sex acts with him. Under the terms of the proposed consent decree , approved today by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Hussein will pay $185,000 in damages to eight former and prospective female tenants harmed by the harassment and a civil penalty to the United States. Hussein will be required to take steps to vacate any retaliatory eviction judgments obtained against these tenants. He will be permanently enjoined from personally managing rental properties in the future and will be required to retain an independent property manager to manage any rental properties he owns. Finally, the consent decree will require Hussein to implement non-discrimination policies and complaint procedures to prevent sexual harassment at his properties in the future and to take fair housing training. The Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. The goal of the department’s initiative is to address, deter and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers or other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative in October 2017, the department has filed 39 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered more than $12 million for victims of such harassment. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, along with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, enforces the FHA, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt . Individuals may report sexual harassment or other forms of housing discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-833-591-0291, or submitting a report online . Individuals may also report such discrimination by contacting the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online .


title: Second Defendant Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Odessa Fentanyl Distribution

component: USAO - Texas, Western

body_text: MIDLAND, Texas – An Odessa man was sentenced in a federal court in Midland to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, which resulted in the death of a local minor. According to court documents, law enforcement and medical personnel responded to an Odessa residence for a suspected drug overdose on Oct. 2, 2023. The 16-year-old male victim was found nonresponsive and was transported to the hospital where he later died. Forensic pathologist reports and the medical examiner confirmed fentanyl as the cause of death. An investigation revealed that Nathaniel Martinez, 18, sold fentanyl pills to the juvenile the night before. Codefendant Jae Lynn Esparza aka Nova, 22, also of Odessa was identified as the supplier of the pills. Esparza was sentenced on March 7 to 20 years in federal prison for her role in the fentanyl conspiracy causing death. “The substantial sentences handed down in this case reflect the gravity of it, but the punishment cannot bring back the child who died,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “This death of a child is a recurring nightmare for far too many parents and families across this country who are losing loved ones to fentanyl. We will continue to vigorously pursue and prosecute the suppliers and dealers of this deadly drug.” The Odessa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Mahoney prosecuted the case. ###


title: Moorpark Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Federal Prison for Trying to Entice Sexual Activity from Someone He Thought Was a Minor

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A Ventura County man was sentenced today to 140 months in federal prison for soliciting on social media platforms sexually explicit photos from an individual he thought was a 14-year-old girl. Thomas Kern Gissell, 29, of Moorpark, was sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter, who also placed Gissell on 20 years of supervised release when Gissell eventually is released from prison and ordered him to pay $5,100 in special assessments and $27,000 in restitution. Gissell pleaded guilty on January 5 to one count of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office began investigating Gissell after receiving information that he had contacted undercover law enforcement officers posing as teenage girls. According to the affidavit in support of a complaint filed in this case, Gissell engaged in online chats with the individuals and asked them to send nude photos. Specifically, in August and September of 2022, Gissell knowingly attempted to entice a person whom he believed was a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity. Gissell further admitted in his plea agreement to sending the purported 14-year-old girl images of a lingerie gift card and images of the lingerie he wanted her to purchase with the gift card that he provided. Gissell was originally arrested in February 2023 pursuant to charges filed by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. The matter was subsequently presented to the United States Attorney’s Office, which filed the federal complaint in late February 2023. The Ventura County Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force is comprised of investigators and prosecutors with the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, the Simi Valley Police Department, the Oxnard Police Department, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, the FBI, and the United States Attorney’s Office. Members of the Task Force are specially trained in investigating online child sexual exploitation and human trafficking, and they strive to provide rapid responses to the sexual victimization of children. The Gissell investigation is the first criminal case brought by the Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Kellye M. Ng of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.


title: Southern District Of New York Court Employee And Criminal Defense Attorney Sentenced For Decade-Long Bribery Scheme

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that DIONISIO FIGUEROA, a/k/a “Dionicio,” a former employee of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (“SDNY”) Magistrate Clerk’s Office, and TELESFORO DEL VALLE, JR., a now-disbarred criminal defense attorney who practiced in SDNY and elsewhere for more than 20 years, were sentenced to two years and one year and one day in prison, respectively, following their convictions on conspiracy, bribery, and false statements charges. The defendants were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino, sitting by designation from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The public relies on attorneys and court employees to maintain and validate its faith in our criminal justice system. Del Valle, a former criminal defense attorney, and Figueroa, a longtime employee of the SDNY Clerk’s Office, betrayed criminal defendants, the public, and those who rely on the court to remain impartial. Through their actions, Del Valle and Figueroa undermined the fair administration of justice and the work of the many good people in the courthouse who serve the criminal justice system with honesty and integrity. Let these sentences serve as a warning to those who seek to pervert justice for personal gain.” According to the Indictment, statements made in public court proceedings and filings, and the evidence at trial: As a clerk in the SDNY Magistrate Clerk’s Office since in or about 2002, FIGUEROA was responsible for performing duties that included, among other things, making data entries regarding official case events in criminal cases; making summary entries of documents and proceedings on case dockets; and performing inquiries and furnishing information, either in person or by correspondence, regarding the status of cases. FIGUEROA also played a role with respect to the intake of criminal cases, including by preparing appearance bonds, advising defendants and their family members about the conditions of the bonds, and ensuring that appearance bonds were signed by all parties prior to a defendant’s release. SDNY District Court personnel policies prohibited FIGUEROA from having outside employment that would pose a conflict of interest; receiving payments, gifts, or other benefits from persons having business before the District Court; and recommending particular attorneys to members of the public. FIGUEROA also was subject to the U.S. Courts’ Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees (the “Code of Conduct”), which cautioned judicial employees that “[a] number of criminal statutes of general applicability govern federal employees’ performance of official duties. These include: 18 U.S.C. § 201 (bribery of public officials and witnesses) . . . .” The Code of Conduct likewise admonished that “[a] judicial employee should never influence or attempt to influence the assignment of cases, or perform any discretionary or ministerial function of the court in a manner that improperly favors any litigant or attorney, nor should a judicial employee imply that he or she is in a position to do so.” DEL VALLE was a private attorney who, over the course of more than two decades, had appeared in numerous federal criminal cases pending before the SDNY District Court. Between at least 2011 and 2022, FIGUEROA and DEL VALLE engaged in a scheme whereby FIGUEROA used his position as an employee of the SDNY Magistrate Clerk’s Office to encourage criminal defendants to retain DEL VALLE to represent them in pending criminal cases. In return, DEL VALLE paid FIGUEROA a portion of the fees that referred clients paid to DEL VALLE. Over the course of more than a decade, FIGUEROA referred at least 45 SDNY criminal defendants to DEL VALLE, and, in exchange, DEL VALLE paid FIGUEROA tens of thousands of dollars in bribes. DEL VALLE paid FIGUEROA directly and through FIGUEROA’s romantic partner, who would travel to DEL VALLE’s law office and pick up envelopes of cash for FIGUEROA. Many of the clients who retained and paid DEL VALLE based on FIGUEROA’s referral were originally assigned free, court-appointed counsel. Nevertheless, FIGUEROA encouraged those individuals to change counsel, including by vouching for DEL VALLE’s abilities as a lawyer. In November 2022, federal law enforcement agents separately interviewed both FIGUEROA and DEL VALLE. After agents advised each that lying to federal law enforcement agents is a crime, FIGUEROA and DEL VALLE each made materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements and representations in response to the agents’ questions. In particular, FIGUEROA denied making any referrals to DEL VALLE, except on a small number of occasions concerning close relations or friends, and further denied ever having received payments from DEL VALLE for referrals. DEL VALLE, upon being served with a federal grand jury subpoena requiring the production of records from his law firm, falsely denied having any records reflecting client referrals from, or payments to, FIGUEROA or anyone else. * * * In addition to the prison sentence, FIGUEROA, 66, of New York, New York, was sentenced to one year of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit $40,000. DEL VALLE, 65, of Leonia, New Jersey, was sentenced to one year of supervised release and was ordered to pay a fine of $10,000. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Balsamello and Stephanie Simon are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Former Hendry County Sheriff’s Deputy Indicted For Using Excessive Force And Obstruction

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Tyler Williams (29, Labelle) with deprivation of civil rights under color of law. Specifically, Williams is charged with unreasonable use of force and obstruction of justice. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison on the use of force charge, and up to 20 years’ imprisonment on the obstruction charge. Williams is a former deputy sheriff from the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. The indictment alleges that on or about July 4, 2023, Williams, while acting under color of law as a deputy sheriff with the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office, willfully deprived the civil rights of a man by throwing him to the ground and injuring him. Williams then wrote a false justification for the use of force on the man in an incident report, obstructing justice. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Tampa Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick L. Darcey and Jesus M. Casas.


title: North Port Registered Sex Offender Indicted For Attempting To Transfer Obscene Materials To A Minor

body_text: Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of a two-count indictment charging Imran Siddiqi (40, North Port) with attempting to transfer obscene material to a minor and committing a felony offense involving a minor as a registered sex offender. If convicted on all counts, Siddiqi faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, including a 10-year minimum mandatory sentence. According to court documents, between January 31 and March 6, 2024, Siddiqi engaged in a conversation with an undercover law enforcement officer who was posing online as a 13-year-old girl. During the conversation, Siddiqi repeatedly described his desire to have sex with the child, sending multiple explicit photographs of himself and other explicit images to the undercover officer. Siddiqi is a registered sex offender. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sex Offender Predator System, Siddiqi was convicted in 2016 of traveling to meet a minor to commit an unlawful sexual offense. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was 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 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. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.


title: Former FHP Trooper And DEA Task Force Officer Pleads Guilty To Conspiring To Distribute Narcotics, Defrauding The United States, And Illegally Possessing A Firearm And Ammunition

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Joshua Grady Earrey (45, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute narcotics, one count of conspiring to defraud the United States, and one count of possessing firearms and ammunition while an unlawful user of controlled substances. Earrey faces a combined maximum penalty of 60 years in federal prison on these offenses, including a minimum mandatory sentence of at least 5 years for the drug distribution conspiracy. He has further agreed to forfeit the firearms and ammunition involved in these offenses. According to the plea agreement, while employed as a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper and designated Task Force Officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Earrey and a co-conspirator engaged in widespread and extensive corrupt activity from 2017 - 2023. These corrupt acts included the theft of money and illegal drugs that were seized as evidence during criminal investigations; providing the illegal drugs to others to distribute on his behalf; and extorting or accepting cash payments from drug dealers in exchange for protecting them from arrest by law enforcement. Earrey and his co-conspirator stole more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana from evidence and covered up the theft by submitting falsified paperwork showing that the drugs had been destroyed. Earrey, who had an addiction to prescription opiates, also used his corrupt activities to obtain illegal drugs for his own use. On one occasion, he traded cases of ammunition that he had diverted from the Florida Highway Patrol to a convicted murderer in exchange for oxycodone. Despite knowing that his drug addiction made it illegal for him to have firearms and ammunition, Earrey continued to possess these items in violation of federal law. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service -- Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton. The United States Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and United States Customs and Border Protection wish to thank the Florida Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration for their cooperation during this investigation.


title: Postal Workers Indicted For Destroying Mail

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of indictments charging Austin Engler (26, St. Augustine) and Teron Haywood, Sr. (46, Jacksonville) with destruction or delay of mail by a United States Postal Service (USPS) employee. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. According to the indictments, Engler and Haywood were employed by USPS as Rural Carrier Assistants assigned to routes in the St. Augustine and Jacksonville areas, respectively. In June 2023, Engler and Haywood knowingly and unlawfully destroyed or delayed mail which had been provided to them for delivery in their capacity as mail carriers. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. These cases were investigated by the United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General. They will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David B. Mesrobian.


title: Owner of Chicago-Area Child Care Centers Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining More Than $3.3 Million in State Subsidies

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: CHICAGO — The owner of Chicago-area child care centers has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for scheming to fraudulently obtain more than $3.3 million in State of Illinois subsidies designed to help low-income families afford child care. ALEESHA McDOWELL owned child care providers A&A Kiddy Kollege Inc. in Calumet City, Ill., A&A Kiddy Kollege 2 in Calumet Park, Ill., and Kreative Kidz Academy Inc., Kreative Kidz Academy II Inc., and Kreative Kidz Academy III Inc. in Chicago. From 2012 to 2020, McDowell schemed with directors of her centers and others to defraud the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Child Care Assistance Program by submitting applications containing materially false information, including fraudulent paystubs and income verification letters regarding a parent’s eligibility to qualify for state subsidy payments. In many instances, McDowell or the directors falsely represented in the applications that a parent was employed by one of McDowell’s child care centers in order to satisfy IDHS’s requirement that recipients of the funds either be in school or employed and earning less than a certain income threshold. As a result of the scheme, McDowell and her co-schemers caused IDHS to pay McDowell’s child care centers more than $3.3 million in subsidy payments for services purportedly provided to children who were not eligible to receive such benefits. McDowell spent some of the criminally derived money on a Bentley Bentayga and a house in Mokena, Ill. McDowell, 44, of Mokena, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to a federal wire fraud charge. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah on March 27, 2024, ordered McDowell to pay restitution of $3,339,563. Seven other defendants charged as part of the investigation also pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges. McDowell’s sentence was 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, Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Chicago Field Office, and Shantel R. Robinson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Midwest Region of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate McClelland and Brian Hayes.


title: Marion County Man Indicted For Possessing Methamphetamine And Fentanyl With Intent To Distribute

body_text: Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Terrance Maurice Washington (41, Ocala) with six counts of possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine and fentanyl) with the intent to distribute it. If convicted on all counts, Washington faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. Washington is currently detained in federal custody pending the resolution of this case. According to the indictment, on five separate occasions—October 25, 2023, November 3, 2023, November 20, 2023, January 3, 2024, and January 25, 2024—Washington possessed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it. Additionally, on November 8, 2023, Washington possessed 40 grams or more of fentanyl, also with the intent to distribute it. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team (UDEST). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.


title: Convicted felon sentenced to 220 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of firearm

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – On April 2, a man was sentenced to 220 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm in furtherance on his drug trafficking crime. On Sept. 15, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on the residence of Sidney Arnel Flerme, 31, of Boynton Beach, Florida. Prior to executing the search warrant, law enforcement officers saw Flerme leave his residence. Upon noticing the law enforcement officers, Flerme threw a plastic bag onto the ground. Law enforcement officers arrested Flerme shortly after. Law enforcement officers recovered the bag and found inside approximately 26 capsules of fentanyl. Inside Flerme’s residence, law enforcement officers discovered close to 300 grams of fentanyl, multiple zip lock bags containing fentanyl, digital scales, empty capsules, a blender with fentanyl residue and a four-ton pill press. Law enforcement officers also located a loaded semi-automatic pistol on top of the kitchen counter next to the fentanyl and the rest of the stuff. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, and Chief Joseph DeGiulio of the Boynton Beach Police Department (BBPD) made the announcement. ATF Miami Field Office and BBPD investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Ralston prosecuted it. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Stone and Mitchell Hyman handled asset forfeiture. 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. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 23-cr-80001. ###


title: United States Files Lawsuit Alleging Medicaid Fraud by Philadelphia Mental Health Clinic and Its Owner

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Eastern

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced today that the United States filed a civil complaint against Nueva Vida Multicultural/Multilingual Behavioral Health, Inc. (“Nueva Vida”) and its owner and principal, Dr. Ghodrat Pirooz Sholevar, alleging that they violated the False Claims Act and state common law by billing Medicaid for psychiatric medication management appointments (known as “med checks”) and other services that did not occur as billed. In its complaint, the United States alleges that Nueva Vida provided psychiatry and therapy services to economically disadvantaged adults and children at three locations in Philadelphia under the Medicaid program. Among the services that Nueva Vida provided were med checks, appointments during which a psychiatrist is supposed to assess the efficacy and effects of a prescribed drug, including controlled substances, on patients within the doctor’s care. The United States alleges that between at least 2009 and 2017, Nueva Vida and Sholevar fraudulently billed Medicaid for thousands of med checks as though Sholevar had met with each patient for at least 15 minutes — when in reality, Sholevar spent well below the required time meeting with patients. “This civil complaint reflects our focus on pursuing individuals who defraud Medicaid, especially when doctors in the Medicaid program should be providing complete and comprehensive mental health services to vulnerable populations,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Civil enforcement is an important component in safeguarding the integrity of the Medicaid and Medicare Programs,” said Maureen Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the Philadelphia Regional Office for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “Today’s civil complaint shows our commitment to ensuring Medicaid program dollars are only paid for services that were properly provided to patients.” Among other things, the United States alleges that the defendants repeatedly billed Medicaid for days during which Sholevar allegedly performed more than 84 full-length med checks on the same day, which would amount to at least 21 hours of appointments. According to the United States, the defendants also repeatedly billed Medicaid for services that were never provided—because the relevant patients were receiving in-patient treatment at different hospitals at the alleged time of service. The United States also alleges that Nueva Vida failed to adhere to corporate formalities and was merely an alter ego for Sholevar. As a result, Sholevar personally pocketed millions of dollars in compensation through his control over Nueva Vida and defendants’ fraudulent billing, with an annual income as much as double the median compensation for child psychiatrists in Philadelphia. The United States’ civil lawsuit seeks damages for the false Medicaid claims submitted by defendants as well as the imposition of civil penalties. The civil complaint details years of audits of Nueva Vida by Community Behavioral Health (CBH), the managed care organization that contracts with healthcare providers who provide mental health services for Medicaid recipients in Philadelphia. Over the years, as outlined in the complaint, CBH found repeated errors and significant problems in these audits. In 2017, Nueva Vida was terminated from the Medicaid program. The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General. The matter is handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin E. Lindgren and Gregory B. in den Berken of the Civil Division and healthcare fraud auditor George Niedzwicki. The claims asserted against the defendants are allegations only — there has not yet been any determination of liability.


title: Previously extradited Nigerian national pleads guilty for his role in multimillion dollar business email compromise scheme

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – A 45-year-old Nigerian national previously extradited from the United Kingdom has pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorneys Alamdar S. Hamdani and Dena J. King for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) and Western District of North Carolina (WDNC), respectively. Oludayo Kolawole John Adeagbo aka John Edwards and John Dayo arrived in the United States in August 2022 after he was extradited from the United Kingdom to face criminal charges brought against him by federal prosecutors in Charlotte and Houston. Adeagbo has now pleaded guilty for his criminal conduct in both cases following the transfer of the case in the U.S. District Court in the SDTX to the U.S. District Court in the WDNC. A business email compromise scheme, also referred to as “cyber-enabled financial fraud,” is a sophisticated scam that often targets individuals, employees or businesses involved in financial transactions or that regularly perform wire transfer payments. Fraudsters are usually part of larger criminal networks operating in the United States and abroad. There are many variations of BEC scams. Generally, the schemes involve perpetrators gaining unauthorized access to legitimate email accounts or creating email accounts that closely resemble those of individuals or employees associated with the targeted businesses or involved in business transactions with the victim businesses. The scammers then use the compromised or fake email accounts to send false wiring instructions to the targeted businesses or individuals, to dupe the victims into sending money to bank accounts controlled by perpetrators of the scheme. Generally, the money is quickly transferred to other accounts in the United States or overseas. The BEC scheme in the SDTX According to information contained in court documents, from November 2016 until July 2018, Adeagbo conspired with others to participate in multiple cyber-enabled business email compromises in an attempt to steal more than $3 million from victim entities in Texas, including local government entities, construction companies and a Houston-area college. As with the scheme in North Carolina, Adeagbo and his co-conspirators registered domain names that looked similar to legitimate companies. They then sent emails from those domains pretending to be employees at those companies to clients or customers of the companies they impersonated and deceived those customers into sending wire payments to bank accounts the co-conspirators controlled. The BEC scheme in the WDNC According to filed plea documents and court proceedings, from Aug. 30, 2016, to Jan. 12, 2017, Adeagbo, his co-conspirator - Donald Ikenna Echeazu, 42, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United Kingdom extradited to the United States - and others defrauded a North Carolina university (the victim university) of more than $1.9 million via a BEC scheme. Court records show that Adeagbo and his co-conspirators obtained information about significant construction projects occurring throughout the United States, including an ongoing multimillion dollar project at the victim university. To execute the scheme, Adeagbo, Echeazu and others registered a domain name similar to that of the legitimate construction company in charge of the university’s project and created an email address that closely resembled that of an employee of the construction company. Using the fake email address, the fraudsters deceived and directed the university to wire a payment of more than $1.9 million to a bank account controlled by an individual working under the direction of Adeagbo and his co-conspirators. Upon receiving the payment, Adeagbo and his co-conspirators laundered the stolen proceeds through a series of financial transactions designed to conceal the fraud. Adeagbo remains in federal custody. At sentencing, he faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison on each count. According to the plea agreements, Adeagbo will be required to pay a money judgment to be determined by the court and restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which is alleged to be at least $14,185,847.42. A sentencing date has not been set. U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell in the WDNC sentenced Echeazu to 18 months in prison followed by a year of supervised release and ordered him to pay $655,408.87 in restitution for his role in the conspiracy. U.S. Attorney King and U.S. Attorney Hamdani commended the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office for handling the North Carolina investigation and the FBI’s Houston Cyber Task Force for conducting the investigation in Texas with the assistance of the FBI’s Cyber and Criminal Investigative Divisions. They also thanked the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, the Metropolitan Police Service, the City of London Police, and the Crown Prosecution Service for their substantial assistance, and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for securing the arrest and extradition of Adeagbo and Echeazu. Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Graham Billings of the WDNC in Charlotte is in charge of the prosecution. AUSA Rodolfo Ramirez of the SDTX handled the criminal proceedings in Houston, along with Trial Attorney Brian Mund of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS). If you suspect you are a victim of a BEC scheme, you can file a complaint online with the FBI’s Internet Complaint Crime Complaint Cetner (IC3) at bec.ic3.gov . The IC3 staff reviews complaints to detect patterns or other indicators of significant criminal activity for potential criminal prosecution.


component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: DETROIT— The Justice Department announced today that Michigan landlord, Mohamad Hussein, has agreed to pay $185,000 in damages and a civil penalty to the government to resolve the Fair Housing Act (FHA) lawsuit concerning Hussein’s sexual harassment of actual and prospective female tenants. Hussein has owned and managed over 15 rental properties in and around Dearborn Heights, Michigan, since 2013. “No one should be denied the opportunity to live in safe and affordable housing because of their refusal to submit to a landlord’s sexual demands,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When landlords sexually harass their tenants, they deprive tenants of the ability to feel safe and secure in their own homes. The Justice Department is committed to holding predatory landlords accountable to ensure that all tenants are protected from unlawful discrimination.” “Housing is one of our most basic needs, and no one should have to endure sexual harassment in order to keep a roof over their head,” said U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan. “My office is committed to enforcing the Fair Housing Act to prevent all forms of harassment in housing. We appreciate the partnership and support of the Civil Rights Division to advance those efforts here in the Eastern District of Michigan.” The lawsuit, filed in March 2023, alleged that Hussein subjected actual and prospective female tenants to sexual harassment by making unwelcome comments and advances and offered actual and prospective female tenants housing-related benefits in exchange for engaging in sex acts with him. Under the terms of the proposed consent decree , approved today by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Hussein will pay $185,000 in damages to eight former and prospective female tenants harmed by the harassment and a civil penalty to the United States. Hussein will be required to take steps to vacate any retaliatory eviction judgments obtained against these tenants. He will be permanently enjoined from personally managing rental properties in the future and will be required to retain an independent property manager to manage any rental properties he owns. Finally, the consent decree will require Hussein to implement non-discrimination policies and complaint procedures to prevent sexual harassment at his properties in the future and to take fair housing training. The Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. The goal of the department’s initiative is to address, deter and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers or other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative in October 2017, the department has filed 39 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered more than $12 million for victims of such harassment. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, along with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, enforces the FHA, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt . Individuals may report sexual harassment or other forms of housing discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-833-591-0291, or submitting a report online . Individuals may also report such discrimination by contacting the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online


title: Waveland Man Sentenced to over 7 Years in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute 167 Grams of Methamphetamine

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: Gulfport, Miss. – A Waveland man was sentenced to 87 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 167 grams of pure methamphetamine. Lance Ali Vaughn, 41, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Gulfport. According to court documents, on July 12, 2023, law enforcement officials received information that Vaughn was selling methamphetamine in Hancock County. Agents set up a controlled purchase and when Vaughn arrived at the predetermined location for the drug buy, agents conducted a K9 sniff of his vehicle. The K9 alerted to drugs in the vehicle and a subsequent search yielded 167 grams of 100% pure methamphetamine. Vaughn pled guilty on December 6, 2023, to one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance. U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Steven Hofer of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose prosecuted the case.


title: Mississippi Man Sentenced for Luring Columbia Teen for Illicit Sex

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Bay Springs, Mississippi, man was sentenced in federal court today for luring a 16-year-old victim in Columbia, Mo., to meet him at a hotel for illicit sexual activity. Zachary Wes Buckley, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 16 years in federal prison without parole. On Nov. 7, 2023, Buckley pleaded guilty to one count of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. Buckley admitted that he traveled to Columbia and rented a room at a local hotel, where he had sex with the child victim. Buckley and the child victim began communicating in an online chat room in January 2023 then moved their conversations to GoogleChat. The chats, which included sexually explicit conversations, photos and videocams, led to plans to meet in person. Buckley traveled to Columbia on Jan. 30, 2023, and met the child victim at a local park. He then drove to a Columbia hotel, where he engaged in sexual intercourse with the child. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Jasper County, Mississippi, Sheriff’s Department. Project Safe Childhood This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."


title: Kanawha County Woman Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Lydia Spencer, 33, of South Charleston, pleaded guilty on Friday, April 5, 2023, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Spencer admitted to participating in a scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of $31,250 in COVID-19 relief loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). According to court documents and statements made in court, Spencer was the sole proprietor of Les Prints, a custom clothing business that had its principal office in Charleston. Spencer admitted to conspiring with at least three other individuals in April 2021 to obtain fraudulent PPP loans for her business. The PPP offered forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, as part of the emergency financial assistance provided by the CARES Act to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the co-conspirators recruited Spencer to participate in the scheme that spring, and Spencer provided her personal and bank account information to this individual. On April 8, 2021, another of the co-conspirators used Spencer’s information to submit fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of Les Prints to two different lenders. Each lender approved a PPP loan for Les Prints. Spencer received a $15,625 transfer disbursed by one of the lenders on April 30, 2021, and a $15,625 transfer disbursed by the other lender on June 17, 2021. Both transfers were deposited in Spencer’s personal bank account with an Oklahoma-based bank. Spencer admitted that the PPP loan applications contained materially false information. Businesses applying for PPP loans were required to provide documentation showing their prior gross income from either 2019 or 2020. Spencer admitted that the loan applications falsely stated that Les Prints had received $75,000 in gross income in 2020, and included a fraudulent Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1040, Schedule C Profit or Loss from Business reporting that false gross income. Spencer further admitted that this false information qualified Les Prints for a loan amount it otherwise would have not been qualified to receive. Between May 3, 2021, and June 21, 2021, Spencer used a mobile payment service app to transfer a total of $4,000 from the fraudulent loan proceeds to one of the co-conspirators. Spencer admitted that she attempted to obscure the nature of these transfers by labeling them as marketing expenses for her business. Spencer further admitted that she spent the remainder of the fraudulent loan proceeds on personal expenses. Spencer also admitted that she was aware that her co-conspirators had obtained additional fraudulent PPP loans in the names of other individuals. Spencer is scheduled to be sentenced on July 25, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. Spencer also owes at least $31,250 in restitution. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Holly Wilson is prosecuting the case. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-53. ###


title: Fourteenth Defendant Pleads Guilty in Prison Drug Conspiracy

body_text: Gulfport, Miss. – A fourteenth defendant pled guilty today in federal court for his role in a prison drug conspiracy. Trae Short, 39, pled guilty to conspiring to commit an offense against the United States by conspiring to introduce contraband into a federal prison. According to court documents and information presented to the Court, in 2018, agents with the Drug Enforcement Agency received information from the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) that drug laced letters and greeting cards were being sent to inmates in BOP from the Southern District of Mississippi. The drug laced letters and cards were intercepted at prisons in Illinois, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. DEA and BOP officials were able to determine that inmates were ordering the drug laced letters and cards from Johnson Tran, 46, via prison email accounts and jail calls. The inmates would typically order the drugs using coded language. The letters or greeting cards were laced with FUB-AMB and 5F-MDMB-PICA, which are Schedule I controlled substances and synthetic cannabinoids. Many of the letters and greeting cards were sent through the postal service in Gulfport. Tran’s base of operation was located in Harrison County, Mississippi. Agents were also able to determine that Tran would ultimately receive payment for the drugs that he sent into prison via U.S. Department of Treasury checks drawn from the inmate’s prison accounts and/or peer-to-peer money transfers from associates or family members of the inmates. When Tran’s associates would receive funds on Tran’s behalf, Tran would give them a portion of the funds they received as payment for their services. On April 18, 2023, twenty defendants were initially charged as part of the prison drug and money laundering ring. Johnson Tran and fourteen of the defendants have now pleaded guilty. Tran pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. William Hernandez and Chaze Lowery pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and they each face a maximum of 20 years in prison. Ryan Schmittaur pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. Defendants Jorge Pena, Bobby Huneycutt, Clarence Plato, Ryan Douglas, Bryan Simmons, Salomon Alaya, Stanley Spriggs, Corderius Trammell, and Jonathan Estrada have all pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit an offense against the United States by conspiring to introduce contraband to a federal prison. They each face a maximum of five years in prison. Four remaining defendants are scheduled for trial in June 2024. A fifth defendant has been arrested, and is scheduled to appear on April 9, 2024, in the Southern District of Mississippi; and a sixth defendant has indicated that he intends to plead guilty and is awaiting his change of plea hearing. U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Steven Hofer of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement. The Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Bureau of Prisons, is investigating the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Buckner. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor- led, intelligence driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Four Individuals Indicted for Drug Trafficking Over 2,300 Kilograms of Cocaine Aboard a Semi-Submersible Vessel

body_text: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging four individuals: Juan José Castaño-Palomo (a dual French and Colombian national) and Colombian nationals Carlos Alberto Bravo-Sarasty, Gustavo Rodríguez-Salazar, and Emilson Yordao Quiñonez-Hachito, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance aboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States in violation of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA), as well as violations of the Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act (DTVIA). According to court documents, on March 21, 2024, while patrolling the Caribbean Sea, a United States Coast Guard (USCG) Law Enforcement Detachment Team embarked on the United States Navy vessel USS Leyte Gulf located a semi-submersible approximately 132 nautical miles northeast of Trinidad and Tobago in international waters. USCG law enforcement officers boarded the vessel. The boarding led to the arrest of the four individuals and the seizure of approximately 2,370 kilograms of cocaine (almost 6,000 pounds). The four defendants made their initial court appearances on April 2, 2024, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marcos E. Lopez of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of life in prison on the drug trafficking charges and a maximum sentence of fifteen years in prison for violations of the DTVIA. U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico and Denise Foster, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Caribbean Division made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Helena B. Daniel and Max Pérez-Bouret, Chief of the Transnational Organized Crime Section are prosecuting the case. This prosecution is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Caribbean Corridor Strike Force. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-coordinated, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Former Jail Corrections Officer, Wife Sentenced for Producing Child Pornography

body_text: JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A former corrections officer at the Jefferson City Correctional Center and his wife were sentenced in federal court today to charges related to video recording their sexual assault of a 4-year-old victim. Paul Emerson Schofield, 35, and his wife, Sara Ellen Schofield, 31, both of Jefferson City, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes. Paul Schofield was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison without parole. Sara Schofield was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced the Schofields to spend the rest of their lives on supervised release following incarceration. On Nov. 7, 2023, the Schofields each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography and one count of producing child pornography. The Schofields, who have been in federal custody without bond since their arrests in 2022, admitted they participated in a conspiracy to produce child pornography over a nearly three-year period from July 29, 2019, to June 7, 2022. A 4-year-old victim was used to produce child pornography. The investigation began when law enforcement received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on April 25, 2022. Kik, a free online social media platform, reported that a user later identified as Paul Schofield had uploaded multiple videos of child sexual exploitation material. Paul Schofield was active in the child pornography trading community. Multiple Kik chats were located in which he was distributing and receiving child pornography and discussing child molestation. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the Schofields’ residence on June 7, 2022. A forensic examiner conducted a preview of Paul Schofield’s cell phone and located several videos of child pornography, including infants engaged in sexual contact with adults. Examiners later found videos on the phone of both Paul and Sara Schofield sexually assaulting an unconscious 4-year-old victim. On June 9, 2022, law enforcement officers executed another search warrant at the Schofields’ residence. Officers seized Sara Schofield’s cell phone, which contained another sexually explicit video of the same 4-year-old victim in which the voices of Paul and Sara Schofield can be heard. At the time of the offense, Paul Schofield was employed as a corrections officer at the Jefferson City Correctional Center in Jefferson City. The Schofields will be required to register as a sex offenders upon their release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout their life. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Turner. It was investigated by the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes Task Force and the FBI. Project Safe Childhood This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."


title: Two Charged In Connection With Scheme To Operate Industrial-Scale Illegal Narcotics Pill Pressing Operations Throughout New York City

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Darren B. McCormack, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”); and Frank A. Tarentino III, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), announced today the filing of a Complaint in Manhattan federal court charging JUAN MOISES PEREZ MENDEZ, a/k/a “Caballero,” and ODALIS EUSEBIO PERALTA BAUTISTA, a/k/a “Luis Collazo Santos,” with conspiracy to distribute narcotics and distribution of narcotics. PEREZ MENDEZ and PERALTA BAUTISTA were arrested on Saturday evening, April 6, 2024, in the Bronx. They were presented this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Over the past year, this Office has worked with laser focus to disrupt industrial-scale pill mills that press powdered narcotics into pills. In the process, we have removed millions of deadly fentanyl pills, meant to mimic legitimate prescription drugs, from the street. This past weekend, we acted again, shutting down an alleged pill mill in the Bronx and seizing large amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine. We also arrested the two individuals who allegedly operated that pill mill. As alleged, one of those individuals, Juan Moises Perez Mendez, is a prolific narcotics trafficker, connected to at least two other major pill presses this Office has disrupted in the last year. I am deeply grateful for the efforts of our law enforcement partners and the career prosecutors of this Office as we work to save lives by keeping fentanyl off the streets of our community.” HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Darren B. McCormack said: “These arrests are the result of the exceptional work our El Dorado Task Force does to remove the threat of lethal amounts of fentanyl-laced counterfeit prescription pills that are wreaking havoc in our communities. HSI New York, along with our law enforcement partners, remain determined to shut down these underground poison mills and dismantle the flow of deadly substances into our communities. The criminals who operate these illegitimate manufacturing sites will face justice for their production and distribution of illicit synthetic opioids which are responsible for perpetuating the public safety epidemic across the country.” DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III said: “Over the weekend, the DEA New York and our law enforcement partners conducted another successful operation resulting in two arrests and shutting down another illegal pill mill located near a school in the Bronx. Fake pills, laced with fentanyl and methamphetamine, like the ones seized this weekend, come in every color, shape, and form, and are disguised to mirror the appearance of prescription pills, making them hard to detect by sight and extremely deadly. This operation emphasizes our commitment to protecting communities from these fake pills and those responsible for producing them. I commend our special agents and law enforcement partners on this successful operation.” As alleged in the Complaint filed today in Manhattan federal court: [1] Law enforcement has been investigating a network of drug traffickers operating industrial-scale illegal narcotics pill pressing operations in multiple locations throughout New York City. As part of those operations, the traffickers have converted spaces in residential buildings to press large quantities of powder narcotics, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, into pill form for wholesale distribution. At these locations, drug traffickers have manufactured millions of pills for further distribution, sometimes manufacturing hundreds of thousands of pills in a single session. In or about May 2023, law enforcement searched the basement of a particular building in Washington Heights (the “Washington Heights Building”), where they found large quantities of narcotics, as well as the materials and equipment necessary to press narcotics into pill form, including commercial-grade pill presses. In connection with that search, law enforcement officers arrested Juan Efren Paulino. PEREZ MENDEZ appears to have entered the basement of the Washington Heights Building in the days leading up to the search and communicated with Paulino regarding narcotics. A photograph of the narcotics recovered from the Washington Heights Building is below: In or about October 2023, law enforcement officers searched the basement of a building located on Beaumont Avenue in the Bronx (the “Beaumont Building”) and arrested four individuals. In the basement of the Beaumont Building, law enforcement officers found hundreds of thousands of pills and over 20 kilograms of narcotics, along with three industrial pill press machines, one disassembled pill press, a kilogram press, and narcotics mixing and repackaging materials including blenders, dyes, jars of calcium citrate (frequently used as a narcotics cutting agent), and industrial-grade gas masks (used for protection when handling narcotic powders intended for pill pressing). In or about August 2023, law enforcement officers observed PEREZ MENDEZ appearing to enter or exit the Beaumont Building. A photograph of the narcotics recovered from the Beaumont Building is below: In light of PEREZ MENDEZ’s involvement in the pill mills at the Washington Heights and Beaumont Buildings, law enforcement officers began conducting surveillance of PEREZ MENDEZ. During the course of that surveillance, law enforcement officers identified a storage room (the “Storage Room”) in the basement of a particular building located on Gerard Avenue in the Bronx (the “Gerard Avenue Building”) that was frequented by PEREZ MENDEZ and PERALTA BAUTISTA. On April 6, 2024, at approximately 7:15 p.m., law enforcement officers arrested PEREZ MENDEZ as he was exiting the Gerard Avenue Building, only minutes after leaving the Storage Room. After the arrest of PEREZ MENDEZ, law enforcement officers approached the door to the Storage Room. A loud pounding sound could be heard emanating from within the Storage Room, which was consistent with the operation of a pill press. Not long after, the loud pounding sound stopped, and PERALTA BAUTISTA exited the Storage Room. At the time, PERALTA BAUTISTA’s shirt appears to have had white powder on it. As PERALTA BAUTISTA exited the Storage Room, he was placed under arrest. Law enforcement officers then searched the Storage Room, which was used by PEREZ MENDEZ and PERALTA BAUTISTA to store powdered narcotics, combine the narcotics with other fillers, use dyes to color the combined powders, and then use large industrial-scale pill presses to create hundreds of thousands of deadly pills. Many of the pills appear to have been manufactured to be indistinguishable from prescription medications such as Xanax, Adderall, and OxyContin, though in fact they contain, among other things, varying quantities of fentanyl. Among other things, law enforcement officers found two industrial-scale pill presses; approximately 130,000 pills, the vast majority of which field tested positive for the presence of fentanyl (the remainder of which field tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine); approximately three kilograms of a powder in zip lock bags that tested positive for the presence of fentanyl; a bucket containing approximately 20 pounds of powdered narcotics, which field tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine; and approximately 3.5 pounds of suspected crystalized methamphetamine. The suspected narcotics and pill presses are depicted, in part, below: Additionally, law enforcement officers found materials used to mix powdered narcotics with fillers as well as packaging materials used to package narcotics for further distribution. Those items included mixing bowls, a blender, strainers, dyes, thousands of glassine envelopes, and empty bottles of calcium citrate. From on or about June 10, 2023, to on or about March 3, 2024, PEREZ MENDEZ and his girlfriend purchased approximately 1,274 bottles of calcium pills from a particular retail chain of consumer products. This amounts to approximately 356,720 calcium pills. * * * JUAN MOISES PEREZ MENDEZ, 56, of the Bronx, New York, and ODALIS EUSEBIO PERALTA BAUTISTA, 53, of New York, New York, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute narcotics and one count of narcotics distribution, both of which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. The statutory minimum and maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the El Dorado Task Force International Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit, which is comprised of law enforcement officers and investigators from HSI, the DEA, the New York City Police Department, the New York State Police, the U.S. Postal Service, the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, and the New York High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, in connection with this investigation. This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maggie Lynaugh and Adam Sowlati are in charge of the prosecution. The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.


title: Three More Defendants Plead Guilty to Roles in Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization

body_text: HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Three more defendants pleaded guilty today to roles in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Southern District of West Virginia. Hakeem Rashad Mack, also known as “Paper,” 31, of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty to distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Georgia Alice Jackson, 31, of Huntington, pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Walter Alvin Cremeans, 56, of Culloden, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 28, 2023, Mack distributed approximately 283 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant at Mack’s Eighth Avenue residence in Huntington. Mack admitted to arranging the transaction beforehand with the informant via a video call with the FaceTime mobile device app. Mack further admitted to distributing a total of approximately 306 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant on May 10, 2023 and June 5, 2023. On November 15, 2023, law enforcement officers arrested Mack and executed a search warrant at his residence. Officers seized approximately 165 grams of methamphetamine, 108 grams of fentanyl and a Charter Arms .38-caliber revolver during the search. Mack admitted that he possessed the firearm and intended to distribute the methamphetamine and fentanyl. Officers also arrested Jackson and executed a search warrant at her Wiltshire Boulevard residence in Huntington on November 15, 2023. Officers seized approximately 380 grams of fentanyl, a Phoenix Arms HP22A .22-caliber pistol, a Sun City Stevens 320 12-gauge shotgun and various rounds of ammunition. Jackson admitted to possessing the seized fentanyl and intending to distribute it. Jackson further admitted to distributing a total of 1.35 kilograms of methamphetamine on four occasions between February 15, 2023, and August 24, 2023. Jackson also admitted to participating in the DTO from at least February 2023 through November 2023, distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl on numerous occasions and using her residence to store and distribute drugs. On October 28, 2023, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Cremeans on the 4200 block of Ohio River Road in Huntington. Cremeans admitted that he placed approximately 97 grams of methamphetamine in a cup that was thrown from his vehicle during the traffic stop. The officer located and seized the methamphetamine on the ground outside of Cremeans’ vehicle. Cremeans further admitted that investigators had observed him acquiring the seized methamphetamine just before the traffic stop, and that he had arranged to receive the methamphetamine during multiple phone calls that were intercepted by investigators. Mack, Jackson and Cremeans are scheduled to be sentenced on August 12, 2024. Mack faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a $10 million fine. Jackson faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine. Cremeans faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. Mack, Jackson and Cremeans are among 27 individuals indicted in a 53-count indictment that charges the defendants with distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl transported from Detroit, Michigan, in Huntington and other locations within the Southern District of West Virginia. Mack, Jackson and Cremeans are also among 17 defendants who have pleaded guilty in the main case. One other of the 27 indicted individuals pleaded guilty to a related offense in a separate case. The indictment against the remaining defendants is pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department. United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Stephanie Taylor are prosecuting the case. The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States. 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-180. ###


title: Arizona Man Arrested for Making Online Threats to Kill Attendees at a Music Event in Tempe, Arizona

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: PHOENIX, Ariz. – Trevor Lee O’Dowd, 29, of Prescott Valley, was arrested last week for making online threats to kill anyone who attended yesterday evening’s music event at a venue in Tempe, Arizona. O’Dowd was charged by federal criminal complaint with a single count of Interstate Communication of Threats. The complaint alleges that, between March 12 and 13, 2024, O’Dowd used a social media platform to post numerous threats to injure and kill attendees at the music event. O’Dowd posts indicated that he felt disrespected for not being invited to the event. His threatening posts included the following statements: “If they go im going on a rampage im just letting yall know before it happens.” “Anyone got an AK I can b[o]rrow. Bout to go end some lives since u think I’m never gonna make it.” “I suggest hiring more security for ur events soon.” “April 7 th will be the last day for AZ hip hop.” “[D]on’t show up to mill Ave is all imma say.” In other messages, O’Dowd welcomed a police presence and added that it would “be a wild west shootout like the good old days . . . I have no reason to live so good luck with that.” The single count of Interstate Communication of Threats carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. A complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution. O'Dowd - Complaint CASE NUMBER: 24-6135MJ RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-046_O’Dowd # # # 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 X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Chamois Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Producing Child Pornography

body_text: Dylan Joseph Minor, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Minor will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life. On July 20, 2023, Minor pleaded guilty to producing child pornography. A detective with the Franklin County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department received a Cybertip from National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Oct. 14, 2022. The Cybertip indicated that a Kik user, later identified as Minor, had uploaded multiple images and/or videos of suspected child pornography. On Oct. 17, 2022, the detective executed a search warrant at Minor’s residence. Minor admitted that he had taken pornographic photos of the child victim and traded them with others on the Kik application. The detective analyzed two cell phones seized from Minor and found thousands of images and more than 100 videos depicting child pornography. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Franklin County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department. Project Safe Childhood This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."


title: U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich announces settlement with University of Montana over access to Adams Center’s arena for persons with disabilities

component: Civil Rights - Disability Rights Section

body_text: BILLINGS — U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich today announced a settlement agreement between the United States and the University of Montana over access to the Adams Center’s Dahlberg Arena for persons with disabilities. The settlement agreement will result in more wheelchair spaces and improve wheelchair seating for events at the arena, which hosts athletic events, concerts, graduation ceremonies and various other activities. The U.S. Attorney’s Office investigated the Adams Center after it received a complaint alleging the complainant was unable to use an accessible seating area during a graduation ceremony in June 2019. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination in “the services, programs, or activities of a public entity” based on disability. The parties voluntarily agreed to the terms of the settlement agreement, under which the University of Montana will disperse additional courtside ADA-compliant accessible seating when the Dahlberg Arena is configured for basketball, beginning with the 2024/25 season. The university will also continue to provide ADA-compliant accessible seating when the Dahlberg Arena is configured for other events, including concerts and graduations. The University of Montana cooperated with the government throughout the investigation. “This agreement brings the seating plans for the Adams Center into compliance with the ADA by addressing issues with wheelchair spaces and seating. I appreciate the University of Montana’s cooperation with our investigation and its commitment to upholding the rights of persons with disabilities to ensure they can participate in a concert or graduation or cheer on the Grizzlies in Dahlberg Arena,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said. “The Adams Center welcomes tens-of-thousands of visitors annually for some of Montana’s most celebrated events. These changes are in line with UM’s efforts to be a campus that is accessible and open to all. We thank U.S. Attorney Laslovich and his staff for their hard work and partnership on this agreement,” said Dave Kuntz, UM spokesperson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Vestal handled the case in coordination with the Disability Rights Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov. ADA complaints may be filed online at www.ada.gov/complaint . For complaints of civil rights violations occurring in the District of Montana, please visit justice.gov/usao-mt/civil-rights. See settlement agreement here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mt/media/1347036/dl?inline XXX


title: Jury Finds District Man Guilty of Gun and Assault Charges

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Diandre Caesar, 30, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today by a Superior Court jury of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The verdict follows a five-day trial. According to the government’s evidence, at around 1:00 p.m., on June 28, 2022, Caesar got into a verbal argument with the victims, who were trying to drive out of the McDonald’s parking lot on New York Avenue in Northeast Washington D.C. As the victims turned onto New York Avenue NE to leave, with their infant child in a car seat in the backseat, Caesar followed them and, after trying to open the front passenger door, kicked the rear door multiple times. The victims continued driving, at which point Caesar pulled out a firearm and fired at the car several times, striking it at least four times. Police later arrested Caesar on a warrant on August 24, 2022. The Honorable Andrea Hertzfeld scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2024. In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Travis Wolf and Michael Toogun prosecuted the case at trial.


title: KCK Man Sentenced to 21 Years for Meth Trafficking, Illegal Firearm

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Kan., man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing methamphetamine to distribute and illegally possessing a firearm after leading police officers on a high-speed chase. Joshua L. Alley, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to twenty-one years in federal prison without parole. On Nov. 30, 2023, Alley pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of being a felon and an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Independence, Mo., police officers located a stolen 2013 Hyundai Accent parked at a local convenience store on May 18, 2023. They maintained surveillance of the vehicle until Alley came out of the store and got into the driver’s seat. Despite the deployment of pursuit termination devices, Alley led police officers on a high-speed chase. Alley drove through a line of trees and drove the vehicle down the embankment of a small creek, disabling the vehicle. Alley climbed out of the driver’s side window of the vehicle, which was still running and in drive. The vehicle was lying vertically in the creek bed. Alley fled on foot through the woods, discarding a bag of methamphetamine as he ran, but was taken into custody. Officers recovered the bag that had been discarded by Alley, which contained 84.8 grams of methamphetamine. An officer returned to the car, where he found a loaded Ruger 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a Ruger magazine that contained five rounds of hollow point ammunition. Alley admitted that he used methamphetamine a couple of times a day, and that he had been using methamphetamine for the past six months. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Alley has four prior felony convictions for armed criminal action, three prior felony convictions for burglary, and prior felony convictions for robbery, stealing, receiving stolen property, possession of a controlled substance, assault, domestic assault, This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Project Safe Neighborhoods This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Separate Indictments Charge Two Individuals With Possession Of A Machinegun

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced federal charges against two individuals charged via criminal indictments with possession of machinegun conversion devices, commonly known as “Glock switches.” A Glock switch, or “auto sear,” is an illegal conversion device that enables a conventional semi-automatic pistol to function as a fully automatic firearm. Federal law prohibits the possession of a machinegun and defines as a machinegun the converted firearm or a device designed or intended for use in converting a firearm into a machinegun. Furthermore, under federal law, the conversion device is illegal and classified as a machinegun whether it is affixed to a firearm or not. Trevaris Devar Kennedy, 21, of Statesville, N.C., is charged with possession of a machinegun and possession of a firearm by a felon. Kennedy was arrested this morning and will have his initial appearance in Charlotte on Tuesday, April 9, at 10:20 a.m. According to allegations in the indictment, on December 22, 2023, in Iredell County, Kennedy did knowingly possess a machinegun, that is a device intended to convert a semiautomatic handgun into a machinegun capable of fully automatic fire, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger. The indictment further alleges that, on that date, Kennedy did illegally possess two Glock semi-automatic pistols, knowing he had been convicted of at least one crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. In the second case, a criminal indictment charges Tiquavion Davonta Ervin, 21, of Charlotte, with possession of a machinegun. As alleged in the indictment, on July 25, 2023, in Mecklenburg County, Ervin knowingly and willfully possessed a machinegun, that being a 9x19mm caliber handgun of undetermined origin, also known as a ghost gun, manufactured utilizing a Polymer80 brand kit and affixed with a Glock switch. The charges contained in these indictments are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Statesville Police Department handled the investigation into Kennedy. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shavonn Bennette is prosecuting the case. The ATF and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department investigated Ervin’s case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) William Wiseman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case. Mr. Wiseman is a state prosecutor with the office of the 26th Prosecutorial District and was assigned by District Attorney Spencer Merriweather to serve as a SAUSA with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte. Mr. Wiseman is sworn in both state and federal courts. The SAUSA position is a reflection of the partnership between the District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Both cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In July 2022, as part of PSN, the U.S. Attorney’s Office launched Think Again , a local initiative aiming to raise awareness about gun crimes and illegal firearms purchasing or misuse and to increase the reporting of illegal firearms activity to law enforcement.