title: Three-Time Felon Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for Distribution of Ice Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm

body_text: PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois, man, Melvin D. Turner, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid on September 5, 2024, to an aggregate 120 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release, following his convictions for distribution of ice methamphetamine (two counts) and possessing a firearm as a felon. According to court documents, Turner was responsible for distributing 136.82 grams of ice methamphetamine. A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Turner in February 2024, and a federal arrest warrant was issued. During the subsequent arrest, officers located a Glock model 26, 9mm handgun and a 30-round magazine for the handgun in Turner’s possession. The grand jury returned a superseding indictment in March 2024 adding the firearm count. At the time of his arrest, Turner had three prior felony convictions. Turner pleaded guilty to all three counts of the superseding indictment in May 2024. The statutory penalties for the two counts of distribution of 50 grams (actual) of ice methamphetamine are ten years to life imprisonment, to be followed by at least five years of supervised release. The penalties for possessing a firearm as a felon are not more than 15 years imprisonment and not more than three years of supervised release. The United States Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Pekin and Peoria Police Departments investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz represented the government in the prosecution. The case against Turner 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: Four Individuals Sentenced to Prison for Child Pornography Offenses Under Project Safe Childhood

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – United States District Court Chief Judge Raúl Arias Marxuach sentenced three individuals in three separate cases for production of child pornography. Noah Spearman, 23, was sentenced on September 4, 2024, to 327 months (27 years and three months) in prison, and a supervised release term of life, for four counts of production of child pornography. On May 24, 2023, Spearman pleaded guilty to four counts of production of child pornography. According to court documents, from August 2021 through July 2022, Spearman induced, enticed, and coerced four female victims, ranging from nine to eleven years of age, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. Spearman used different social media applications such as Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Tyia to commit these crimes. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Ginette Milanés prosecuted the case. On August 29, 2024, Christopher Joel Rabell-Piñeiro, 26, was sentenced to 210 months (17 years and six months) in prison and a supervised release term of 15 years, for one count of production of child pornography. According to court documents, Rabell-Piñeiro used his cell phone and internet instant messaging services from November 2021 through March 2022 to use and coerce a 12-year-old female to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that sexual conduct and transmitting the images. Rabell-Piñeiro was indicted on May 31, 2023, and pleaded guilty on May 28, 2024. The Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case. AUSA Emelina Agrait-Barreto from the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit, prosecuted the case. On Tuesday, September 3, 2024, Eric Torres-Nieves, was sentenced to 66 months (five years and six months) of imprisonment followed by 20 years of supervised release for obtaining via the internet and possessing child pornography in his electronic devices. AUSA Jenifer Hernández Vega, Chief of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit prosecuted the case and HSI was in charge of the investigation of the case. On Thursday, September 5, 2024, U.S. District Court Judge Aida Delgado-Colón sentenced Bladimir López-Sanes, to 72 months (six years) of imprisonment followed by six years of supervised release for transferring via the internet child pornography in his electronic devices. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenifer Hernández Vega, Chief of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit prosecuted the case and HSI was in charge of the investigation of the case. U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; Joseph González, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office; and Rebecca González-Ramos, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcements. All cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. # # #


title: Judge Gives 30 Year Prison Sentence to Man for Killing His Ex’s New Romantic Partner

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Marcus Walker, 24, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 30 years in prison, by Superior Court Judge Robert Okun in the shooting death of Erik King on October 11, 2022, in Northeast Washington, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Walker was found guilty by a Superior Court jury on May 7, 2024, of second-degree murder while armed, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, as well as second degree cruelty to children, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device. In addition to the prison term, Judge Okun ordered Walker to serve five years of supervised release. According to the government’s evidence, Walker was living in the living room of his ex-girlfriend’s apartment. On October 11, 2022, the defendant became upset that his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend, Erik King, were engaged in sexual relations in the bedroom of the apartment. After sending his ex-girlfriend aggressive text messages for approximately an hour, Walker burst into the locked bedroom door and told the two to stop having sex. When the couple ignored his demands, the defendant shot Mr. King twice in the chest and scrotum area. Mr. King died on scene. A six-year-old child was also present in the bedroom when the shots were fired. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim Advocates Karina Hernandez and Latrice Washington-Williams, Supervisory IT Specialist Leif Hickling and IT Specialist Sigourney Jackson, Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin, former Victim Advocate Tracy Owusu, Paralegals Lauren Douglas, Mabry Johnson, Stephanie Gilbert, Victim Witness Service Coordinator Shanika McCullough, and Intern Tariq Abdel-Wakil. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Galloway and Alec Levy who prosecuted the case at trial.


title: Judge Gives 40 Year Sentence to Man Who Stabbed to Death and Bragged on Social Media

body_text: WASHINGTON – Aaron Jackson, 31, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for the June 2021 stabbing death of Damohn Gill, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe sentenced Jackson to 40 years in prison for first-degree murder while armed, three years in prison for carrying a dangerous weapon, and five years of supervised release. Jackson was found guilty on May 22, 2024, in D.C. Superior Court, for one count of first-degree murder while armed and one count of carrying a dangerous weapon. According to the government’s evidence, at 7:50 p.m., on Thursday, June 24, 2021, the victim, Damohn Gill, 27, of Washington, D.C., pulled into the parking lot of the Orchard Park Apartments with his pregnant girlfriend. The defendant, who arrived a minute later, parked his vehicle on the street near the parking lot. After both men got out of their cars and hugged on the sidewalk, they briefly spoke to each other before Jackson pulled out a knife and aggressively approached Mr. Gill. Mr. Gill raised his hands in the air at which point the defendant grabbed the victim by the throat. Mr. Gill pulled away and attempted to run, but Jackson held onto the victim and proceeded to stab him nine times in the back, face, arm, and abdomen. Jackson then fled the scene. A few days after the murder, the defendant posted to Instagram to brag about killing the victim. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Finally, they acknowledged the efforts of Assistant United States Attorneys Wes Faulkner and Marybeth Manfreda, who prosecuted and tried the case. AUSA Peter Roman who investigated the case, Supervisory Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark, Investigative Analyst Zach McMenamin, Paralegal Specialists April Urbanowski and Lauren Douglas, Supervisory IT Specialist Leif Hickling, IT Specialist Sigourney Jackson, Supervisory Security Specialist Lesley Slade, Security Specialist Ashli Tolbert, Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, and Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Shanika McCullough.


title: North Carolina Man Who Posed As Investment Adviser Indicted For Stealing Over $600,000 In Investor Funds

component: USAO - Maryland

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – A federal grand jury returned a sealed indictment on August 21, 2024, charging Hunter Haithcock, a/k/a Hunter Elliott, age 23, of Matthews, North Carolina with three counts of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of investment adviser fraud relating to his theft of at least $600,000 in funds from at least 50 investors. The indictment was unsealed upon the arrest of the defendant. The defendant had an initial appearance yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. The indictment was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland and Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office. According to documents filed in this case, from September 2019 to October 2022, Haithcock posed as an investment advisor employed by a large brokerage firm and misappropriated at least $600,000 from at least 50 investors. Haithcock, who had been entrusted to invest those funds through the creation of investment accounts for the investors, instead perpetrated a scheme to defraud the investors by causing them to distribute monies intended to fund their investments to accounts he controlled. Instead of investing the investors’ funds for their benefit as he had promised, Haithcock spent the money for his own personal use, including paying expenses such as car payments, airplane tickets, restaurant purchases and entertainment. He also invested some of the monies in funds for his own benefit. Further, Haithcock falsely represented to investors that he worked with, and for, an alleged identity theft victim at a large brokerage firm and used the victim’s name and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Central Registration Depository (“CRD”) number in connection with the scheme. If convicted, Haithcock faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count; a minimum mandatory sentence of two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft count, which will run consecutive to any other sentence; and a maximum of 5 years in federal prison for investment adviser fraud. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. U.S. Attorney Barron commended the FBI for its work in the investigation and also thanked the Cecil County Sherriff’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Maryland for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Riley and LaShanta Harris, who are prosecuting the federal case. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach .


title: Arizona Man Arrested at Nashville International Airport and Charged with Possession of Over 50 Pounds of Fentanyl-Laced Pills

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: NASHVILLE – A criminal complaint obtained today charges Yusef Ibn Abdul Jabbar Hunter, 23, of Phoenix, Arizona, with possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute, announced United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Henry C. Leventis. According to the complaint, on September 5, 2024, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents in Nashville learned the defendant was flying from Phoenix, Arizona to Nashville, that he made his travel arrangements shortly before the flight and that he had checked luggage that may contain illegal drugs. Once the plane landed, a trained drug detection dog alerted on the defendant’s luggage. Thereafter, the defendant consented to a search of his luggage and agents found hundreds of blue pills stamped with “M30” markings designed to make them look like prescription Oxycodone. A field test confirmed the presence of fentanyl. In total, the pills weighed over 50 pounds. “This seizure is a testament to the continued vigilance of the DEA and local law enforcement and the great work they are doing every day to protect our communities,” said United States Attorney Henry Leventis. “However, it is also a frightening reminder of the prevalence of counterfeit pills that can be laced with fentanyl or other dangerous drugs and of the need for people to purchase prescription drugs from licensed vendors to ensure their safety.” If convicted, Hunter faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years with the possibility of life in federal prison. This case is being investigated by the DEA and the Nashville International Airport Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire is prosecuting the case. A federal complaint is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. # # # # #


title: Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation Awarded  more than $1 Million to Fight Gang and Cartel Crime

component: USAO - Washington, Eastern

body_text: Yakima, Washington – The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation has been awarded a million-dollar grant through the U.S. Department of Justice Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants program to address active gang and cartel-related drug activity and violent crime on the reservation, announced Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. “The strong partnerships we have with the leaders of the Yakama Nation are critical to our shared mission of addressing the root causes of the MMIP crisis, which include combatting illegal narcotics and reducing violent crime. This grant demonstrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to partnering with Tribes to ensure the safety and security of Indigenous communities,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Working together we will continue to build trust and foster stronger communities on Tribal lands and throughout Eastern Washington.” The project description for the $1,028,000 awarded to the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation says the funds will be used by the Yakama Nation Public Safety Department (YNPD) to dedicate up to four officers to the local county and Federal Drug Task Forces, purchase equipment, provide detention space, and provide essential investigative resources. The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program is a U.S. Department of Justice formula grant program. The JAG program allocates funds to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, America Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands for a variety of state and local criminal justice initiatives. The program is administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).


title: New Hampshire Man Pleads Guilty to Stalking Journalists

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A New Hampshire man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to his role in a conspiracy to harass and intimidate two journalists employed by New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR). The harassment and intimidation of the victims included the vandalism – on five separate occasions – of the victims’ homes and the home of one of the victims’ parents with bricks, large rocks and red spray paint. Keenan Saniatan, 36, of Nashua, N.H., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit stalking using a facility of interstate commerce and one count of stalking using a facility of interstate commerce. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Dec. 6, 2024. Saniatan was initially charged in June 2023 along with co-conspirators Tucker Cockerline and Michael Waselchuck. In September 2024 , Saniatan, Cockerline and Waselchick along with Eric Labarge were indicted by a federal grand jury. In March 2022, an NHPR journalist (Victim 1) published an article detailing allegations of sexual and other misconduct by a former New Hampshire businessperson, identified in the charging document as Subject 1. Another NHPR journalist (Victim 2) also contributed to the article, which appeared on NHPR’s website during and after March 2022. In response to this reporting, Labarge – who is a close personal associate of Subject 1 – Saniatan, Cockerline and Waselchuck agreed to harass and intimidate Victims 1 and 2 and their immediate family members. According to the indictment, on or about April 22, 2022, at Labarge’s request, Saniatan agreed to vandalize Victim 2’s home in Concord, N.H. and Victim 1’s parents’ home in Hampstead, N.H., using large rocks and red spray paint. On the evening of April 24, 2022, Saniatan spraypainted the word “C*NT” in large red letters on the front door and threw a large rock at the exterior of Victim 2’s home. He also threw a softball-sized rock through an exterior window and spraypainted the word “C*NT” in large red letters on the front of Victim 1’s parents’ home. Separately, and at Labarge’s request, Cockerline and Waselchuck vandalized Victim 1’s home, a home where Victim 1 used to reside, and Victim 1’s parents’ home using bricks and red spray paint during three separate incidents in April and May 2022. Labarge and Waselchuck have both pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Cockerline also pleaded guilty and, in August 2024 , was sentenced to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Each charge in the indictment carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Concord, Hampstead and Hanover, New Hampshire Police Departments, the Melrose, Massachusetts Police Department and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason A. Casey and Torey B. Cummings of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.


title: Assailant Sentenced to 24 Months for Assaulting United States Border Patrol Agent

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: TUCSON, Ariz. – Pedro Anival Coc-Caal, 22, of Tectitan, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, was sentenced on Tuesday by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 24 months in prison. Coc-Caal pleaded guilty to Assault on a Federal Agent Inflicting Bodily Injury and Improper Entry by an Alien on June 24, 2024. On August 12, 2023, a United States Border Patrol agent was in the process of arresting Coc-Caal for illegal entry into the United States. As the agent attempted to handcuff him, Coc-Caal struck the agent on the left side of the agent’s face, causing the agent’s head to snap downwards and knocking his sunglasses off his face. As the agent tried to prevent Coc-Caal from escaping, Coc-Caal kicked the agent in the arm, causing the agent to fall backwards onto jagged rocks, causing injury to the agent’s finger. Coc-Caal escaped into the desert but was eventually apprehended after a foot pursuit aided by helicopter. Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Serra M. Tsethlikai, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution. CASE NUMBER: CR-23-01369-TUC-JCH RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-120_Coc-Caal # # # 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: Pakistani National Charged For Plotting Terrorist Attack In New York City In Support Of ISIS

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Merrick B. Garland, the Attorney General of the United States; Christopher Wray, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”); and Christie M. Curtis, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI, announced today that Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a/k/a “Shahzeb Jadoon,” was arrested on September 4, 2024 in Canada in connection with a Complaint filed in the Southern District of New York charging KHAN with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (“ISIS”). As alleged in the Complaint, KHAN, who resided in Canada, attempted to travel from Canada to New York City, where he intended to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons to carry out a mass shooting in support of ISIS at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, New York. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York plans to seek the extradition of KHAN from Canada. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Khan attempted to travel to the United States to carry out a terrorist attack and murder as many Jewish people as possible, all in support of ISIS. Khan’s alleged crimes are a vivid reminder that we must remain vigilant in the fight against antisemitism and terror. Thanks to our law enforcement partners and the career prosecutors of this Office, Khan’s alleged plan was disrupted before he reached the United States. Let this be a reminder to anyone who seeks to harm our community: This Office will stop at nothing to root you out and bring you to justice.” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said: “The defendant is alleged to have planned a terrorist attack in New York City around October 7 th of this year with the stated goal of slaughtering, in the name of ISIS, as many Jewish people as possible. Thanks to the investigative work of the FBI, and the quick action of our Canadian law enforcement partners, the defendant was taken into custody. As I said to Canada’s Minister of Public Safety yesterday, we are deeply grateful to our Canadian partners for their critical law enforcement actions in this matter. Jewish communities – like all communities in this country – should not have to fear that they will be targeted by a hate-fueled terrorist attack. The Justice Department will continue to work closely with our domestic and international partners to aggressively counter the threat posed by ISIS and other terrorist organizations and their supporters.” FBI Director Christopher Wray said: “The defendant was allegedly determined to kill Jewish people here in the United States, nearly one year after Hamas’s horrific attack on Israel. This investigation was led by the FBI and I am proud of the terrific work by the FBI team and our partners to disrupt Khan's plan. The FBI will continue to work closely with our partners to investigate and hold accountable those who seek to commit violence in the name of ISIS or other terrorist organizations. Fighting terrorism remains the FBI’s top priority.” Acting FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christie M. Curtis said: “Terrorism has no place in our society, and today’s arrest sends a powerful message: if you attempt to provide support to ISIS or any terrorist group, the FBI will bring you to justice. This case underscores the commitment of our Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York City, whose extraordinary and often unnoticed efforts continue to prevent deadly plots before they can be carried out. Our partners are on the front lines every day, united to protect our nation from those who threaten our safety and way of life.” As alleged in the Complaint unsealed today: [1] KHAN, a Pakistani national residing in Canada, began posting on social media and communicating with others on an encrypted messaging application about his support for ISIS in or about November 2023, when, among other things, KHAN distributed ISIS propaganda videos and literature. Subsequently, KHAN began communicating with two undercover law enforcement officers (collectively, the “UCs”). During those conversations, KHAN confirmed that he and a U.S.-based associate (“Associate-1”) had been planning to carry out an attack in a particular U.S. city (“City-1”). Among other things, KHAN said that he had been actively attempting to create “a real offline cell” of ISIS supporters to carry out a “coordinated assault” in City-1 using AR-style assault rifles to “target[] Israeli Jewish chabads . . . scattered all around [City-1].” During subsequent conversations, KHAN repeatedly instructed the UCs to obtain AR-style assault rifles, ammunition, and other materials to carry out the attacks, and identified the specific locations in City-1 where the attacks would take place. KHAN also provided details about how he would cross the border from Canada into the U.S. to conduct the attacks. During these conversations with the UCs, KHAN emphasized that “Oct 7th and oct 11th are the best days for targeting the jews” because “oct 7 they will surely have some protests and oct 11 is yom.kippur.” On or about August 20, 2024, KHAN changed his target location from City-1 to New York City. After initially suggesting certain neighborhoods in New York City to the UCs, KHAN decided to target Location-1, a Jewish center located in Brooklyn, New York. KHAN told the UCs that he planned to carry out this attack on or around October 7, 2024—which KHAN recognized as the one-year anniversary of the brutal terrorist attacks in Israel by Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization, which, on October 7, 2023, launched a wave of violent, large-scale terrorist attacks in Israel. In support of his choice of New York City as his target location, KHAN boasted that “New york is perfect to target jews” because it has the “largest Jewish population In america” and therefore, “even if we dont attack a[n] Event[,] we could rack up easily a lot of jews.” KHAN proclaimed that “we are going to nyc to slaughter them,” and sent a photograph of the specific area inside of Location-1 where he planned to carry out the attack. Thereafter, KHAN continued to urge the UCs to acquire AR-style assault rifles, ammunition, and other equipment for his attack, including “some good hunting [knives] so we can slit their throats.” KHAN repeatedly reiterated his desire to carry out the attack in support of ISIS, and continued planning for the attack, including by identifying rental properties close to Location-1 and paying for a human smuggler to help him reach and cross the border from Canada into the U.S. During one communication, KHAN noted that “if we succeed with our plan this would be the largest Attack on US soil since 9/11.” On or about September 4, 2024, as KHAN said he planned to do in connection with his attack, KHAN attempted to reach the U.S-Canada border. To do so, KHAN traveled from the vicinity of Toronto, Canada towards the United States, before he was stopped in or around Ormstown, Canada, approximately 12 miles from the U.S.-Canada border. * * * KHAN, 20, a Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The potential maximum sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding efforts of the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the FBI Field Offices in Chicago and Los Angeles, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies, and thanked the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, the Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, and our law enforcement partners in Canada, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Department of Justice Canada, for their assistance. This case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaylan E. Lasky and David J. Robles are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Kevin Nunnally of the Counterterrorism Section. [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint constitutes only allegations, and every fact described herein should be treated as an allegation.


title: Tenacious task force investigation results in 17 convictions in drug trafficking conspiracy

body_text: NORFOLK, Va. – Seventeen members of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) have pled guilty to their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and other drugs. According to court documents, from at least February 2021 through October 2023, the conspirators, led by Corey Wright, 47, of Chesapeake, and Malik Dillard, aka “Mayo,” 48, of Virginia Beach, procured methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl from out-of-state sources and had it shipped in wholesale quantities to Virginia for further distribution. They supplied a number of mid-level distributors including: Akime Russell Porter, 41, of Norfolk; Darryl Deangelo Bond, 40, of Chesapeake; Clyde Byrd Jr., 31, of Norfolk; Jared Wayne Haddock, 46, of Virginia Beach; Holly Elizabeth Triplett, 37, of Portsmouth; Christopher Eanes, 38, of Chesapeake; Leo Charles Frueh, 43, of Virginia Beach; Bryan Austin Ruscoe, 27, of South Mills, North Carolina; Julius Justin Freeze, 34, of Virginia Beach; Jesse Ryan Martin, 34, of Norfolk; Richard Olsak-Finn, 44, of Chesapeake; Sebastien Balthazar, 25, of Port-au-Prince, Haiti; and Jessica Brunelle, 40, of Norfolk. Aimee Brooke Yanez, 45, of Suffolk, and Lisa Michelle Clark, 46, of Norfolk, were also involved in the DTO and agreed to use their residences to receive, store, and process the drugs. This investigation spanned over two years, and involved Special Agents, Task Force Officers, detectives, investigators, officers and other personnel, who reviewed thousands of phone calls and text communications and worked with confidential informants to identify and dismantle this large network of narcotics distributors. Wright pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl. As part of the conspiracy Wright distributed fentanyl in the form of pressed imitation prescription pills purporting to be Roxicodone. California suppliers shipped packages of narcotics hidden in stuffed animals to Wright, who was previously convicted in U.S. District Court in Alexandria for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine (Case No. 1:05-cr-183). Wright is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 1 and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. Porter pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison. Porter is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 17, 2025. Eanes and Haddock pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. On May 17, U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. sentenced Haddock to 15 years and six months in prison. Eanes, who faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 18. Byrd and Frueh pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl. They face a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison. Byrd is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 3, 2025; Frueh is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 10, 2025. Bond pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute cocaine and faces up to 20 years in prison. Bond is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 6. Triplett pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine. She faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison. Triplett is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 28, 2025. Brunelle pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute cocaine and fentanyl. She faces up to 20 years in prison. Brunelle is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 10, 2025. Clark and Yanez pled guilty to maintaining a drug-involved premises. They face up to 20 years in prison. Clark is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 1; Yanez is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 6. Dillard pled guilty to distribution of methamphetamine and conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine. On Feb. 2, Dillard was sentenced to 30 years in prison by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. Dillard, working with Wright, supplied Martin, Olsak-Finn, and Balthazar. Martin was sentenced to 12 years in prison; Balthazar was sentenced to three years in prison; and Olsak-Finn is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 4. Ruscoe pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Ruscoe faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct 3. Freeze pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Freeze faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 12. A federal district court judge will determine any remaining sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent; and Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John F. Butler, Anthony C. Mozzi, Darryl J. Mitchell, and Luke J. Bresnahan are prosecuting the case. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos.: 2:23-cr-127; 2:23-cr-65; 2:24-cr-37; 2:24-cr-39; and 2:22-cr-102.


title: Marketer of Durable Medical Equipment Admits Multimillion-Dollar Health Care Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: TRENTON, N.J. – A Miami Beach, Florida, man admitted his role in a durable medical equipment health care fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. Christopher Vehovec, 31, of Miami Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court on Aug. 28, 2024, to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court: Vehovec and his conspirators solicited and received kickbacks and bribes in exchange for providing durable medical equipment (DME) companies with completed doctors’ orders for medically unnecessary DME, such as orthotic braces. Vehovec and his conspirators utilized the service of telemedicine companies to obtain these prescriptions for DME, and the DME orders were subsequently fraudulently billed to Medicare and other health care benefit programs. Vehovec and his conspirators caused losses to Medicare and other health care benefit programs of at least $4.2 million. The charge of conspiracy to commit health care fraud is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross profit or loss caused by the offense, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 27, 2025. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, and the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney DeNae Thomas of the Health Care Fraud Unit in Newark. vehovec.information.pdf


title: Boone County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Billy Ray Castle Jr., 40, of Bim, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 24, 2023, Castle possessed a Beretta Pietro SPA Model APX 9mm pistol and a Sig Sauer model P250 .40-caliber pistol in the Bim area of Boone County. Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Castle knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for robbery in Boone County Circuit Court on November 18, 2003. Castle is scheduled to be sentenced on December 11, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Boone County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Troy D. Adams is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. 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-71. ###


title: Two MS-13 Gang Associates Plead Guilty in Connection with Murder of 17-Year-Old

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Juan Amaya-Ramirez and Oscar Flores-Mejia pleaded guilty today in connection with the April 23, 2018 murder of 17-year-old Andy Peralta in Kissena Park in Flushing, Queens. As part of their guilty pleas, the defendants admitted to murdering Peralta to gain entrance into MS-13 and also admitted to crimes including cyberstalking resulting in death, murder conspiracy in-aid-of racketeering, assault conspiracy in-aid-of racketeering, and assault in-aid-of racketeering. Under the terms of their plea agreements, the defendants will be sentenced to at least 30 years’ imprisonment and could be sentenced up to life imprisonment. The proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Marutollo. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Christie M. Curtis, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Darren B. McCormack, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), and Edward A. Caban, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the guilty pleas. “The senseless murder of Andy Peralta exemplifies the casual cruelty of MS-13’s violence, and with their pleas today the defendants acknowledge their role in this brutal event,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to bring justice and safety to affected victims and communities by holding MS-13 members and associates accountable for their terrible crimes.” “MS-13’s ruthless violence is boundless. The defendants’ admissions to murder serve as a reminder of how the violent nature of street gangs results in countless, senseless deaths,” said HSI New York Acting Special Agent in Charge McCormack. “HSI New York and the entire law enforcement community remain committed to disrupting and dismantling MS-13 and other violent gangs in furtherance of public safety in our communities.” “NYPD investigators, in close collaboration with our law enforcement colleagues, pledge to remain tireless in pursuing justice against gang members, wherever and whenever their barbaric acts are committed,” stated NYPD Commissioner Caban. “I applaud and commend our various federal partners for their vital efforts, which ultimately delivered today’s successful outcome.” As detailed in court documents, Amaya-Ramirez, Flores-Mejia and a third MS-13 associate plotted to kill Peralta because they wanted to join MS-13 and mistakenly believed that Peralta was a member of a rival gang. The defendants recruited Amaya-Ramirez’s then-girlfriend, Leyla Carranza, to lure Peralta to Kissena Park in Flushing, Queens, so he could be murdered. Carranza communicated with Peralta on social media and eventually convinced him to meet her in Kissena Park on April 23, 2018. Once inside the park, Peralta was confronted by Amaya-Ramirez, Flores-Mejia, and the third MS-13 associate. The three men beat, stabbed, and strangled Peralta to death. After the murder, Amaya-Ramirez took a photograph of himself and his coconspirators flashing MS-13 hand signs over Peralta’s body. Carranza previously pleaded guilty to cyberstalking resulting in the death of Peralta and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment at sentencing. This case was investigated as part of the ongoing efforts of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, gangs and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. Today’s guilty pleas are the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13. Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults. Since 2009, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 65 murders in the district and has convicted dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by our law enforcement partners. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan Siegel, Michael W. Gibaldi, Anna Karamigios and Sophia Suarez are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Eleanor Jaffe-Pachuilo. Defendants: JUAN AMAYA-RAMIREZ (also known as “Cadaver”) Age: 26 Fresh Meadows, Queens OSCAR FLORES-MEJIA (also known as “Chamuco”) Age: 24 Elmhurst, Queens Defendant who previously pleaded guilty: LEYLA CARRANZA Age: 23 Richmond, Virginia E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-228 (S-2) (LDH)


title: Pakistani National Charged for Plotting Terrorist Attack in New York City in Support of ISIS

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: Note : View the complaint here . A Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, was arrested on Sept. 4 in Canada in connection with a complaint filed in the Southern District of New York. Khan was charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO), the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). “The defendant is alleged to have planned a terrorist attack in New York City around October 7th of this year with the stated goal of slaughtering, in the name of ISIS, as many Jewish people as possible,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Thanks to the investigative work of the FBI, and the quick action of our Canadian law enforcement partners, the defendant was taken into custody. As I said to Canada’s Minister of Public Safety yesterday, we are deeply grateful to our Canadian partners for their critical law enforcement actions in this matter. Jewish communities — like all communities in this country — should not have to fear that they will be targeted by a hate-fueled terrorist attack. The Justice Department will continue to work closely with our domestic and international partners to aggressively counter the threat posed by ISIS and other terrorist organizations and their supporters.” “The defendant was allegedly determined to kill Jewish people here in the United States, nearly one year after Hamas’ horrific attack on Israel. This investigation was led by the FBI, and I am proud of the terrific work by the FBI team and our partners to disrupt Khan's plan.” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI will continue to work closely with our partners to investigate and hold accountable those who seek to commit violence in the name of ISIS or other terrorist organizations. Fighting terrorism remains the FBI’s top priority.” As alleged in the complaint, Khan, who resided in Canada, attempted to travel from Canada to New York City, where he intended to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons to carry out a mass shooting in support of ISIS at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, New York. Khan began posting on social media and communicating with others on an encrypted messaging application about his support for ISIS in or about November 2023, when, among other things, Khan distributed ISIS propaganda videos and literature. Subsequently, Khan began communicating with two undercover law enforcement officers (collectively, the UCs). During those conversations, Khan confirmed that he and a U.S.-based ISIS supporter (Associate-1) had been planning to carry out an attack in a particular U.S. city (City-1). Among other things, Khan said that he had been actively attempting to create “a real offline cell” of ISIS supporters to carry out a “coordinated assault” in City-1 using AR-style rifles to “target[] Israeli Jewish chabads . . . scattered all around [City-1].” During subsequent conversations, Khan repeatedly instructed the UCs to obtain AR-style assault rifles, ammunition, and other materials to carry out the attacks, and identified the specific locations in City-1 where the attacks would take place. Khan also provided details about how he would cross the border from Canada into the United States to conduct the attacks. During these conversations with the UCs, Khan emphasized that “Oct 7th and oct 11th are the best days for targeting the jews” because “oct 7 they will surely have some protests and oct 11 is yom.kippur.” On or about Aug. 20, Khan changed his target location from City-1 to New York City. After initially suggesting certain neighborhoods in New York City to the UCs, Khan decided to target Location-1, a Jewish center located in Brooklyn, New York. Khan told the UCs that he planned to carry out this attack on or around Oct. 7, 2024 — which Khan recognized as the one-year anniversary of the brutal terrorist attacks in Israel by Hamas, a designated FTO, which, on Oct. 7, 2023, launched a wave of violent, large-scale terrorist attacks in Israel. In support of his choice of New York City as his target location, Khan boasted that “New york is perfect to target jews” because it has the “largest Jewish population In america” and therefore, “even if we dont attack a[n] Event[,] we could rack up easily a lot of jews.” Khan proclaimed that “we are going to nyc to slaughter them,” and sent a photograph of the specific area inside of Location-1 where he planned to carry out the attack. Thereafter, Khan continued to urge the UCs to acquire AR-style rifles, ammunition, and other equipment for his attack, including “some good hunting [knives] so we can slit their throats.” Khan repeatedly reiterated his desire to carry out the attack in support of ISIS, and discussed planning for the attack, including by identifying rental properties close to Location-1 and paying for a human smuggler to help him reach and cross the border from Canada into the United States. During one communication, Khan noted that “if we succeed with our plan this would be the largest Attack on US soil since 9/11.” On or about Sept. 4, as Khan said he planned to do in connection with his attack, Khan attempted to reach the U.S-Canada border. To do so, Khan used three separate cars to travel across Canada towards the United States, before he was stopped in or around Ormstown, Canada, approximately 12 miles from the U.S.-Canada border. Khan is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The FBI New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles Field Offices are investigating the case. The Justice Department is grateful to Canadian law enforcement for their actions in this matter. The Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division is seeking the extradition of Khan from Canada. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaylan E. Lasky and David J. Robles for the Southern District of New York and Trial Attorney Kevin C. Nunnally of the Justice Department’s National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case. A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Family Members Who Conspired to Defraud U.S. Sentenced in San Antonio

component: USAO - Texas, Western

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – Kenneth, Christopher, and Irma Flores, the three San Antonio family members who pleaded guilty to government fraud and gratuities charges in August 2023, were sentenced in federal court Friday. According to court documents, Kenneth Flores, 51, Christopher Flores, 55, and Irma Flores, 75, conspired together to defraud the United States by eliminating competition and fixing contract awards and prices on Army contracts for the housekeeping and janitorial services at Army Hospitals and Medical Centers. Kenneth Flores pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government; Irma and Christopher Flores pleaded guilty to paying gratuities to government officials who helped in the scheme to defraud government contracts. The scheme involved a corrupt partnership between the three Flores family members and co-conspirator government employees. Karisa Waysepappy Kelley and John Jordan “Chip” Mathes. The scheme brought in millions of dollars in work on Army healthcare housekeeping and janitorial services contracts to the Flores family in return for bribes and kickbacks, which helped induce Kelley and Mathes to aid the Flores’ in eliminating competition in the process. From Nov. 15, 2018, until June 25, 2020, Christopher Flores’s company, Alliance Supply, paid $216,710.46 to Mathes’ company, C & S Consulting. From Feb. 21, 2019, until July 17, 2020, Alliance Supply paid Kelley’s company Waysepappy Consulting $57,906.50. Irma Flores served as the bookkeeper for Allegiance Environmental Services, a company owned by Kenneth Flores, under which Alliance operated. Mathes and Kelley pleaded guilty in February 2023. Both are scheduled to sentenced in the coming weeks. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sentenced Kenneth Flores to four years in prison, Christopher Flores to two years in prison, and Irma Flores to five years of probation. As part of their plea agreements, they agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $3.7 million. “The actions of these three family members—defrauding our institutions and corrupting the integrity of government contracts intended to support military facilities—were a betrayal of public trust,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “Our office remains committed to rooting out corruption and holding accountable those who seek to exploit government resources for personal gain.” “The Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, is committed to protecting the integrity of the DoD procurement process," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan Settle for the DCIS Southwest Field Office, "Today's outcome represents the extraordinary efforts by our law enforcement partners, alongside the Department of Justice, to hold accountable those who seek to enrich themselves by fraudulent means and pilfer precious taxpayer resources.” “Today’s sentencing illustrates Army CID’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the Army’s procurement process and ensuring that Department of the Army resources are safeguarded against unlawful and unfair practices,” said Special Agent in Charge Maria E. Thomas for the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Central Texas Field Office. “We’ll continue to work diligently with our law enforcement partners to expose fraudulent activity and hold individuals accountable who attempt to defraud the U.S. Army and government for services Soldiers and families rely on.” “Government contracts support the missions of the United States and its military,” said Special Agent in Charge Jamie Willemin for the U.S. General Services Administration Office of Inspector General’s Southwest and Rocky Mountain Investigations Division. “Those who do business with the federal government are expected to engage in fair and honest business practices. GSA OIG will work diligently with investigative partners to investigate fraudulent activity and hold offenders accountable for their actions.” “It is fitting that the sentences for these felons are handed down in Military City USA. Whether you’re from San Antonio or anywhere else in our country, defrauding our nation’s armed forces is a level of greed that shouldn’t be explored,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Lucy Tan of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Houston Field Office. “Today’s sentences underscore our unwavering commitment to partner with other law enforcement agencies to bring to justice those who engage in bribery and corrupt practices, regardless of their position or influence.” The DCIS, Army CID, GSA-OIG, and IRS-CI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly Stephenson, Joe Blackwell, former AUSA William Lewis, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Jay Porier prosecuted the case. ###


title: Leader of Sophisticated Stolen Identity Tax Refund Scheme Sentenced

component: Tax Division

body_text: Abraham Yusuff, of Round Rock, Texas — the leader of a scheme to defraud the IRS of over $110 million — was sentenced today to more than 14 years in prison. Meghan Inyang, of San Antonio, and Christopher Eduardo, of Round Rock, two of Yusuff’s co-defendants, were also sentenced today to over three years and over two years in prison, respectively. In total, seven individuals have now been sentenced to prison for their involvement in the scheme. “Yusuff and his codefendants secured $30 million in fraudulent refunds from the IRS — and sought even more,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division. “They stole the identities of honest taxpayers, filed hundreds of returns in those taxpayers’ names seeking bogus refunds and assumed the identities of real-life CPAs and other professionals to trick the IRS into directing the refunds into accounts and debit cards they controlled. The significant sentences handed down by the court reflect not only the injury caused to the Treasury, but also the financial harm and stress the defendants imposed on the innocent taxpayers and accounting professionals swept up in their scheme.” “Yusuff and co-defendants didn’t just steal money, they stole the lives of hundreds of victims by changing all their contact information with the IRS and posing as authorized representatives for the taxpayers,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Lucy Tan of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Houston Field Office. “This insidious and complex scheme victimized both the real tax professionals and the people they represent, which is why IRS-CI special agents help take down criminal enterprises and put criminals behind bars.” “Stealing someone’s identity is abhorrent and despicable behavior. This week’s sentencing serves as a stark reminder that fraud and the pursuit of quick gains comes with severe consequences,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr. of IRS-CI Dallas Field Office. “I’m proud of the women and men of IRS-CI for their commitment to protect our tax system and their resolve to ensure that those who engage in fraudulent activities face the full extent of the law.” According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2018 to 2021, Yusuff led a stolen-identity-refund-fraud scheme with Eduardo and Inyang, as well as Christian Mathurin, of Nashville, Tennessee; Dillon Anozie, of San Antonio; Babajide Ogunbanjo, of Austin, Texas; and Aydin Mammadov, of Houston. As part of the scheme, and to avoid fraud detection procedures the IRS established, Yusuff recruited and directed Eduardo, Mathurin, Anozie, Ogunbanjo and Mammadov to provide addresses to him for the purpose of receiving mail, including IRS correspondence such as identity verification letters. Yusuff and others then contacted the IRS posing as authorized agents of multiple taxpayers. They used stolen information relating to the taxpayers and their real tax preparers to falsely persuade the IRS they were legitimate representatives. The defendants then directed the IRS to change the addresses on file for the taxpayers and to send their tax information, including account transcripts and wage records, to the addresses and emails the defendants controlled. Communicating over Telegram, Yusuff instructed his defendants to send him photographs of the mail the IRS had sent and then instructed them to destroy the mail. The defendants used this information to electronically file more than 370 tax returns claiming fraudulent refunds and directed the IRS to split the refunds among several prepaid debit cards registered in the names of the victim taxpayers. Prior to issuing tax refunds to some taxpayers, the IRS sent verification letters to the addresses the defendants controlled, and the defendants and others, pretending to be the taxpayers, instructed the IRS to release the refunds. Yusuff, Inyang, Eduardo, Anozie, Ogunbanjo and Mammadov obtained the prepaid debit cards that were to be used to receive the fraudulently claimed refunds. Once the refunds were deposited onto the prepaid debit cards, they further concealed the funds by purchasing, among other things, money orders from local stores in amounts that were designed to avoid having to furnish identification or trigger reporting requirements. They also used prepaid debit cards and money orders to purchase designer clothing, home renovation materials and used cars at auction. The defendants kept or received money orders purchased with the fraudulent refunds as their share of the illegal proceeds. At sentencing, the government offered victim impact statements from several individuals whose identities were stolen, including victim taxpayers and accountants. The victims spoke of the financial harm and stress that Yusuff and his co-defendants caused them. In addition to the terms of imprisonment, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Pittman for the Western District of Texas sentenced Yusuff to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution and a forfeiture judgment in the amount of $30,370,365. Eduardo was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $2,823,377 in restitution to the IRS. Inyang was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $762,512 in restitution to the IRS. Judge Pittman previously sentenced the other co-defendants to prison: Dillon Anozie (30 months) Aydin Mammadov (18 months) Babajide Ogunbanjo (16 months) and Christian Mathurin (12 months). IRS-CI and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration investigated the case. Assistant Chief Michael Boteler and Trial Attorneys Mary Frances Richardson and Curtis Weidler of the Justice Department’s Tax Division prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas assisted in this matter.


title: Nevada Man Convicted of $11.2M COVID-19 Fraud

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A federal jury convicted a Nevada man today for defrauding three banks of more than $11.2 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds intended to help small businesses impacted by the pandemic. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Meelad Dezfooli, 30, of Henderson, engaged in a scheme to submit fraudulent loan applications under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a program that provided loans to help small businesses continue paying employee salaries and certain other basic business expenses during the pandemic. Dezfooli submitted three fraudulent PPP loan applications to federally insured banks, purportedly for the benefit of companies that the defendant controlled, and obtained more than $11.2 million in proceeds from those loans. The evidence at trial showed that Dezfooli falsely represented certain material information in his loan applications, including information about payroll, employees, and use of the loan proceeds. After fraudulently obtaining more than $11.2 million in PPP funds, Dezfooli laundered and/or spent the proceeds by, among other things: buying approximately 25 residences and two luxury cars, funding a personal investment account, and gambling extensively. After he was originally charged, Dezfooli continued laundering criminal proceeds by selling five of the residences that he acquired with the fraudulently obtained PPP funds. The jury convicted Dezfooli of three counts of bank fraud, three counts of money laundering, and four counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 5 and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on each of the bank fraud counts, 20 years in prison on each of the money laundering counts, and 10 years in prison on each of the counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada; Special Agent in Charge Carissa Messick of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Phoenix Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jon Ellwanger of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Office of Inspector General (FRB-CFPB OIG), Western Region; Special Agent in Charge Weston King of the Small Business Association Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Western Region; and Special Agent in Charge Ryan Korner of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), San Francisco Region made the announcement. The IRS-CI, FRB-OIG, FDIC-OIG, and SBA-OIG investigated the case. Trial Attorneys D. Zachary Adams and Taylor G. Stout of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel R. Schiess for the District of Nevada prosecuted the case. Legal Assistant Alexa Stiles and Paralegal Holly Butler of MLARS provided substantial assistance throughout the investigation and trial. MLARS’ Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers, and employees, whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Justice Department 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, visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form .


title: Pair of Irish nationals plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Seattle – Two individuals from Ireland pleaded guilty this week in U.S. District Court in Seattle to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for their theft of more than $400,000 from a Shoreline, Washington, homeowner, and other victims across the country. Patrick McDonagh and Matthew McDonagh were arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in mid-June and were charged federally in mid-July. They are scheduled for sentencing in front of U.S. District Judge John H. Chun on November 25, 2024. According to records filed in the case, the brothers were part of a group that traveled the country scamming homeowners – especially the elderly – by falsely representing a home needed urgent repairs. One older homeowner in the Shoreline neighborhood north of Seattle, lost about $435,000 to the scheme. The men first approached the victim in January 2024, claimed they were working in the neighborhood and had noticed that the victim had a hole in his roof. The men offered to fix the hole and remove the moss from the roof. Over the course of a few days, they pressured the victim to write them checks for their “services” of $15,000, $20,000, and $26,000. They also claimed that the victim’s foundation was cracked, and they said they would repair that with a “titanium tie rod system.” The roof had no hole, and the foundation was not failing. However, the men dug trenches and poured some concrete to make it appear work was done, and each day they pressured the victim to write more checks. They even demanded an extra $20,000 for “taxes.” Ultimately, they demanded the victim wire $200,000 to a third party for building supplies – again far in excess of any work they claimed to have done. In all the brothers stole $435,000 from the victim. Quick work by a Shoreline Detective and the King County Prosecutor’s Office resulted in the recovery of some of the wired funds. The FBI investigation connected the brothers to contractor fraud complaints in Oregon and Illinois. In Oregon, Patrick McDonagh represented to three different victims that he was affiliated with a local legitimate construction firm, when in fact he was not. Those homeowners paid as much as $29,000 for foundation work that was never completed as promised. In Illinois, Matthew McDonagh claimed he would repave a victim’s driveway and rebuild a retaining wall for $99,000. After the victim paid $75,000, the work was poorly done and damaged the victim’s house. The value of any work done was significantly less than what was paid. The defendants have agreed to make restitution to the victims in the case. This includes $235,000 to the Shoreline victim, nearly $50,000 to the three victims in Oregon, $75,000 to a victim in Illinois, and more than $673,000 to a victim in Bellevue, Washington. Conspiracy to commit wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors have agreed to recommend 26 months in prison for each defendant. Judge Chun is not bound by the recommendation and can impose any sentence allowed by law. The FBI is investigating this case and was assisted by the Shoreline Police Department, and the U.S. Border Patrol’s Blaine and Spokane Sector’s Anti-Smuggling Units (ASU). The FBI reminds the public of red flags for contractor fraud: The contractor knocks on your door looking for business because they are “in the area” and uses aggressive sales tactics. The contractor pressures you for an immediate hiring decision. The contractor accepts only cash as payment and demands full payment before starting any work. In the sales pitch, the contractor claims to have materials left over from a previous job. Tips to avoid contractor fraud: Always get multiple estimates for any work you want done. Ensure contractors are licensed and insured. Look them up at Washington State’s Department of Labor & Industries website at https://secure.lni.wa.gov/verify/ Check with consumer protection agencies such as the Better Business Bureau and Federal Trade Commission to search for complaints against a contractor. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Watts Staniar. Ms. Staniar serves as the Criminal Elder Fraud Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington. To learn more about the department’s elder justice efforts please visit the Elder Justice Initiative page .


title: Credit Union Robber Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced a man who robbed a credit union in Jennings, Missouri in 2018 to 12 years in prison. Shayne McKee, 42, pleaded guilty in June to robbery, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted committing the armed robbery of the St. Louis Community Credit Union at 7345 West Florissant Avenue in Jennings, Missouri on May 5, 2018. McKee and an accomplice entered the credit union wearing masks and McKee announced a robbery, pulled a gun on bank employees and demanded money. McKee’s DNA linked him to the robbery. When he was arrested on Sept. 4, 2019, he had a backpack on his lap containing a loaded .45-caliber Glock pistol. As a felon, McKee was barred from possessing a firearm. The FBI and the Saint Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Don Boyce and Cassandra Wiemken prosecuted the case.


title: Father and Son Fentanyl Dealers Who Operated on Yuma Street Sentenced to Federal Prison Terms

body_text: WASHINGTON – Alphonso Lorenzo Murray, 50, and Marquete Alonzo Murray, 31, both of Washington D.C., were sentenced today in U.S. District Court for participating in an open-air narcotics market operating on the 100 block of Yuma Street, in Southeast. The sentencings were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington Field Office, Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols sentenced Alphonso Murray today to 45 months in prison and ordered him to serve three years of supervised release. Alphonso Murray pleaded guilty May 28, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and crack cocaine. In his plea agreement, Alphonso Murray acknowledged that he was accountable for distributing 42.179 grams of fentanyl, 15.87 grams of fentanyl analogue, and 5.67 grams of crack cocaine. Judge Nichols sentenced Marquete Murray to 60 months and prison and ordered him to serve five years of supervised release. Marquete Murray, Alphonso’s son, pleaded guilty May 28, 2024, to possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. Marquete Murray acknowledged that law enforcement recovered weapons from his home in Northeast on two occasions. On July 19, 2023, HSI agents seized a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson with an obliterated serial number loaded with 13 rounds ammunition and an additional 37 rounds of ammo. On December 6, 2023, HSI agents recovered a Glock pistol with a 17-round magazine. According to court documents, law enforcement began an investigation into an open-air drug market in December 2022, operating around the 100 block of Yuma Street Southeast. Agents identified several men who worked together to distribute a variety of drugs. On August 9, 2023, an HSI undercover bought 9.03 grams of fentanyl pre-packaged into 60 plastic bags from Marquete Murray who was assisted in the sale by his father. On September 21, 2023, an undercover officer from the MPD bought 10 grams of fentanyl in 56 small bags from Alphonso Murray. On October 5, 2023, the MPD undercover bought an additional 15.87 grams of fentanyl from Alphonso Murray. On November 29, 2023, HSI agents arrested Alphonso Murray at his home on the 200 block of Adams Street, NE, where they also recovered 5.67 grams of crack cocaine. On December 6, 2023, HSI agents arrested Marquete Murray at his apartment on the 700 block of Kenilworth Ave. NE. The arrests were part of a year-long Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation that resulted in many more prosecutions of fentanyl dealers in and around the Washington Highlands neighborhood of Southeast Washington, D.C. 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. This case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations Washington Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, and MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Will Hart and Andrea Duvall and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Javier Urbina and Jordan Leiter from the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 23cr419


title: Nevada Man Convicted Of $11.2 Million COVID-19 Fraud

component: USAO - Nevada

body_text: LAS VEGAS – A federal jury convicted a Nevada man Wednesday for defrauding three banks of more than $11.2 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds intended to help small businesses impacted by the pandemic. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Meelad Dezfooli, 30, of Henderson, engaged in a scheme to submit fraudulent loan applications under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a program that provided loans to help small businesses continue paying employee salaries and certain other basic business expenses during the pandemic. Dezfooli submitted three fraudulent PPP loan applications to federally insured banks, purportedly for the benefit of companies that the defendant controlled, and obtained more than $11.2 million in proceeds from those loans. The evidence at trial showed that Dezfooli falsely represented certain material information in his loan applications, including information about payroll, employees, and use of the loan proceeds. After fraudulently obtaining more than $11.2 million in PPP funds, Dezfooli laundered and/or spent the proceeds by, among other things: buying approximately 25 residences and two luxury cars, funding a personal investment account, and gambling extensively. After he was originally charged, Dezfooli continued laundering criminal proceeds by selling five of the residences that he acquired with the fraudulently obtained PPP funds. The jury convicted Dezfooli of three counts of bank fraud, three counts of money laundering, and four counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 5 and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on each of the bank fraud counts, 20 years in prison on each of the money laundering counts, and 10 years in prison on each of the counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada; Special Agent in Charge Carissa Messick of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Phoenix Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jon Ellwanger of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Office of Inspector General (FRB-CFPB OIG), Western Region; Special Agent in Charge Weston King of the Small Business Association Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Western Region; and Special Agent in Charge Ryan Korner of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), San Francisco Region made the announcement. The IRS-CI, FRB-OIG, FDIC-OIG, and SBA-OIG investigated the case. Trial Attorneys D. Zachary Adams and Taylor G. Stout of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel R. Schiess for the District of Nevada prosecuted the case. Legal Assistant Alexa Stiles and Paralegal Holly Butler of MLARS provided substantial assistance throughout the investigation and trial. MLARS’ Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers, and employees, whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Justice Department 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, visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . ###


title: Claremore Man Sentenced for Sexual Abuse of Incapable Victim

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge Stephen J. Murphy, III, sentenced Cody Paul Miller after being found guilty by a Federal jury in January. Miller, 47, was found guilty of Sexual Abuse of an Incapable Victim in Indian Country. Judge Murphy ordered Miller to 138 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release. Upon his release, Miller will also be required to register as a sex offender. In July 2023, the 18-year-old victim spent the night at Miller's house with two friends, both under 18. The victim and underage minors began consuming alcohol with the Miller. The victim testified that later into the night, she woke up to Miller sexually assaulting her. She repeatedly asked the defendant to stop, and he did not. After leaving Miller’s home, the victim went to a friend’s home to disclose what Miller did. After receiving encouragement from her friend, the victim contacted the police. When police questioned Miller, he told officers that the victim “got drunk really fast that night” and even “fell off the bed” because she was so drunk. Miller stated that the sexual acts were consensual and that he stopped when the victim asked him to stop. Miller is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The FBI and Collinsville Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Valeria G. Luster and Matthew P. Cyran prosecuted the case.


title: Former Rockland County Diving Coach Sentenced To 220 Months In Prison For Transporting Two Minors For Illegal Sexual Activity In 2006 And 2008

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that VICTOR BYRNE was sentenced to 220 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román for transporting two minors to engage in illegal sexual activity in 2006 and 2008. The sentencing today followed BYRNE’s guilty plea on March 14, 2024. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Victor Byrne used his position as a diving coach to sexually exploit young athletes. Byrne’s conduct is the nightmare of every parent who entrusts their child to a coach. Today’s sentencing demonstrates that the passage of years will not prevent us from holding child predators accountable for their conduct.” According to documents filed in this case and statements made in related court proceedings: In or about July 2006, BYRNE transported a 16-year-old minor (“Victim-1”) from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to Rockland County, New York, and, once in New York, engaged in illegal sexual activity with Victim-1. In or about February 2008, BYRNE arranged for a 16-year-old minor (“Victim-2”) to be transported from New Jersey to Rockland County, New York, and, thereafter, engaged in illegal sexual activity with Victim-2. From in or about 2001 through at least 2009, BYRNE was a diving coach for competitive youth divers. He coached several teams of youth divers in and around Rockland County, New York. BYRNE began abusing Victim-1 when she was 14 years old. For Victim-2, the abuse began when she was 16. To gain the trust of his victims and their families and others he coached, BYRNE falsely held himself out as a police officer. * * * In addition to the prison term, BYRNE, 58, was sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release. Mr. Williams praised the efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshal Service, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, and the New York City Police Department Special Victims Unit assigned to the HSI Human Trafficking Task Force in connection with this investigation. He added that the investigation is ongoing. The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia S. Cohen is in charge of the prosecution.


title: Indiana Man Sentenced for Sexually Exploiting Children

body_text: An Indiana man was sentenced today to 17 and a half years in prison for possessing and creating images of child sexual abuse. According to court documents, Timothy J. Carpenter, 36, of Portage, came to the attention of law enforcement around July 2022 after he used peer-to-peer software to knowingly receive and distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the internet through his cellular device. During the investigation, Indiana State Police (ISP) recovered Carpenter’s cellular phone, which contained hundreds of images and dozens of videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. During an interview with ISP investigators, Carpenter admitted that he used his phone to access CSAM. Further analysis of Carpenter’s phone revealed that Carpenter also created multiple videos depicting a prepubescent child fully nude in a shower. These videos show Carpenter concealing a camera in multiple locations near the shower to capture video of the child’s genitals and pubic region. In addition to the prison sentence, Carpenter will also be required to register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student and to pay restitution totaling $76,000 to his victims. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson for the Northern District of Indiana; and Special Agent in Charge Sean Fitzgerald of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Chicago Division made the announcement. HSI investigated this case with the assistance of the ISP, Lake County Sheriff’s Special Victims Unit, and Porter County Prosecutor’s Office. Trial Attorney Eduardo A. Palomo of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Morgan for the Northern District of Indiana prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Firearms straw purchaser convicted

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – A federal jury has returned a guilty verdict against a woman with ties to the Houston area on one count of conspiracy and seven counts of making false statements to licensed firearms dealers, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. The jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Karina Deluna, 37, guilty after a four-day trial. From approximately Sept. 29, 2018, through at least Aug. 11, 2022, Deluna conspired with others to knowingly make false written statements to licensed firearms dealers aka straw purchasing. Deluna and her co-conspirators conducted straw purchases of at least 13 firearms, including multiple AR-15 style rifles, 9 mm handguns and a .50-caliber rifle. Testimony revealed Deluna’s co-conspirators intended to export the illegally obtained firearms to Mexico. The jury also heard that on Aug. 11, 2022, law enforcement discovered that conspirators were picking up a straw purchased Barrett, .50-caliber rifle from a federal firearms licensee in Houston. Authorities quickly responded and seized the $9,000 firearm from Deluna and others. The investigation revealed it had been destined for Mexico. During trial, the jury also heard from experts regarding the regulations and various licensing requirements necessary for exporting firearms to Mexico. The jury also saw the straw purchased .50-caliber rifle. U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks presided over the trial and set sentencing for Nov. 19. At that time, Deluna faces up to 40 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Previously released on bond, Deluna was taken into custody following the guilty verdicts where she will remain pending sentencing. This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods ( PSN ) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation with the support of Homeland Security Investigations and the departments of Commerce and State. ATF Mexico provided substantial assistance in recovering some of the straw purchased weapons. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Smith and Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron Black are prosecuting the case.


title: Judge Hands Down Lengthy Sentences for Pair Who Killed Woman in Broad Daylight

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Robert Moses, 25, of Washington, D.C., and James Mayfield, 25, of Washington, D.C., were sentenced to decades in prison for the murder of Jamahri Sydnor and wounding of three others in a daytime shooting in August 2017 in Northeast D.C. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan sentenced Moses to 61 years in prison and five years of supervised release. Mayfield was sentenced to 50 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Moses and Mayfield were found guilty on December 8, 2022, by a Superior Court jury of one count of conspiracy, one count of first-degree murder while armed (premediated), two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed (one with aggravating circumstances), one count of aggravated assault while armed (with aggravating circumstances), one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, and four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Moses was also convicted of two counts of obstructing justice, and because he was on pre-trial release at the time of the offenses, faced additional penalties. Mayfield is charged in a separate multiple-count indictment, including two counts of murder, for a three-day crime spree that occurred December 24-27, 2017. Trial in that case is scheduled to begin January 2025. According to the government’s evidence, at around 3:30 p.m., on August 10, 2017, Moses and Mayfield, each armed with firearms, approached on foot the busy neighborhood intersection of Montana and Saratoga Avenues Northeast, where numerous people were outside, in and around area. Both defendants opened fire across Montana Avenue towards the people on Saratoga Avenue, collectively firing over ten rounds. As they fired their weapons indiscriminately, Jamahri Sydnor, the 17-year-old daughter of retired MPD Homicide Detective and Sgt. Que Wallace, who was driving through the intersection with her 12-year-old nephew, was struck in the head by a bullet. After being struck, she lost control of the car, and it crashed into another parked car. Her nephew was injured by the shattering glass caused by the bullet that struck Ms. Sydnor, which traveled through the front passenger window. A third victim was shot as he stood on the corner speaking with friends, and another innocent bystander shattered his leg, after throwing himself from his wheelchair, attempting to take cover from the hail of gunfire. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Supervisory Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark; former Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Victim/Witness Security Specialists Robert Cephas and Lesley Slade; former Victim/Witness Security Specialist Wanda M. Queen; Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Gilbert, Lashone Samuels, and Grazy Rivera; former Paralegal Specialist Alesha Matthews-Yette; Lead Paralegal Specialist Meridith McGarrity; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris; and Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Lenerz who provided Appellate support, former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah Sines and Glenn Kirschner, who investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Santiago and Kimberley Nielsen, who investigated, indicted, and prosecuted the case.


title: West Wareham Man Charged with Child Pornography Offenses

body_text: BOSTON – A West Wareham man was charged by complaint today in federal court on charges of receipt and possession of child pornography. Joshua Roe, age 37, was arrested today on a criminal complaint charging him with one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Roe will appear in federal court later today. According to the criminal complaint, on Sept. 6, 2024, during a search of Roe’s home, approximately 11 electronic devices belonging to Roe were recovered. While on site, law enforcement conducted a forensic examination of at least one device, which revealed images and videos depicting child pornography. The receipt charge provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison with a five-year mandatory minimum sentence, a $250,000 fine, and a maximum of life with a mandatory minimum of five years of supervised release. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations; and Walter Correia Wareham Chief of Police made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit. The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.