title: Four Men Sentenced to Life for June 2018 Slaying

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: Defendants Abducted Maryland Man and Held Him for Ransom WASHINGTON – Four Washington, D.C. men were sentenced today in U.S. District Court to life in prison for murder and other charges in the kidnapping of a Maryland man, whose body was found in June 2018 in an alley in Southeast Washington. The victim had been shot numerous times and his hands were still bound with zip-ties. Defendants Darin Moore, Jr. 29, of Bowie, Md., Gabriel Brown, 33, and John Sweeney, 29, both of Washington, D.C., were each sentenced to life in prison on the charge of kidnapping resulting in death, and 45 years in prison on counts of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, first degree premeditated murder and felony murder, all to run concurrent to each other. Defendant James Taylor, 33, also of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping resulting in death and 45 years in prison for felony murder, to run concurrently. All four were found guilty, on November 1, 2022, following a trial in U.S. District Court. The sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Robert J. Contee III, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). According to the government’s evidence, on June 19, 2018, the victim, Andre Simmons, Jr., 28, from Bowie, Maryland, was abducted at gunpoint in Maryland, bound with zip ties, and forced into a vehicle by Moore and Sweeney. During the following few hours, several ransom calls were made from Taylor’s phone to Mr. Simmons’ family, who delivered $7,000 in cash to a drop location as instructed by the kidnappers. The money was subsequently picked up by Brown. Just over an hour after the ransom payment, at about 6:25 a.m. on June 20, 2018, the defendants shot Mr. Simmons 19 times and left his zip-tied body in an alley off the 600 block of Atlantic Street SE. The four men then met up in Capitol Heights, Maryland, to divide up the proceeds of the ransom demand. Moore was arrested on June 20, 2018; Brown was arrested on June 27, 2018; Taylor was arrested on Aug. 17, 2018; and Sweeney was arrested on Jan. 14, 2019. All have been in custody since their arrests. This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office Violent Crimes Task Force and MPD’s Homicide Division. Valuable assistance was provided by Prince George’s County, Maryland, Police Department, and the U.S. Marshal Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Wasserman and Will Hart, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Crane and former Paralegal Specialist Genevieve De Guzman also assisted in the prosecution.


title: Jury Convicts Priest of Sex Trafficking Three Victims in Northern Ohio

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: A federal jury in Northern District of Ohio convicted Michael J. Zacharias, a priest, of five counts of sex trafficking. The charges related to three victims, two of whom Zacharias trafficked when they were minors and as adults. The evidence presented to the jury detailed how Zacharias paid the victims to engage in sex acts with him using the victims’ fear of serious harm to compel their compliance. Specifically, the jury heard evidence of how Zacharias first met the victims when they were young boys, and he was a Seminarian at St. Catherine’s Catholic Parish school in Toledo, Ohio, and how Zacharias began grooming the boys for commercial sex acts, using his position as a priest and teacher to ingratiate himself with the boys and their families as a trusted friend, mentor and spiritual counselor. The defendant overcame the victims’ resistance to his eventual commercial sex overtures by gradually sexualizing conversations and conduct with them. At the same time, the victims were developing serious opiate addictions, using pain medication and, later, heroin. Zacharias waited to propose commercial sex until he knew the victims were so heavily involved in drug abuse that it was impacting their daily lives, physical and mental well-being and ability to maintain a stable school or work life. The victims’ testimony explained how, in varying degrees, they submitted to Zacharias’ commercial sex solicitations because they feared the psychological harm of losing Zacharias as a father figure and friend, losing their connection to the Church and God, and suffering the painful symptoms of opioid withdrawal that could be alleviated with the money provided by Zacharias to purchase drugs. One victim in particular – the older brother of another victim – also explained how he feared Zacharias would sexually abuse his minor brother and others if he did not continue to comply with the defendant’s commercial sex solicitations. “This defendant betrayed the victims in the most inhumane way,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “He robbed them of their childhood, their dignity and their faith. He inflicted cruel psychological harm, preying on their fears and forcing them to choose between submitting to commercial sex acts, or incurring the pain of losing a father figure or counselor, suffering withdrawal sickness, and risking sexual abuse of a loved one. The Justice Department will vigorously prosecute human trafficking crimes to hold offenders like Michael Zacharias accountable and bring justice to their victims.” “This verdict sends a clear message to those who prey upon children by using positions of trust to further their crimes,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler for the Northern District of Ohio. “Our office will continue to protect our children by aggressively prosecuting child predators who engage in sex trafficking.” “The defendant not only abused his victims, but also betrayed the trust placed in him by the congregation and those who dutifully serve parishes across the country,” said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Nelsen of the FBI Cleveland Field Office. “The FBI is committed to finding and investigating child predators, so no other people become victim to deceitful and abhorrent behavior.” Sentencing has not yet been scheduled. Zacharias faces a fifteen-year mandatory minimum and lifetime maximum sentence. Restitution in this case is mandatory under the law. Assistant Attorney General Clarke and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Baeppler made the announcement. The Lima and Toledo Resident Agencies of the FBI Cleveland Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Tangeman for the Northern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Lindsey Roberson of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.


title: Cedar Rapids Man Charged with Being a Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: Ethan Porter, age 33, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been charged with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. The charge is contained in an Indictment unsealed on March 13, 2023, in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids. The Indictment alleges that, in June 2022, Porter possessed a Taurus pistol while being an unlawful drug user and after having been convicted of three felonies and a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. If convicted, Porter faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years on supervised release following any imprisonment. Porter appeared for a detention hearing today in federal court in Cedar Rapids and was held without bond. Porter’s next appearance for trial is set for July 10, 2023. As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is 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. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and is being investigated by the High Risk Unit of the Sixth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is CR 23-6. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Kalamazoo Man Convicted At Trial Of Federal Drug And Gun Crimes

component: USAO - Michigan, Western

body_text: Case Represented the Largest Seizure of Fentanyl in the Kalamazoo Area GRAND RAPIDS – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that after a three-day trial, a jury convicted Tyrone Henderson (50) of Kalamazoo, Michigan, of the crimes of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine and for being a felon in possession of firearms. Henderson was originally arrested upon a criminal complaint on November 15, 2022, and was subsequently indicted by the Grand Jury on December 6, 2022. “Fentanyl and other illicit street drugs pose an extreme danger to our loved ones,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “We are in a fight to save lives, and my office, in coordination with our local and federal partners, is committed to disrupting the distribution of fentanyl, illegal drugs, and guns into our communities.” Henderson faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in federal prison, although his advisory range under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines will be much higher. According to the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team, at the time of the seizure, this represented the largest seizure of fentanyl in the Kalamazoo area. Henderson will be sentenced sometime later this year. The Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team (KVET), a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force, had an ongoing investigation of Henderson for his involvement with fentanyl and methamphetamine distribution in Kalamazoo. KVET obtained a warrant to search Henderson’s residence and executed it on November 10, 2022. A search of the residence yielded 2.3 kilograms of pure fentanyl, 1.3 kilograms of a heroin and fentanyl mixture, 516 grams of heroin, and 489 grams of methamphetamine. Much of the methamphetamine seized from Henderson’s residence was in pill form, disguised to look like the party drug ecstasy. Henderson’s residence also contained four assault rifles; ten magazines, nine of which were loaded and fit the assault rifles; ammunition; a handgun; digital scales; presses; and other implements used for processing narcotics. Two of the seized firearms were reported stolen to the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. Henderson has multiple prior felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing firearms. The investigation of Henderson was handled by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joel S. Fauson and Austin J. Hakes prosecuted the case. # # #


body_text: TOLEDO - A federal jury in Northern District of Ohio convicted Michael J. Zacharias, a priest, of five counts of sex trafficking. The charges related to three victims, two of whom Zacharias trafficked when they were minors and as adults. The evidence presented to the jury detailed how Zacharias paid the victims to engage in sex acts with him using the victims’ fear of serious harm to compel their compliance. Specifically, the jury heard evidence of how Zacharias first met the victims when they were young boys, and he was a Seminarian at St. Catherine’s Catholic Parish school in Toledo, Ohio, and how Zacharias began grooming the boys for commercial sex acts, using his position as a priest and teacher to ingratiate himself with the boys and their families as a trusted friend, mentor and spiritual counselor. The defendant overcame the victims’ resistance to his eventual commercial sex overtures by gradually sexualizing conversations and conduct with them. At the same time, the victims were developing serious opiate addictions, using pain medication and, later, heroin. Zacharias waited to propose commercial sex until he knew the victims were so heavily involved in drug abuse that it was impacting their daily lives, physical and mental well-being and ability to maintain a stable school or work life. The victims’ testimony explained how, in varying degrees, they submitted to Zacharias’ commercial sex solicitations because they feared the psychological harm of losing Zacharias as a father figure and friend, losing their connection to the Church and God, and suffering the painful symptoms of opioid withdrawal that could be alleviated with the money provided by Zacharias to purchase drugs. One victim in particular – the older brother of another victim – also explained how he feared Zacharias would sexually abuse his minor brother and others if he did not continue to comply with the defendant’s commercial sex solicitations. “This defendant betrayed the victims in the most inhumane way,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “He robbed them of their childhood, their dignity and their faith. He inflicted cruel psychological harm, preying on their fears and forcing them to choose between submitting to commercial sex acts, or incurring the pain of losing a father figure or counselor, suffering withdrawal sickness, and risking sexual abuse of a loved one. The Justice Department will vigorously prosecute human trafficking crimes to hold offenders like Michael Zacharias accountable and bring justice to their victims.” “This verdict sends a clear message to those who prey upon children by using positions of trust to further their crimes,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler for the Northern District of Ohio. “Our office will continue to protect our children by aggressively prosecuting child predators who engage in sex trafficking.” “The defendant not only abused his victims, but also betrayed the trust placed in him by the congregation and those who dutifully serve parishes across the country,” said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Nelsen of the FBI Cleveland Field Office. “The FBI is committed to finding and investigating child predators, so no other people become victim to deceitful and abhorrent behavior.” Sentencing has not yet been scheduled. Zacharias faces a fifteen-year mandatory minimum and lifetime maximum sentence. Restitution in this case is mandatory under the law. Assistant Attorney General Clarke and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Baeppler made the announcement. The Lima and Toledo Resident Agencies of the FBI Cleveland Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Tangeman for the Northern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Lindsey Roberson of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.


title: Two Gang Members Sentenced for Sexual Assault and Firearms Charges

body_text: United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that two No Name Demon gang members were sentenced on May 11, 2023 for their roles in the video recorded gang rapes of two minor females in Lincoln, Nebraska. One victim was 16 years old at the time of the assault and the other was 14 years old. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Isaiah Dorsey, 21, of Lincoln to 240 months, or 20 years, in federal prison for conspiracy to produce child pornography. Krysean Reynolds, 21, of Lincoln, Nebraska was sentenced to 200 months in federal prison for producing child pornography. Investigation revealed that the gang members were tricking young women into Reynolds’s home and then forcing them to participate in painful sexual acts with multiple gang members at the same time, and one victim had a cut glass bottle forced inside her body against her will. Reynolds and Dorsey recorded the rapes and shared them in the No Name Demon’s group Snapchat. Each of the defendants also pleaded guilty to participating in a firearms conspiracy in furtherance of drug trafficking with other gang members and received concurrent sentences for those offenses of 70 months in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system. In addition, at the end of their respective terms of federal imprisonment, each of the defendants will be placed on a term of supervised release for 10 years. Judge Gerrard described the video recorded rapes of the two underage teenage girls as “unspeakable sexual assaults,” and “horrendous” crimes. Judge Gerrard went on to state that young men who are willing to join gangs, tote guns, and promote violence on social media need to be prepared to do serious time. The Court promised to protect the public from these senseless violent acts. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ 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 . This case was primarily investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lincoln Police Department.


title: Omaha Man Sentenced for Receiving Child Pornography

component: USAO - Nebraska

body_text: United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Antonio Olvera, 21, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for receipt of child pornography. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Olvera to 96 months of imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Olvera will begin a 10-year term of supervised release. Between December 8, 2018, and August 22, 2019, Olvera uploaded 184 images of child pornography to DropBox. Between June 16, 2020, and August 10, 2020, Olvera uploaded another 14 files containing child pornography. Upon Olvera’s request, between June 22, 2021, and September 22, 2021, a minor sent Olvera via Snapchat images and videos of child pornography depicting the minor. Olvera engaged in “catfishing” and posed as different individuals online when requesting that the minor send the images and videos. On September 22, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Olvera’s Omaha residence. Agents obtained Olvera’s digital devices and located approximately 417 files containing child pornography. Agents located the child pornography that Olvera had received from the minor. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ 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 . This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.


title: Bronx, New York Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft

body_text: United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Felix Pena, 34, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced today in Omaha, Nebraska, by Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Pena was sentenced to 60 months in prison and will also serve 3 years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Additionally, Pena was ordered to pay $404,069 in restitution. This case began in 2017 when Pena, along with others, conspired and agreed together to devise a scheme to defraud Verizon Wireless. Members of the conspiracy did so by acquiring stolen identities of real United States citizens including at least three individuals from Nebraska. The conspiracy members would use the victims’ information to create Verizon accounts. Once accounts were created, they would purchase cellphones and accessories that would be billed to the accounts, causing financial loss to Verizon and potential credit damage to the individual whose identity was used. Once purchased, the phones would be shipped back to New York or New Jersey where they would be sold on the black market. In February of 2019, two of the conspirators were arrested after attempting to purchase cellphones using the stolen identity of a Nebraska resident in Kearney, Nebraska thus beginning the investigation of this matter. Pena’s main role in the conspiracy was to run credit reports for the stolen identities so they could determine the credit worthiness of the victim whose identity was being used to open a Verizon account. Pena would also distribute money to the other members of the conspiracy for their roles in the conspiracy. Pursuant to the scheme, Verizon Wireless suffered a loss of $528,002.33. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Kearney Police Department.


title: Illinois Man Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Escape from Federal Custody

body_text: United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Martese Rayshawn Roland, 30, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for Escape from Custody. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Roland to one year in prison. He was also ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release as there is no parole in the federal system. On July 18, 2016, Roland was convicted in the District of Nebraska for Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin and Marijuana, and Use of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime. Roland received a 96-month sentence that he served at the Federal Bureau of Prisons. On August 17, 2022, Roland was transferred to the Residential Re-Entry Center in Omaha (RRC DISMAS) to finish his sentence that was set to expire on January 14, 2023. On September 16, 2022, Roland left RRC DISMAS without permission. He was located in Omaha by deputies with the United States Marshals Service on October 31, 2022, and was arrested at that time for escape. This case was the result of an investigation by the United States Marshals Service.


title: Columbus Man Convicted of Mail Fraud and Making False Statements

body_text: United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Jerald Schreiber, 66, of Columbus, Nebraska, was found guilty today following a four-day jury trial in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for mail fraud and two counts of making false statements to a government entity. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. scheduled Schreiber’s sentencing for August 4, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. The case arose out of fraudulent applications Schreiber made to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of the Farm Service Agency’s 2018 market facilitation program. The evidence at trial showed that Schreiber falsified on two applications the number of hogs he had at his farms. On an application for one of his farms, he stated that he had 9,079 hogs. This application resulted in the USDA mailing Schreiber approximately $72,631. On an application for a different farm, he stated he had 8,194 hogs. This resulted in the USDA mailing Schreiber approximately $65,682. Both of these farms had substantially fewer hogs than Schreiber claimed. By inflating the number of hogs, Schreiber received more money than he was entitled. Once he received the inflated payments, he deposited them into checking accounts. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.


title: Wilmington Man Federally Indicted for Possessing Over a Kilogram of Cocaine

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: WILMINGTON, Del. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging a Wilmington man with possession of over a kilogram of cocaine with intent to distribute it. According to the indictment and statements made in open court, Aaron Cephas, a/k/a “Ace,” age 41, was the subject of a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation. On April 10, 2023, surveillance officers saw Cephas moving bags into and out of a house in Newark, Delaware, and thereafter getting into a Jeep and driving to the 800 block of West 5 th Street in Wilmington. Law enforcement officers stopped the Jeep there, finding Alprazolam pills and $1,000 on Cephas’ person and over 80 grams of cocaine in the Jeep. Agents subsequently searched the house in Newark where Cephas had been seen and found approximately 1 kilogram of cocaine, $27,000, and a loaded handgun magazine. Cephas is charged with two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, and Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge for the Philadelphia Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, made the announcement. The Wilmington Department of Police assisted with the investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer K. Welsh is prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 23-43. An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.


title: Savage Life Boys Gang Member Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug and Firearm Charges

component: USAO - Iowa, Southern

body_text: DAVENPORT, IA – A Davenport man was sentenced on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, to 130 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to court documents, law enforcement officers arrested Darion Lemont Thomas, 22, at a local hospital in September 2021 on outstanding state arrest warrants. At the time of his arrest, Thomas, a Savage Life Boys gang member, possessed a loaded, stolen firearm in his waistband and 66 ecstasy pills and marijuana in a backpack. Thomas knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his status as a felon. Thomas’s cell phone and social media records revealed evidence of drug trafficking, including Thomas’s use of a minor to distribute drugs. The cell phone and social media records also uncovered photos and videos of Thomas illegally possessing firearms. Following his prison term, Thomas must also serve four years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Davenport and Bettendorf Police Departments investigated the case.


title: Former Austin ISD Teacher Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Illicit Sexual Conduct in Colombia

component: USAO - Texas, Western

body_text: AUSTIN, Texas – An Austin man was sentenced in a federal court in Austin Wednesday to 84 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places. According to court documents, Michael Wayne Roberts, 41, was living in Medellin, Colombia when he paid money for sex with three Colombian girls between the ages of 13 and 15 on multiple occasions between December 2020 and June 2021. Roberts was arrested on Sept. 15, 2022 and has remained in federal custody. He pleaded guilty in February to all three counts in his indictment. In addition to the prison sentence and supervised release, the U.S. district judge ordered Roberts to pay $147,844.51 in restitution to the victims. Roberts must also register as a sex offender. “This sentencing reflects that those who engage in sexual conduct with minors, regardless of where it occurs, will be held accountable for their heinous, predatory crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas. “I am grateful for the diligent work of the Colombian National Police and our federal partners at Homeland Security Investigations, leading to the arrest and prosecution of this individual. Their commitment to justice has made our communities safer and protected our most vulnerable population—our children.” “Protecting the children in our communities remains a top priority for Homeland Security Investigations,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Alejandro M. Amaro for HSI San Antonio. “This sentence is a testament that HSI remains committed to identifying individuals who prey on our most vulnerable population, especially those individuals that hold positions of public trust.” HSI and the Colombian National Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Henneke prosecuted the case. ###


title: EDVA Seizes Thirteen Domains Used by Lebanese Hizballah and Its Affiliates

component: National Security Division (NSD)

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced today the seizure of 13 domains used by Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs), Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), and their members associated with Lebanese Hizballah. According to court records, the United States obtained court authorization to seize five domains registered to the Public Interest Registry (PIR) – moqawama.org, almanarnews.org, manarnews.org, almanar-tv.org, and alshahid.org – and eight domains registered to Verisign, Inc. – manartv.net, manarnews.net, almanar-tv.com, almanar-tv.net, alidaamouch.com, Ibrahim-alsayed.net, alemdad.net, and naimkassem.net. “EDVA is at the forefront of ensuring that American internet infrastructure is unavailable for use by international terrorist organizations, their members and affiliates,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The domains seized through this operation are controlled by individuals and entities engaged in planning or perpetrating acts of terrorism against Americans and thus are not lawfully permitted to use American infrastructure. Operations like this disrupt terrorist activity by blocking one avenue these groups and individuals use to gather support and influence.” “Today’s web domain seizures deny terrorist organizations and affiliates significant sources of support and makes clear we will not allow these groups to use U.S. infrastructure to threaten the American people,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will continue to enforce economic sanctions as part of our commitment to deploy all available tools against threats from hostile nation-states and terrorist actors alike.” Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), SDNs and SDGTs, such as Lebanese Hizballah, Al Manar TV, Ali Damush, Ibrahim al-Sayyid, Islamic Charitable Emdad Committee, Martyrs’ Foundation in Lebanon, Naim Qasim, and their members may not obtain services, including website and domain services, in the United States without a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). No such license was obtained for the 13 seized domains. Additionally, these 13 domains are subject to seizure as assets of entities and organizations engaged in planning or perpetrating acts of terrorism against the United States, its citizens and residents, and their property. These domains also afford a source of influence over those entities and organizations. The seizure of these domains will cut off that source of support and influence. “Today’s seizure reduces Hizballah’s ability to peddle their dangerous violent ideology across the globe,” said Matthew S. Axelrod, Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the Department of Commerce. “This coordinated enforcement action demonstrates that the U.S. Government will proactively use all available enforcement tools to thwart those who seek to perpetrate acts of terror.” “These court-authorized domain seizures reflect the FBI’s continued dedication to the fight against terrorism," said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Along with our federal and international partners, the FBI remains focused on proactively disrupting web domains controlled by Specially Designated Nationals – those who attempt to illegally utilize US infrastructure to incite deadly violence against the United States and our Allies to further the objectives of foreign terrorist organizations.” Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Field Office; and Matthew S. Axelrod, Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the Department of Commerce, announced the seizure of the domain names. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Peters and Laura D. Withers for the Eastern District of Virginia in these matters. The Department of Justice’s National Security Division provided assistance on this case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.


title: Four Men Sentenced for Engaging in a Child Exploitation Enterprise

component: Criminal - Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Bayonet Point, Florida, man was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise. According to court documents, Kyle William Leishear, 43, was a prominent member of the “Rapey.su” website, which was dedicated to, among other things, child sexual exploitation. After becoming a member of the website, Leishear enticed multiple minor victims, including one as young as 12-years-old, to produce and share sexually explicit images. Additionally, Leishear attempted to distribute child sexual abuse material on the Rapey website. “I am grateful for the hard work of our agents and prosecutors to seek justice in this horrific case. These defendants caused immeasurable trauma on their victims, amplified by the groups online sharing of their abuse,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This case shows that internet anonymity will not protect offenders from facing full accountability for their illegal online conduct.” “We cannot and will not tolerate websites like Rapey.su that invite and encourage members to congregate, discuss, and engage in the sexual exploitation of children and young women, to memorialize this exploitation, and to distribute illegal sexually explicit images of the victims,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to rooting out these websites and bringing to justice those who join them for the purpose of perpetuating the victimization of some of the most vulnerable members of society.” “The actions of the four individuals in this case were nothing short of reprehensible,” said Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. “They shamefully targeted the most vulnerable members of our community for their own perverse desires. HSI Washington, D.C. remains committed to protecting children from abuse and holding accountable those individuals who would victimize minors. HSI remains vigilant in watching for indicators of child exploitation throughout our communities.” Leishear’s co-defendants were sentenced for their roles in the enterprise on April 25, 2023. Co-defendant Christopher William Kuehner, 38, of Bremerton, Washington, received a sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. Co-defendants Jacob Royce Mullins, 20, of South Webster, Ohio, and Matthew Martin, 25, of Lancaster, Wisconsin, received sentences of 84 months and 80 months of imprisonment, respectively. In a related case last year, a federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia convicted Ashley Kolhoff, 22, of Port Clinton, Ohio, of production of child pornography for her participation on the Rapey.su website. She was subsequently sentenced to 15 years in prison. Other users around the country have been prosecuted successfully in state and federal court for their conduct committed on the website. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Schlessinger and Trial Attorney Whitney Kramer of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . In 2021, EDVA launched “UnMasked,” a community-based educational outreach and prevention program in Virginia dedicated to raising awareness and educating the community about the prevalence of online sexual exploitation involving children and young adults. UnMasked is a multi-disciplinary partnership of local, state, federal, and non-profit stakeholders. The core curriculum is provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) NetSmartz program. To report an incident involving online sexual exploitation, call 1-800-843-5678 or submit a report at report.cybertip.org . To request an UnMasked event at your school or organization, please contact EDVA’s Community Outreach Coordinator at USAVAE-UnMasked@usdoj.gov . A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:22-cr-120.


title: Dallas Woman Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Non-U.S. Citizens Resulting in Migrant’s Death

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

body_text: EL PASO, Texas – A Dallas woman pleaded guilty in a federal court in El Paso Wednesday to charges in connection to her role as a stash house operator and coordinator of a human smuggling organization operating in far west Texas. According to court documents, Elizabeth Miranda Lozano, 39, joined and actively participated in an ongoing conspiracy to bring in, transport, and harbor undocumented immigrants into the U.S. from Mexico through Hudspeth County from on or about November 2019 through on or about August 2021. Lozano began working for the human smuggling organization as a transport driver, picking up noncitizens near Sierra Blanca and delivering them to stash houses in the Dallas area, as well as in the Phoenix, Arizona area. In 2020, she had graduated to running stash houses in the Dallas area for the organization. In May 2020, a co-conspirator of Lozano’s guided a group of undocumented individuals on a two-to-three-day trek to a pickup location east of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Sierra Blanca Checkpoint. Another co-conspirator, who Lozano had trained, was assigned as the pickup driver, but before the group reach the pickup location, one of the undocumented individuals began to struggle and subsequently died. The group abandoned the deceased migrant along with his son, who was eventually found by USBP agents. Lozano pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bring in aliens resulting in death and faces a maximum sentence up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas made the announcement. Homeland Security Investigations; USBP; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; U.S. Marshals Service; FBI; The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Drug Enforcement Administration are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia Acosta and Jose Luis Acosta are prosecuting the case. This case was supported by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). JTFA was created by the Attorney General in June 2021 in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to strengthen the Department’s overall efforts to combat these crimes based on the rise in prolific and dangerous smuggling from and through Central America and impacting our border communities. JTFA’s goal is to disrupt and dismantle those human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, with a focus on networks that endanger, abuse or exploit migrants, present national security risks, or engage in other types of transnational organized crime. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas helps lead JTFA, which is comprised of detailees from southwest border U.S. Attorney’s Offices, including the Southern District of Texas, the Western District of Texas, the District of New Mexico, the District of Arizona, and the Southern District of California, and dedicated support for the program is also provided by numerous components of the Criminal Division that are part of JTFA – led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP), and supported by the Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training (OPDAT), the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS), the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), the Office of Enforcement Operations (OEO), the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA), and the Organized Crime and Gang Section (OCGS). JTFA is made possible by substantial law enforcement commitment from DHS, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and other partners. ###


title: Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 9 ½ Years for York Bank Robbery

component: USAO - Maine

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: A Massachusetts man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Portland for robbing a Bangor Savings branch in York. U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock sentenced Brandon Simmons , 35, to 115 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $7,162 in restitution to Bangor Savings Bank. Simmons pleaded guilty on September 27, 2022. According to court records, on November 1, 2021, Simmons entered a Bangor Savings Bank in York, telling a teller that he had a bomb and demanding money. Simmons then grabbed cash from the teller’s drawer, left the bank and fled in a white work van. Simmons was quickly identified as a suspect through the combined efforts of the FBI, York Police Department and law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts. Simmons was also identified as the suspect in the October 30, 2021, robbery of a CVS Pharmacy in Newburyport, Massachusetts. From November 1-3, 2021, Simmons led police on a series of high-speed chases in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In his attempts to avoid apprehension, he assaulted a police officer, attempted to carjack a civilian bystander, stole multiple vehicles and crashed his van into a truck driven by a bystander. Simmons was apprehended by Massachusetts State Police on November 3, 2021 at a hotel in Peabody, Massachusetts. On May 10, 2023, Simmons pleaded guilty to Commonwealth of Massachusetts charges in connection with the robbery in Newburyport, as well as multiple charges related to his conduct while fleeing from police.


title: Former West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office Employee Charged with Theft of Over $150,000 in Official Funds

component: USAO - Louisiana, Middle

body_text: United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr., announced that a Bill of Information was filed charging Mandy Nicole Miller, age 44, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with Federal Program Theft. According to the Bill of Information, from July 2018 to September 2022, while employed at the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, Miller stole cash paid for traffic tickets and hid the thefts by recording fraudulent journal entries in the Sheriff’s Office accounting system. In all, it is alleged that Miller embezzled, stole, and otherwise without authority, knowingly converted to her own use more than $150,000 in official funds. This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Louisiana Legislative Auditor, Investigative Audit Services, with assistance from the West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lyman E. Thornton III. NOTE: A Bill of Information is an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless adjudicated guilty.


title: Texas Man Who Sexually Abused a Minor and Attempted to Influence the Victim’s Testimony at Trial Pleads Guilty in Federal Court

body_text: A Brownsville, Texas man who coerced a minor to engage in live stream sessions featuring sexually explicit conduct, and retained digital images from the sessions, pled guilty on May 10, 2023, in federal court in Sioux City. Isaac Herrera, age 22, from Brownsville, Texas was convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor. In a plea agreement, and at the plea hearing, Herrera admitted that he sexually abused a minor child who was between the ages of 12 and 16 at the time, and possessed child pornography depictions of the victim and other minors on his phone. Herrera further admitted to contacting the victim in order to influence his testimony at trial, while Herrera was in jail pending trial in this case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.” Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Herrera remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Herrera faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 5 years up to life of supervised release following any imprisonment. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Sioux City Police Department. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 22-4060. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Cambria County Woman Charged With Conspiracy To Commit Health Care Fraud

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Florentina Mayko, age 39, of Cambria County, Pennsylvania, was charged by criminal information with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud for defrauding Medicare and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services between 2017 and 2019. According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the information alleges that Mayko agreed with others to defraud Medicare by submitting medically unnecessary urine drug tests for chronic opioid patients at medical clinics where she was the chief executive officer, including a group of clinics known as Pain Medicine of York or “PMY” (also known as All Better Wellness). Mayko became the CEO of Pain Medicine of York around January 2018. Prior to that, Mayko served as Director of Operations of a group of medical practices known in the information as “Practice Group 1.” Mayko was hired to work at Practice Group 1 by an individual known in the information as Physician 1. The owner of PMY, known as “PMY Owner” in the information, was friends with Physician 1. Physician 1 was imprisoned for health care fraud and federal tax offenses in mid-2017, at which point the operation of Practice Group 1 was transitioned to PMY. When Mayko was promoted to the position of CEO of PMY, her responsibilities did not materially change. From the time of her promotion onward, Mayko was in charge of the day-to-day management of PMY’s operations. PMY had a practice, established in 2016 by Physician 1 and PMY Owner, of ordering multiple urine drug tests for each patient at every PMY office visit, despite a lack of medical necessity. The information alleges that, from mid-2017 onward, Mayko and PMY Owner were repeatedly confronted with information regarding the unlawful nature of the company’s UDT billing practices but continued to utilize the practice until search warrants were executed at PMY’s various locations in November 2019. PMY ceased operations soon thereafter. It is alleged that PMY billed Medicare for more than $10 million in urine drug tests from mid-2017 through the end of 2019, and Medicare paid out over $4 million for these urine drug tests. The urine drug tests ordered by PMY were sent to an in-house laboratory at PMY whenever possible. As a result, when medically unnecessary tests were billed to Medicare, the proceeds from them went to PMY itself, according to the information. The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Smultkis are prosecuting the case. The information also contains forfeiture allegations seeking properties located in Ocean City, Maryland and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The maximum penalty under federal law for conspiracy to commit health care fraud is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court. # # #


title: Local Attorney Sentenced To 27 Months’ Imprisonment For Pandemic Relief Fraud, Mail Fraud And Tax Evasion

body_text: SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on May 9, 2023, Jonathan Olivetti, age 43, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for wire fraud in connection with a scheme to obtain COVID-19 pandemic relief money he was not entitled to receive, mail fraud and tax evasion. According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, between June 18, 2020 and February 2021, Olivetti, a licensed attorney, applied for two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and two Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) on behalf of Olivetti Law, LLC. Both loan programs were authorized or expanded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act -- a federal law enacted in March 2020 that provided emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans suffering financial difficulties from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. With respect to the PPP loans, Olivetti allegedly made materially false representations by inflating the payroll of Olivetti Law, LLC in the on-line applications and received $41,600 based upon those false representations. In addition, Olivetti made application for two Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDL”) which were to provide low-interest financing (including forgivable $10,000 advances) to small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruption resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Olivetti’s EIDL loan applications each sought approximately $62,500 on behalf of Olivetti Law, LLC. The applications contained inflated gross receipts of Olivetti Law and ultimately were not approved by the SBA. Olivetti also stole approximately $91,991.28 from an estate that he represented. Additionally, between November 9, 2015, and July 15, 2020, Olivetti attempted to evade paying his taxes by hiding funds and providing false information to an Internal Revenue Officer. Judge Wilson also ordered Olivetti to pay restitution in the amount of $21,800 to SBA, $20,800 to MBE Capital, $91,991.28 for the mail fraud offense, and the loss for the tax evasion offense of $133,269.81. Olivetti was ordered to report to the Bureau of Prisons on June 9, 2023. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts is prosecuting the case. ###


title: Drug Dealer Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for One Fatal, Two Nonfatal Drug Overdoses in St. Charles

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a man who provided the drugs that caused one fatal and two nonfatal overdoses in St. Charles, Missouri to 35 years in prison. Ledra A. Craig, 46, of Wright City, was also ordered to pay $8,544 for his victim’s funeral. Craig first supplied fentanyl to a man in the bathroom of the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles just before 7 a.m. on August 2, 2020, according to court statements and evidence at Craig’s trial in January. The man collapsed minutes later in the lobby and had to be revived with two doses of Narcan. While that victim was on the brink of death, Craig sold fentanyl to another man, identified in court documents as “R.P.,” in the parking garage. Craig had approached that man and his friend in the casino earlier and offered to sell them cocaine. About 40 minutes later, R.P. and his friend were spotted in a car in a neighborhood a few blocks from R.P.’s house. Authorities were called when the car rolled forward onto someone’s lawn. Both men had overdosed. N.B. was revived with Narcan. R.P. was blue, had no pulse and was not breathing. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman pointed out during Wednesday’s hearing that the victim "did not know what the defendant was selling him. In fact, the defendant knew that the victim thought he was getting cocaine when the defendant knew and understood that R.P. was about to ingest one of the most lethal substances known to man: fentanyl. Despite knowing just how dangerous and deadly fentanyl was, the defendant continued to sell it anyway.” Investigators quickly identified Craig as the man seen in the casino with the overdose victims, and an undercover officer bought fentanyl from Craig later that day in a transaction that was recorded on video. After his arrest, Craig admitted selling fentanyl to R.P. and conspiring to sell fentanyl that summer. R.P.’s phone was found in Craig’s house, as well as fentanyl capsules and residue. Craig was found guilty by a federal jury in January of a fentanyl conspiracy charge, two counts of distribution of fentanyl causing serious bodily injury for the non-fatal overdoses, one count of distribution of fentanyl with death resulting and one count of fentanyl distribution for the sale to an undercover police officer. "Because fentanyl is so lethal, DEA investigations involving drug poisoning deaths are no longer rare events," said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, supervisor of DEA operations in Eastern Missouri. "We know drug traffickers lie about their illegal products. They don't care about human lives and are only involved in their criminal enterprise for the money. The only safe solution to avoid dying from fentanyl is to avoid drugs, especially if there’s a chance it came from someone like this defendant." “We are pleased with the outcome but saddened by the loss of life,” said Captain Jeff Lange, deputy commander of the St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force. “We hope this verdict sends a message to the drug dealers that they will not get away with the taking of lives and we hope the families can find peace with the tragic loss of their loved one. We are proud we were able to play a role in holding Mr. Craig accountable for his actions in the dealing of drugs in our community. “ The case was investigated by the St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek Wiseman and Samantha Reitz prosecuted the case.


title: Springfield, Illinois, Man Sentenced to 96 months in Prison for Distributing Methamphetamine

component: Department of Justice

body_text: SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Illinois, man, Christopher Rudolph, 35, was sentenced on May 8, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Colleen R. Lawless to 96 months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for distributing 5 grams or more of actual methamphetamine. The statutory penalties for distributing 5 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) are not less than 5 years and up to 40 years in prison, not more than a $5,000,000 fine, and not less than four years of supervised release. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, and Illinois State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution. The case against Rudolph 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: Passenger who discharged firearm at airport during Thanksgiving holiday travel season sentenced to federal prison

component: USAO - Georgia, Northern

body_text: ATLANTA - Kenny Wells has been sentenced to ten years in prison for possessing a firearm after having been previously convicted of multiple felony offenses. Wells made headlines when he recklessly discharged a firearm at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport on the busy weekend before Thanksgiving in 2021. Wells created enormous panic throughout the airport and forced a lockdown of the airport and surrounding area for over two hours after he discharged a firearm detected inside a bag he had carried into an airport security screening area. “Wells is a multi-convicted felon who should not have been in possession of a firearm,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “His behavior, particularly occurring at the world’s busiest airport, was especially dangerous. Fortunately, no one was injured when Wells discharged his firearm. He has now been held accountable for the consequences of his conduct.” “Kenny Wells is a very violent individual who displays a total lack of concern for the lives of others. This sentence represents the seriousness of his crime,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones. “This sentence also ensures that Wells will not be able to hurt or terrorize anyone else for a very long time.” “The Atlanta Police Department (APD) is committed to the safety of travelers and employees at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The egregious actions of Kenny Wells, a convicted felon, are disturbing. He endangered the lives of multiple innocent travelers and airport personnel,” said Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum. “The conviction of Kenny Wells proves the effectiveness of our law enforcement partnerships, the dedication of the members of the various agencies that protect the world’s busiest airport, and our commitment to bringing criminals and repeat offenders to justice.” According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: On November 20, 2021, Wells traveled to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport for a flight to New Orleans, Louisiana. This was the Saturday before Thanksgiving, so the airport was filled with passengers and traffic in the area was particularly high. At approximately 1:30 p.m., Wells joined a security line to be screened by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers. A TSA officer noticed something unusual inside a bag that Wells carried as the item went through an X-ray portal. The officer then moved the bag to a separate area for a closer inspection as Wells stood watching nearby. As the officer lifted a top layer of clothing inside the bag, Wells lunged forward and reached for a firearm concealed in the bag. Wells discharged the firearm as he grabbed the weapon and fled the area. People immediately panicked, with those nearby falling to the floor to protect themselves. Law enforcement officers responded by issuing an alert of a possible active shooter at the airport. Passengers in the domestic terminal area stampeded out of the airport, while passengers beyond the check-in kiosks were rushed to the concourse tunnels for protection. The airport and surrounding area were placed in lockdown for more than two hours. This public safety precaution prevented passengers from boarding flights and pilots from allowing passengers to deplane from aircraft parked on the runways. During the confusion, Wells escaped from the airport by blending in with the fleeing crowds. Surveillance cameras captured him at a nearby parking garage where he was seen discarding an object in a large metal trash can. Law enforcement officers later retrieved a firearm from the same trash can. Because Wells left his boarding pass at the TSA checkpoint, law enforcement was able to identify him as the person who discharged the firearm, discarded the firearm in the parking garage trashcan, and caused widespread panic in the airport. Kenny Wells, 44, of Atlanta, Georgia, has been sentenced to ten years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. On January 4, 2023, Wells was convicted of the charge of possessing a firearm while being a convicted felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1), after entering a guilty plea. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Atlanta Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul R. Jones prosecuted the case. For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga .


title: South Florida Resident Pleads Guilty to Threatening Election Workers

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – Yesterday, Joshua David Lubitz, 38, of Sunrise, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal district court to threatening election workers during a federal primary election held in August 2022. According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 17, 2022, Lubitz entered a polling station located within the Sunrise Senior Center. While inside, Lubitz was heard counting election workers and saying, “should I kill them one by one or should I blow the place up.” He was also heard saying, “my dad would love this. It would be easy” and “this would be nice and sweet.” Lubitz left the center, walked to the parking lot, and entered his car. As he drove past the polling site entrance, Lubitz extended his arm toward two poll workers and made a threatening gesture toward them with his hand. Lubitz is scheduled for sentencing on July 25, before U.S. District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz. He faces up to five years in prison. U.S Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement. FBI Miami investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Harry C. Wallace and Jeremy Thompson are prosecuting it. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 22-cr-60205. ###


title: Chico Resident Charged With Wire Fraud In Scheme To Divert Company Accounts To Personal Accounts

component: USAO - California, Northern

body_text: OAKLAND – A federal grand jury indicted Neil Divers, charging him with wire fraud and money laundering in connection with a scheme to divert tens of thousands of dollars owed to a company he co-owned to bank accounts he created for his personal use, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge Darren Lian. Divers, 64, of Chico, Calif., was co-owner of Kodiak, Precision, Inc., a machined component manufacturer located in Richmond, Calif. According to the indictment, owners discovered in 2015 that Divers was taking money from the company without authorization. This revelation led to the development of new controls and procedures to prevent Divers from taking money without authorization from the company again. Although Divers maintained an ownership position with Kodiak, he was removed as a signatory on the company’s accounts. According to the indictment, Divers nevertheless allegedly orchestrated a fraudulent scheme to get around the controls and procedures designed to prevent him from taking money from Kodiak. The indictment describes certain aspects of Divers’ scheme to defraud. For example, after Divers was removed as a signatory on Kodiak bank accounts, Divers opened additional bank accounts in the name of Kodiak; as part of the set up for the new bank accounts, Divers established himself as the only signatory on the new accounts and created the accounts without the knowledge or consent of the Kodiak’s additional owners. In addition, Divers instructed an employee to have customers deposit funds owed to Kodiak into the new, unauthorized bank accounts. In this way, Diver allegedly diverted funds owed to Kodiak and then used Kodiak funds to maintain his personal lifestyle. The indictment charges Divers with five counts of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343, and two counts of money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Each wire fraud count has a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine in the amount of $250,000. Each money-laundering count has a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine in the amount of $250,000. The court also may order a term of supervised release, fines or other assessments, restitution, and forfeiture, if appropriate. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553. Divers was arrested this morning in Texas and made an initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Hal R. Ray, Jr. Divers’ next appearance is scheduled before Chief Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu in Oakland, California on June 1, 2023, for initial appearance in this district. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Rees is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Leeya Kekona. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the IRS-CI.


title: Meth trafficking sends Billings man to prison for five years

component: USAO - Montana

body_text: BILLINGS — A Billings man who admitted to selling methamphetamine to an undercover agent was sentenced on May 10 to five years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today. Edward George Allen, 41, pleaded guilty in September 2022 to possession with intent to distribute meth. U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. In court documents, the government alleged that Allen trafficked methamphetamine in the Billings from April 2021 to about September 2021. Undercover agents purchased 2.5 ounces of meth from co-defendant Michael Brumfield and his source, Allen, for $1,600. Allen had three plastic baggies containing meth and gave them to Brumfield, who provided them to the undercover agents. Agents provided Brumfield and Allen the cash. Brumfield was previously sentenced to six years in prison for conviction in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie R. Patten prosecuted the case. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. 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. XXX


title: Rockford Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for “Straw Purchasing” Firearms

body_text: ROCKFORD — A Rockford woman has been sentenced to federal prison for "straw purchasing” multiple firearms for a convicted felon whom she knew could not legally purchase the guns. U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard on Wednesday sentenced FELICYA KNOX, 31, to five months in federal prison and seven months of home confinement. Knox pleaded guilty last year to federal charges of misrepresenting to federally licensed firearms dealers that she was the actual transferee/buyer of three firearms, when, in fact, she was not the actual transferee/buyer of the firearms. In a written plea agreement , Knox admitted that on multiple dates she knowingly made false and fictitious written statements to the firearms dealers, and later transferred the guns to a known felon whom Knox knew could not legally purchase or possess them. The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. The Freeport Police Department and Stephenson County Sheriff’s Department assisted in the investigation. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Maveus. Disrupting illegal firearms trafficking is the focus of the Department of Justice’s Chicago Firearms Trafficking Strike Force . As part of the strike force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with ATF and other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in the Northern District of Illinois and across the country to help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms and identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes. Holding firearm offenders accountable through federal prosecution is also a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods . In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney's Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.


title: Santa Barbara County Man Who Deliberately Crashed Airplane for YouTube Video Admits to Obstructing Federal Investigation

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A YouTuber pilot has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge for obstructing a federal investigation by deliberately destroying the wreckage of an airplane that he intentionally crashed in Santa Barbara County to gain online views, the Justice Department announced today. Trevor Daniel Jacob, 29, of Lompoc, agreed to plead guilty to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation, a crime that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. A plea agreement and a one-count information charging Jacob were filed Wednesday in United States District Court in Los Angeles. He is expected to make his initial court appearance in the coming weeks. According to his plea agreement, Jacob is an experienced pilot and skydiver who had secured a sponsorship from a company that sold various products, including a wallet. Pursuant to the sponsorship deal, Jacob agreed to promote the company’s wallet in a YouTube video that he would post. On November 24, 2021, Jacob took off in his airplane from Lompoc City Airport on a solo flight purportedly destined for Mammoth Lakes. Jacob did not intend to reach his destination, but instead planned to eject from his aircraft during the flight and video himself parachuting to the ground and his airplane as it descended and crashed, he admitted in the plea agreement Prior to taking off, Jacob mounted several video cameras on different parts of the airplane and equipped himself with a parachute, video camera and selfie stick. Approximately 35 minutes after taking off, while flying above the Los Padres National Forest near Santa Maria, Jacob ejected from the airplane and videoed himself parachuting to the ground. Using the video camera mounted on the selfie stick and the video cameras he mounted on the airplane, Jacob was able to record the airplane as it descended and crashed into a dry brush area in Los Padres National Forest. After parachuting to the ground, Jacob hiked to the location of the wreck and recovered the data containing the video recording of his flight and the crash of the airplane, the plea agreement states. On November 26, 2021, Jacob informed the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) about the plane crash. The NTSB, which launched an investigation into the crash on or about that same day, told Jacob that he was responsible for preserving the wreckage so the agency could examine it. Jacob agreed to determine the crash location and provide both the coordinates of the downed plane and videos of the crash to NTSB investigators. Three days later, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched its own investigation into the plane crash. In the weeks following the plane crash, Jacob lied to investigators that he did not know the wreckage’s location, according to the plea agreement. In fact, on December 10, 2021, Jacob and a friend flew by helicopter to the wreckage site. There, Jacob used straps to secure the wreckage, which the helicopter lifted and carried to Rancho Sisquoc in Santa Barbara County, where it was loaded onto a trailer attached to Jacob’s pickup truck. Jacob drove the wreckage to Lompoc City Airport and unloaded it in a hangar. He then cut up and destroyed the airplane wreckage and, over the course of a few days, deposited the detached parts of the wrecked airplane into trash bins at the airport and elsewhere, which he admitted in his plea agreement was done with the intent to obstruct federal authorities from investigating the November 24 plane crash. On December 23, 2021, Jacob uploaded a YouTube video titled, “I Crashed My Airplane,” that contained a promotion of the wallet and depicting him parachuting from the plane and the aircraft’s subsequent crash. Jacob admitted in his plea agreement that he intended to make money through the video. Jacob further admitted he lied to federal investigators when he submitted an aircraft accident incident report that falsely indicated that the aircraft experienced a full loss of power approximately 35 minutes after takeoff. Jacob also lied to an FAA aviation safety inspector when he said the airplane’s engine had quit and, because he could not identify any safe landing options, he had parachuted out of the plane. The FAA revoked Jacob’s pilot license in April 2022. The United States Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General investigated this matter. The NTSB and FAA provided substantial assistance. Assistant United States Attorney Mark A. Williams, Chief of the Environmental and Community Safety Crimes Section, and Assistant United States Attorneys Dennis Mitchell and Dominique Caamano, also of the Environmental and Community Safety Crimes Section, are prosecuting this case.


title: Native Of Colombia Indicted On Illegal Reentry Charge

body_text: HARRISBURG, The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jair Alexander Peralta Vanegas, age 52, of Colombia, was indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge of Illegal Reentry. According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that on or about April 27, 2023, Peralta Vanegas was found in Lebanon County Pennsylvania after previously having been removed from the United States. The indictment also alleges that Peralta Vanegas had been removed from the United States through Alexandria, Louisiana, and reentered without first obtaining legal permission to do so. The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Williams is prosecuting the case. The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is two years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court. # # #


title: Federal Grand Jury Indicts Taylor County Man on Child Pornography Charges

component: USAO - Kentucky, Western

body_text: Bowling Green, KY – A federal grand jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, returned an indictment on May 10, 2023, charging Robert Blake Merryman with producing, distributing, and possessing child pornography. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the Louisville Field Office made the announcement. According to the indictment, on April 6, 2023, in Taylor County, Kentucky, Merryman used a minor male under 2 years of age to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct, and the visual depiction was transmitted in interstate commerce by computer. If convicted, Merryman faces a maximum sentence of 70 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system. The FBI is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Madison Sewell, of the U.S. Attorney’s Bowling Green Branch Office, is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.” An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Fifth Defendant Sentenced To 48 Months In Prison For Large-Scale Trafficking Of Rhinoceros Horns And Elephant Ivory And Heroin Conspiracy

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ABDI HUSSEIN AHMED, a citizen of Kenya, was sentenced to 48 months in prison for conspiring to traffic large quantities of rhinoceros horns and elephant ivory — both protected wildlife species — worth millions of dollars that involved the illegal poaching of more than approximately 35 rhinoceros and more than 100 elephants, as well as for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. The sentence was imposed earlier today by U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods. AHMED is the fifth and final member of these conspiracies to be sentenced in a case prosecuted over the course of several years, and which has involved the extradition of multiple individuals from several countries in Africa. AHMED’s co-conspirators were previously sentenced to substantial prison terms by Judge Woods. Specifically, MOAZU KROMAH, a/k/a “Ayoub,” a/k/a “Ayuba,” a/k/a “Kampala Man,” a citizen of Liberia, was sentenced to a prison term of 63 months; AMARA CHERIF, a/k/a “Bamba Issiaka,” a citizen of Guinea, was sentenced to a prison term of 57 months; MANSUR MOHAMED SURUR, a/k/a “Mansour,” a citizen of Kenya, was sentenced to a prison term of 54 months; and BADRU ABDUL AZIZ SALEH, a/k/a “Badro,” a citizen of Kenya, was sentenced to a prison term of 42 months. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Wildlife trafficking is a serious threat to the natural resources and the ecological heritage shared by communities across the globe, and heroin trafficking poses deadly risks to countless individuals. Moazu Kromah, Amara Cherif, Mansur Mohamed Surur, Badru Abdul Aziz Saleh, and Abdi Hussein Ahmed chose profit over compliance with various United States and international laws that prohibit both of these crimes. This case demonstrates the crossover between cases involving wildlife trafficking and other kinds of transnational crime. And the substantial sentences received by these defendants show the resolve of this Office to use every tool at our disposal to ensure the protection of endangered species and the safety of our communities.” According to the charging and other documents filed in the case, as well as statements made in court proceedings: KROMAH, CHERIF, SURUR, and AHMED were members of a transnational criminal enterprise (the “Enterprise”) based in Uganda and surrounding countries that was engaged in the large-scale trafficking and smuggling of rhinoceros horns and elephant ivory, both protected wildlife species. Trade involving endangered or threatened species violates several U.S. laws, as well as international treaties implemented by certain U.S. laws. From at least in or about December 2012 through at least in or about May 2019, KROMAH, CHERIF, SURUR, and AHMED conspired to transport, distribute, sell, and smuggle at least approximately 190 kilograms of rhinoceros horns and at least approximately 10 tons of elephant ivory from or involving various countries in East Africa, including Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Kenya, Mozambique, Senegal, and Tanzania, to buyers located in the United States and countries in Southeast Asia. Such weights of rhinoceros horn and elephant ivory are estimated to have involved the illegal poaching of more than approximately 35 rhinoceros and more than approximately 100 elephants. In total, the estimated average retail value of the rhinoceros horns involved in the conspiracy was at least approximately $3.4 million, and the estimated average retail value of the elephant ivory involved in the conspiracy was at least approximately $4 million. Typically, the defendants exported and agreed to export the rhinoceros horns and elephant ivory for delivery to foreign buyers, including a buyer represented to be in Manhattan, in packaging that concealed the rhinoceros horns and elephant ivory in, among other things, pieces of art such as African masks and statues. The defendants received and deposited payments from foreign customers that were sent in the form of international wire transfers, some of which were sent through U.S. financial institutions, and paid in cash. On or about March 16, 2018, law enforcement agents intercepted a package containing a black rhinoceros horn sold by the defendants that was intended for a buyer represented to be in Manhattan: From in or about March 2018 through in or about May 2018, the defendants offered to sell additional rhinoceros horns of varying weights, including horns weighing up to approximately seven kilograms. On or about July 17, 2018, law enforcement agents intercepted a package containing two rhinoceros horns weighing over five kilograms that were sold by the defendants and intended for a buyer represented to be in Manhattan: Separately, from at least in or about August 2018 through at least in or about May 2019, SURUR, AHMED, and SALEH conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a large quantity of heroin to a buyer represented to be located in New York. KROMAH was arrested in Uganda on June 12, 2019, and expelled to the United States on June 13, 2019. CHERIF was arrested in Senegal on June 7, 2019, and extradited to the United States on April 2, 2020. SURUR was arrested in Kenya on July 29, 2020, and extradited to the United States on January 25, 2021. SALEH was arrested in Kenya on May 30, 2022, and extradited to the United States on June 17, 2022. AHMED was arrested in Kenya on August 1, 2022, and extradited to the United States on September 3, 2022. The defendants all have been detained since their arrest and arrival in this country. * * * KROMAH, 53, of Liberia; CHERIF, 58, of Guinea; SURUR, 62, of Kenya; and AHMED, 49, of Kenya, each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wildlife trafficking. In addition, KROMAH and CHERIF both pled guilty to two counts of wildlife trafficking. SALEH, 52, of Kenya, SURUR, and AHMED each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and he thanked law enforcement authorities and conservation partners in Uganda and Kenya, including the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Uganda Office of the Director of Public Prosecution, the Uganda Police Force, the Kenya Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and the Kenyan Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, for their assistance in this investigation. Mr. Williams also thanked the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Department of State for their invaluable assistance, which made it possible to secure the arrest and return of these five defendants from Kenya, Senegal, and Uganda to the United States. The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sagar K. Ravi and Jarrod L. Schaeffer are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Two Men Indicted for Environmental Crimes Committed in the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Las Mareas Community of Salinas, Puerto Rico

component: Energy and Natural Resources Division

body_text: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On May 10, 2023, a Federal Grand Jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned two separate indictments charging Luis Enrique Rodríguez Sánchez and Pedro Luis Bones Torres with violations of the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, and Todd Kim, Assistant Attorney General of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. The charges relate to the illegal construction and deposit of material into the wetlands and waters of the United States in the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (the “Jobos Estuarine Reserve”) and Las Mareas community of Salinas, Puerto Rico. Various federal agencies are involved in this ongoing investigation into environmental crimes in the Jobos Estuarine Reserve and Las Mareas community, including the Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (Army-CID), U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Inspector General (DOC-OIG), National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement (NOAA-OLE), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement (FW‑OLE). According to the indictments, from approximately January 2020 through October 2022, Luis Enrique Rodríguez Sánchez (Rodríguez Sánchez) and Pedro Luis Bones Torres (Bones Torres) knowingly discharged fill material from excavation and earth moving equipment into the wetlands and waters of the United States in violation of the Clean Water Act. Rodríguez Sánchez and Bones Torres are also charged with building structures within the navigable waters of the United States without authorization of the Secretary of the Army, in violation of the Rivers and Harbors Act. The Clean Water Act was enacted by Congress in 1972 to protect and maintain the integrity of the waters of the United States. The Clean Water Act’s main purpose is to ensure the restoration and maintenance of the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters. It prohibits the discharge of any pollutant and fill material into waters of the United States except when a permit is obtained from the United States. The Rivers and Harbors Act was originally enacted in 1899 and is generally considered the oldest environmental law in the United States. It serves to regulate and protect the navigable waters of the United States and prohibits the un-permitted construction of structures within those waters. Both the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act protect the coastal waters within the JBNERR. The Jobos Estuarine Reserve was designated as a National Estuarine Research Reserve by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1981 and is comprised of approximately 2,800 acres of coastal ecosystems in the Southern coastal plain of Puerto Rico. The Jobos Estuarine Reserve contains mangrove islands, mangrove forests, tidal wetlands, coral reefs, lagoons, salt flats, dry forest, and seagrass beds. It is also home to the endangered brown pelican, peregrine falcon, hawksbill turtle, and West Indian manatee. The Jobos Estuarine Reserve is owned and operated by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PR‑DNER). Both Rodríguez Sánchez and Bones Torres were arrested and are scheduled to appear today before Magistrate Judge Marshal D. Morgan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico for their respective initial appearances. If convicted, the defendants are facing up to a total of four years of imprisonment, fines, and injunctive relief to remove violative structures. “These cases demonstrate our commitment to protecting wetland ecosystems, which have many public and environmental benefits,” said Todd Kim, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Coastal wetlands protect communities from storm surges and hurricanes, protect vulnerable species from exploitation, stabilize estuaries, and provide natural water filtration that improves water quality.” “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to enforcing federal environmental protection laws and to holding violators responsible for the harm caused. These laws protect the animals, resources, and habitats within Puerto Rico, the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and the Las Mareas community. The unpermitted construction, pollution, and fill within these protected waters of the United States also poses flooding and hurricane mitigation concerns for surrounding communities. As such, they are a priority for federal environmental enforcement efforts,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “The coastal wetlands of Puerto Rico are an important resource, providing habitat for numerous endangered species and serving as a natural buffer from the effects of hurricanes and flooding, events which are only increasing with climate change,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Amon for the U.S. EPA Criminal Investigation Division. “Coastal habitats in Puerto Rico have been habitually exploited and abused by developers and illegal tenants, but today’s indictments show that EPA and our federal law enforcement partners are actively working to stop these illegal activities and to protect these areas for future generations.” “The preservation and protection of the world which we all share is both our collective and individual responsibility. What you see today is the result of that collective responsibility taken to heart by those of us who are called to serve and protect,” said Joseph González, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office. “Our commitment in the FBI is to investigate and curtail threats to our public safety and national security to the fullest extent, and we are fully engaged with our local and federal partners to make that happen. Wherever violations of federal law may take place, expect to see the FBI working hand in hand with our partners. The message should be clear, environmental protection laws will be enforced and violators should expect consequences.” “Today’s actions send a clear signal that the Department of Commerce, Office of Inspector General (DOC-OIG) is dedicated to investigating potential fraud, waste and abuse in projects receiving funding from the NOAA. DOC-OIG greatly appreciates the cooperative efforts of our prosecutorial and law enforcement partners as we seek to enforce laws protecting the environment and natural beauty of Puerto Rico,” said Jeffrey Lysaght, Special Agent in Charge, U.S Department of Commerce, Office of Inspector General. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement Southeast Special Agent in Charge Stephen Clark stated, “We continue to work with our partners in the protection of fragile ecosystems that serve as home for native wildlife species and will continue to bring to justice those who seek to exploit these resources with complete disregard of the consequences it brings to the people and natural resources of Puerto Rico.” “We are dedicated to enforcing the laws that conserve and protect our nation’s marine resources and their natural habitat,” said Manny Antonaras, Assistant Director of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, Southeast Division. “This case highlights the importance of our ongoing collaborations with law enforcement partners working together to hold those who break the rules accountable.” “We are very pleased with today’s announcement,” said Special Agent in Charge L. Scott Moreland, from the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Major Procurement Fraud Field Office. “This is a true testament to our continued commitment to work closely with our fellow law enforcement agencies to investigative violations of Federal law.” The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Patrick M. Duggan of the Environmental Crimes Section of the U.S. Department of Justice and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth A. Erbe, Environmental Litigation Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico. These indictments are part of an ongoing investigation. If you have any information related to this investigation or environmental crimes in the area, please contact enforcement officials, which may be done anonymously. The EPA can be contacted at (787) 977-5821 or at https://echo.epa.gov/denuncie-violaciones-ambientales. The FBI can be contacted at (787) 987-6500 or https://tips.fbi.gov/ . For more information on the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Reserve, please visit https://www.drna.pr.gov/jbnerr/ or https://coast.noaa.gov/nerrs/reserves/jobos-bay.html . An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###