title: Wisconsin Owner of Consulting Firm Pleads Guilty to Tax Scheme

component: Tax Division

body_text: A Wisconsin businessman who helped secure international business deals for his clients pleaded guilty today to willfully filing a false tax return. According to court documents and statements made in court, Qasim Khan of Milwaukee owned and operated Global Focus Partners LLC, a consulting business through which he successfully brokered contracts between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other businesses located in the United States and abroad. For 2015 to 2017, Khan reported his income from U.S.-based businesses, but did not report over $350,000 in payments received from foreign companies in the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In total, Khan’s multi-year scheme to omit foreign-source income from his tax returns caused a tax loss to the IRS of approximately $127,306. Khan is scheduled to be sentenced on August 15, 2023, and faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement. IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Assistant Chief Matthew J. Kluge and Trial Attorney Amanda R. Scott of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.


title: Former Bank VP Admits to Arson and Bank Fraud

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

body_text: BENTON, Ill. – A former vice president and loan officer for Community First Bank of the Heartland in Mount Vernon admitted in federal court in Benton on Friday morning to multiple acts of arson and bank fraud. Richard Pigg, 52, pleaded guilty to six counts of bank fraud and three counts of arson. The defendant currently resides in Texas, but he lived in Mount Vernon, Illinois, at the time of the charged conduct from May 2011 to December 2016. “Richard Pigg not only used his professional position to deceive his victims and defraud the bank that employed him, he also risked the lives and safety of our heroic first responders when he chose to burn houses and apartment buildings to collect even more money he wasn’t entitled to,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “In this proven pattern of conniving and hazardous actions, I appreciate the work by our federal law enforcement partners to put an end to the defendant’s dangerous financial ploys.” “Arson is never a victimless crime, nor should we ever allow ourselves to think of it as such. The criminal use of fire, whether to conceal crime, intimidate, or as in this case, defraud others erodes trust in our institutions and endangers the lives of those who selflessly respond, day or night or extinguish the flames,” said Bernard Hansen, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Kansas City Field Division. The defendant used his position as vice president and a loan officer to defraud more than $600,000 from CFBH to purchase investment properties and to pay personal expenses. According to court documents, Pigg convinced bank customers to buy rental properties in Centralia, Mount Vernon, Murphysboro, and West Frankfort on his behalf through mortgage loans financed at CFBH. Pigg concealed his personal financial interest from CFBH while facilitating the loans. As part of the scheme, the defendant assured his victims that he would secure the tenants, collect the rent, and maintain the properties. The victims received income from the rental properties held in their names. In addition, without the victims’ consent, the defendant at times increased the amount financed in the mortgage loan by thousands of dollars above the purchase price and redirected the excess loan proceeds to his own accounts and to pay his own debts. In addition to bank fraud, Pigg also pleaded guilty to federal arson charges for burning the Centralia rental property twice—once in January when it was only partly damaged and again in February 2016, this time causing a total loss. He used the insurance benefits from the fires to pay off the mortgage loan on the property. Pigg also burned a four-unit rental apartment complex in West Frankfort in January 2016 soon after renewing one insurance policy and less than two weeks after taking out a second insurance policy on the property. Agents with ATF and the Federal Housing Financial Authority of the Office of the Inspector General contributed to the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter T. Reed and Kevin F. Burke are prosecuting the case.


title: Prince George’s County Felon Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Two Counts of Illegal Possession of a Firearm

component: USAO - Maryland

body_text: Greenbelt , Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah J. Boardman sentenced Sean Christopher Henderson, age 36, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, yesterday to seven years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after Henderson pleaded guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The guilty plea and sentence were announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department (“PGPD”); and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy. “We are successfully reducing and preventing crime by removing guns and repeat offenders from the streets by any legal means necessary,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “But our comprehensive violence prevention strategy also includes reaching out to at-risk youth and sponsoring reentry fairs to provide resources to returning citizens to help them succeed. We remain laser-focused on reducing crime in Maryland.” According to his guilty plea, Henderson had a previous felony conviction, which he knew prohibited him from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Despite this, Henderson admitted that on November 9, 2020 and October 3, 2021, he possessed two separate loaded firearms. Specifically, in the early morning hours of November 9, 2020, PGPD officers responded to an address in District Heights, Maryland, for a reported shooting and located an individual matching the description of the shooter, later identified as Sean Henderson. Due to the nature of the call, Henderson was patted down for weapons. Officers recovered a clear glass vial containing 0.5 ounces of phencyclidine, commonly known as PCP, with an approximate street value of $800 and a plastic baggie containing approximately 12.7 grams of marijuana, with a street value of about $254. In the area where Henderson was detained, officers located a black 9x19mm semi-automatic pistol, loaded with one round in the chamber and eight rounds in the magazine. Additional searching recovered a 9mm spent shell casing. Investigation revealed that the gun had been reported stolen in Virginia on March 29, 2020. Henderson admitted that he possessed the firearm and ammunition in connection with another offense, specifically possession with intent to distribute PCP. As detailed in the plea agreement, in the early morning hours of October 3, 2021, a PGPD officer responded to an address on Walter Lane in District Heights, Maryland. While approaching the scene, the officer was advised by a PGPD helicopter unit that someone was slumped over in the driver’s seat of a vehicle at that address, with the driver’s door open. When officers arrived, Henderson was found slumped over in the driver’s seat, with one foot hanging out the door. When officers approached the vehicle, they could see the end of a handgun magazine protruding from underneath a towel on the front passenger seat in plain view. Before waking Henderson, officers removed the gun, a 9x19mm semi-automatic pistol, which contained 31 rounds of ammunition in the large capacity magazine and one round in the chamber. After the gun was removed from the vehicle, Henderson woke up on his own and was also removed from the vehicle and placed under arrest. After his arrest, a search of the vehicle located 246 grams of marijuana on the floor of the front passenger area of the vehicle, packaged in 32 baggies that were held together in one lager bag and two ounces of PCP located in the driver side door compartment. Henderson admitted that he possessed the gun in furtherance of drug trafficking. 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. United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the Prince George’s County Police Department and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joel Crespo and William Moomau, who prosecuted the case. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Justice Department Commemorates National Crime Victims’ Rights Week

component: Office of Justice Programs (OJP)

body_text: The Justice Department joined communities across the nation this week for the 52nd commemoration of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week . Department leaders and staff, victim advocates and allied professionals, and crime survivors together marked decades of progress in improving the legal standing of crime victims and expanding access to victim services. The Office for Victims of Crime in the department’s Office of Justice Programs led the observance, which included a candlelight vigil on the National Mall and a survivor voices symposium. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta also highlighted the department’s commitment to crime victims at an event hosted by the Office on Violence Against Women marking National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, where she featured guidance to law enforcement on responding to sexual assault and domestic violence . She also addressed a summit on environmental crimes co-hosted by the department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and the Environmental Protection Agency, describing the update of the Attorney General’s Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance as a department commitment to “taking a victim-centered, trauma-informed, culturally responsive approach to advancing criminal justice” and emphasizing the need to support survivors of environmental crimes. Before her remarks, the Associate Attorney General met with three survivors of environmental offenses. “National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on the importance of making the justice system work for survivors of crime,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “We are grateful for the countless victims who have come forward to lend their voices to the vital project of reform and to creating a more just and humane society.” “Many people think justice equals a conviction or an arrest, but for survivors, justice sometimes means being heard and believed,” said Director Kristina Rose of the Office for Victims of Crimes (OVC). “It means reading a victim impact statement in court. It means being treated with dignity and respect. Justice is about options and choices and opportunities to give voice to one’s experience. During National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, we honor those voices.” The candlelight vigil on Wednesday night featured three speakers who recounted their experiences as crime victims, underscoring this year’s theme — “Survivor Voices: Elevate. Engage. Effect Change.” Anna Nasset, a stalking survivor who runs a victim services organization called Stand Up Resources; Jerome Brown, statewide training director of the SNUG Outreach Program at the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services; and Roberta Roper, a long-time victim rights champion who founded what is now the Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center, all gave testimony to the impact of victims’ voices. Singer-songwriter Kelly Jackson of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians sang Gaawiin Niiwii Izhaasiin (I Don't Want to Go), her tribute to tribal children and youth who were traumatized by the boarding school experience. On Thursday, OVC Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon and Director Rose convened seven survivors for a symposium on the role of survivors in advancing criminal justice reform. Participants discussed strategies for elevating victims’ voices in conversations about responses to gun violence, alternatives to incarceration and long sentences. Federal leaders, criminal justice professionals and victim advocates were on hand for the discussion. In addition to events held this week in the nation’s capital, Director Rose participated in a commemoration organized by the Los Angeles District Attorney Bureau of Victim Services and traveled to Albuquerque for the launch of the Youth Advocacy Corps, an OVC-funded program that provides pathways to victim service and advocacy for marginalized youth. In addition, U.S. Attorneys across the country participated in commemorative activities in their districts, and other Department components, including the FBI, honored survivors and victim-serving professionals. National Crime Victims’ Rights Week has been observed at the federal level since 1981. Through Victims of Crime Act funding, the OVC supports thousands of local victim assistance programs — which served nearly over 9.7 million new and returning crime victims in fiscal year 2022 — and victim compensation programs in every state and territory and the District of Columbia. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta Delivers Remarks at the EPA’s Environmental Crimes Event OVC Director Kristina Rose speaking at the NCVRW Candlelight Vigil


title: Clemency Recipient List

component: Office of the Pardon Attorney

body_text: Today, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is commuting the sentences of 31 individuals. Chiquita Acker – Pearlington, Mississippi Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine (Southern District of Mississippi). Sentence: 120 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release, $5,000 fine (March 16, 2017). Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release and the unpaid remainder, if any, of the $5,000 fine. Kathy Alexander – Kennett, Missouri Offense : Conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine (Western District of Missouri). Sentence : 84 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (March 13, 2019). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. Camille Diane Armstrong – Corpus Christi, Texas Offense : Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 84 grams of actual methamphetamine (Southern District of Texas). Sentence : 120 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (January 5, 2017). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. Connie Avalos – Menifee, California Offense : Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine (Eastern District of Kentucky). Sentence : Life imprisonment (November 30, 2009); commuted to 235 months of imprisonment (January 19, 2017). Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement. Lori Broadway – Winnfield, Louisiana Offense : Possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin (Eastern District of Louisiana). Sentence : 120 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (September 8, 2016). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. Kevin Lee Burdock – Keswick, Iowa Offense : Conspiracy to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute marijuana (Southern District of Iowa). Sentence : Life imprisonment, 10-year term of supervised release (February 2, 2009); amended to 240 months of imprisonment, 10-year term of supervised release (June 24, 2010). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release. Bongani Charles Calhoun – Houston, Texas Offense : Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; attempt to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime (Western District of Texas) Sentence : 180 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (June 21, 2011). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. Jennifer Marie Chastain – Delhi, Iowa Offense : Conspiracy to distribute a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine (Northern District of Iowa). Sentence : 121 months of imprisonment, three-year term of supervised release (June 13, 2017). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the three-year term of supervised release. Aaron Courter – Evansville, Indiana Offense : Conspiracy with intent to distribute and to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine (Southern District of Indiana). Sentence : 87 months of imprisonment, three-year term of supervised release (October 20, 2017). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the three-year term of supervised release. Catherine Crotts – Mulberry, Florida Offense : Distribution of five grams or more of methamphetamine (Middle District of Florida). Sentence: 120 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (September 20, 2016). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. Scottie Ladon Dixon – Atmore, Alabama Offense : Supervised release violation (conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine); Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine (Southern District of Alabama). Sentence : 33 months of imprisonment (concurrent) (May 18, 2010); Life imprisonment, 10-year term of supervised release (May 18, 2010); commuted to 221 months of imprisonment, 10-year term of supervised release (August 3, 2016). Commutation Grant : Total sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release. Samuel Gemple – Fort Wayne, Indiana Offense : Conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana (Northern District of Indiana). Sentence : 120 months of imprisonment, eight-year term of supervised release (February 2, 2018). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the eight-year term of supervised release. Mario Francisco Gomez, Jr. – Laredo, Texas Offense : Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, aiding and abetting (Eastern District of Michigan). Sentence : 120 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (January 30, 2017). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. Daniel Graap – Wausau, Wisconsin Offense : Conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine (Western District of Wisconsin). Sentence : 120 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (June 30, 2017). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. Lisa Gribble – La Fayette, Georgia Offense : Conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine (Eastern District of Tennessee). Sentence : 150 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (March 19, 2015). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. Andre Richard Harris – Detroit, Michigan Offense : Possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine (Northern District of Alabama). Sentence : 120 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (October 10, 2017). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. Bart Hyde – Clinton, Iowa Offense : Conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine (Southern District of Iowa). Sentence : 235 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (November 4, 2011); amended to 188 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (September 18, 2015). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. Rebecca Lawrence – Omega, Georgia Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine (Middle District of Georgia). Sentence : 120 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (October 26, 2018). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. Rogelio Murillo – Riverview, Florida Offense : Possession with intent to distribute a quantity exceeding 100 kilograms, that is, approximately 194 kilograms of marijuana (Southern District of Texas). Sentence : 108 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release, $5,000 fine (June 20, 2016). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release and the unpaid remainder, if any, of the $5,000 fine. Ricky Lee Newton – Otisville, Michigan Offense : Conspiracy to possess more than 100 kilograms but less than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana (with intent to distribute) (Eastern District of Michigan) Sentence : 360 months of imprisonment, eight-year term of supervised release, $20,000 fine (December 19, 2002). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release and the unpaid remainder, if any, of the $20,000 fine. Shawn Paaaina – Ewa Beach, Hawaii Offense : Conspiracy to distribute and to possess 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 500 grams or more of cocaine with intent to distribute (District of Hawaii). Sentence : 78 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (September 24, 2019). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. Robert Raymond Palmer – Waynesboro, Mississippi Offense : Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine (Southern District of Alabama). Sentence : 89 months and 23 days of imprisonment, four-year term of supervised release (July 28, 2017). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the four-year term of supervised release. Gregory Todd Peasley – Onawa, Iowa Offense : Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine (Northern District of Iowa). Sentence : 150 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (May 11, 2015). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. Maria Peterson – New York, New York Offense : Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin; distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin (District of New Jersey). Sentence : 60 months of imprisonment, three-year term of supervised release (March 20, 2019). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the three-year term of supervised release. Samuel Rivera – Utica, New York Offense : Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine (Northern District of New York). Sentence : 120 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (April 5, 2018). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. German Roman-Oliver – Grove City, Ohio Offense : Conspiracy to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine (Southern District of Ohio). Sentence : 192 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (March 8, 2012). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. Vickie Sanders – Olney, Illinois Offense : Conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine; attempt to manufacture methamphetamine; possession of pseudoephedrine knowing it would be used to manufacture a controlled substance – methamphetamine (four counts) (Southern District of Illinois). Sentence : 120 months of imprisonment, eight-year term of supervised release, $300 fine (May 9, 2018). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the eight-year term of supervised release and the unpaid remainder, if any, of the $300 fine. Phillip Steely – Morris Chapel, Tennessee Offense : Conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine (Western District of Tennessee). Sentence : 121 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (June 18, 2018). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. Ryan Vick – Cedar Rapids, Iowa Offense : Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine or 500 grams or more of a mixture containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine after having been previously convicted of a felony drug offense (Northern District of Iowa). Sentence : 235 months of imprisonment, 10-year term of supervised release (March 1, 2012); amended to 211 months of imprisonment, 10-year term of supervised release (September 20, 2012). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release. Gregory Warrick – Capital Heights, Maryland Offense : Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine (District of Maryland); Attempted possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance (cocaine) (District of Columbia Superior Court). Sentence : 168 months of imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release (April 28, 2014); 18 months of imprisonment (concurrent), five-year term of supervised release (June 13, 2014). Commutation Grant : Total sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release. Raymond Washington – Corinth, Texas Offense : Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine (Eastern District of Texas). Sentence : 276 months of imprisonment, 10-year term of supervised release (October 19, 2011); amended to 240 months, 10-year term of supervised release (May 25, 2016). Commutation Grant : Sentence commuted to expire on June 30, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release.


title: San Diego Man Sentenced to Prison for  Tax Evasion, Fraud and Failing to Appear for his 2001 Sentencing Hearing

body_text: A California man was sentenced to 63 months in prison today for criminal conduct spanning three decades, consisting of failing to appear for sentencing, conspiracy to defraud the IRS, evading the proper assessment of income tax and wire fraud. According to court documents and statements made in court, Robin J. McPherson, formerly of San Diego and who was apprehended in Costa Rica and returned to the United States last year, failed to appear for his sentencing in March 2001 following a December 2000 bench trial convicting him and two co-defendants of conspiring to defraud the IRS and collectively evading over $1 million in income taxes for 1993 and 1994. McPherson also engaged in additional criminal conduct. In 1999 and 2000, he earned income from individuals whom he and a codefendant induced into investing in an internet shopping mall and attempted to evade taxes due on this income proceeds by cashing the checks he received and directing the income to a bank account he controlled in Canada. McPherson did not file income tax returns with the IRS for those years, causing a tax loss of approximately $79,367. Later, between 2016 and 2020, McPherson, using the name Raymond James, defrauded individuals out of approximately $1.5 million by inducing them to invest in villas in Costa Rica that were never built. In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino sentenced McPherson to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay approximately $4.7 million in restitution to the victims of his fraud scheme and to the United States. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman for the Southern District of California and U.S. Attorney Natalie K. Wight for the District of Oregon made the announcement. IRS-Criminal Investigation and the FBI investigated the cases. Trial Attorney Charles A. O’Reilly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division prosecuted the cases.


title: Additional Arrests Made in Fentanyl Distribution Conspiracy Spanning from California to D.C.

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: WASHINGTON – Federal law enforcement arrested an additional two members of a fentanyl distribution conspiracy responsible for bringing thousands of fake blue Oxycodone (M30) pills, containing fentanyl, from California to Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, and DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget, of the Washington Division, and Chief Robert J. Contee, III, of the Metropolitan Police Department. Max Alexander Carias Torres, 25, and Raymond Nava, Jr., 19, each of Los Angeles, California, are charged in an indictment with conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl. Carias Torres is separately charged with international money laundering. Both men were arrested in Los Angeles, California, on April 26, 2023, and were ordered detained pending trial by United States District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on April 28, 2023. Three additional members of the conspiracy who were previously arrested, Hector David Valdez, Craig Eastman, and Charles Jeffrey Taylor, also remain detained without bond pending trial. According to the indictment, from on or about January 2021 to April 2023, Carias Torres, Nava, Valdez, Taylor, and Eastman conspired together to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl. Carias Torres is also alleged to have conspired to commit international promotional money laundering in connection with proceeds derived from the drug trafficking conspiracy. Carias Torres was arrested inside his residence in Los Angeles, California on April 26, 2023. During a search of his residence, law enforcement recovered approximately a half-kilogram of suspected methamphetamine, numerous fake blue Oxycodone (M30) pills, and drug ledgers. Valdez was arrested on February 24, 2023, in the Central District of California. During a search of his residence, law enforcement recovered over 4.4 kilograms of blue M30 pills and a half-kilogram brick of powder, which tested positive for fentanyl. Valdez was ordered detained pending trial and is currently being transferred to the District of Columbia for prosecution. On March 22, 2023, law enforcement arrested Taylor and Eastman inside Taylor’s residence and seized seven firearms while executing a search warrant. The drug trafficking conspiracy charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison up to life; the money laundering conspiracy charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The investigation of this case had the sponsorship and support of the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF specializes in the investigation and prosecution of drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises. The prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the DEA Washington Division in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Postal Inspector, with additional support from the DEA Los Angeles and Riverside Field Offices. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David T. Henek, Matthew W. Kinskey, and Andy Wang of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses (VRTO) Section. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: California Man Sentenced for Assaulting Police Officers with Pepper Spray

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: WASHINGTON – A California man was sentenced today for felony and misdemeanor charges – including assaulting police officers – for his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election. Jeffrey Scott Brown, 56, of Santa Ana, California, was sentenced today to 54 months in prison for assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcements officers using a dangerous weapon, interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder, both felonies, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds or buildings , and act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings. Brown and two co-defendants – Peter J. Schwartz and Markus Maly - were found guilty at trial on December 7, 2022. According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 6, 2021, Brown was with Schwartz and Maly at the area of the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol Building. Brown was handed an O.C. spray canister by Schwarts who had stolen it from an MPD duffle bags. As the crowd heaved against the makeshift police line, Brown tried to use the O.C. spray but couldn’t figure out the nozzle. He passed it back to Schwartz, who appears to have shown Brown how to use it and passed it back. Brown then dove towards the front of the police line, spraying them with yet more OC spray. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington and Los Angeles Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department. In the 27 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 320 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov. The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office – Daytona Beach Resident Agency, the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police. In the 27 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 320 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.


title: Webster Man Charged in Connection with Two Pipe Bomb Explosions

component: USAO - New Hampshire

body_text: CONCORD – A man has been charged in connection with two pipe bomb explosions in Weare, New Hampshire, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces. Dale Stewart, 54, was charged with possessing an unregistered firearm, a destructive device, and possessing a destructive device unidentified by a serial number. Stewart will make an initial appearance in federal court on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Stewart is currently in custody on state charges related to the destructive device explosions. According to the charging documents, Stewart allegedly constructed and detonated two destructive devices in Weare, New Hampshire on April 26, 2023 and April 27, 2023. In response to the explosions, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Stewart’s vehicle and retrieved an additional destructive device, constructed of white PVC pipe, with glued end caps, wrapped in black electrical tape, with a green hobby fuse protruding from one of the end caps. The destructive device found in the vehicle contained more than 4 ounces of an explosive material, consistent with the manufacturing of the two recovered suspected pipe bombs from the two separate detonation scenes in Weare, New Hampshire. The charges of possessing an unregistered destructive device and possessing a destructive device unidentified by serial number provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, and a fine of up to $ 10,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Weare Police Department; and the Federal Protective Service led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the New Hampshire State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cesar Vega is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Inmate Sentenced To 51 Months In Prison For Aggravated Assault

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Judge Malachy E. Mannion sentenced Louis Borrero, age 39, an inmate at United States Penitentiary, Canaan, in Waymart, Pennsylvania, to 51 months in prison for assault on another inmate. According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Borrero assaulted the inmate by slashing his face with a razor blade on July 16, 2021, at USP Canaan. The victim’s injuries required nine sutures. At the time of the assault, Borrero was serving a 324-month sentence for drug trafficking, robbery, and firearms violations. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Prisons Special Investigation Section (SIS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni prosecuted the case. # # #


title: Georgia Woman Pleads Guilty To Aggravated Identity Theft And Bank Fraud Charges

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Kiana Fiona Alphonse (29, Covington, Georgia) has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, seven counts of bank fraud, five counts of false representation of a Social Security number, and five counts of aggravated identity theft. Alphonse faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 2 years’ in federal prison on the aggravated identity theft charges, up to 30 years in federal prison for each count of bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, up to 5 years in federal prison on each count of false representation of a Social Security number, and payment of restitution to the victims she and her co-defendant, Anthony Jermaine Robinson (31, Covington, Georgia), had defrauded. Her sentencing date has not yet been set. According to court documents and public records, in 2019, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) stopped a car Robinson was driving for a cracked windshield. Based on a probable cause search of the car, the CCSO located among other items, counterfeit Social Security cards and driver licenses in the identity of genuine individuals, genuine credit cards in the name of individuals, and multiple phones. Pursuant to a search warrant, the CCSO conducted a forensic examination of Robinson’s cellphone and determined that it contained among other things, text messages between Robinson and Alphonse. The text messages outlined instructions on how to fraudulently set up business accounts at banks using fraudulent business documents for non-existent businesses, identification documents, and Social Security numbers. Follow up investigation by law enforcement determined that in 2019, Robinson and Alphonse obtained the personally identifiable information (PII) of multiple victims and then obtained counterfeit driver licenses purportedly from Washington state and Delaware in the identity of the victims. The counterfeit driver licenses contained the PII of the victims, but a photo of Alphonse. Using the PII including the Social Security numbers of the victims, the counterfeit driver licenses, and documents created for fictitious businesses, Alphonse visited multiple banks and set up fraudulent business bank accounts in the name of various victims. These bank accounts were then utilized as part of a scheme to defraud multiple victims involving the online purchase of nonexistent cars. Once the bank accounts received funds from the victims, Robinson, Alphonse, and co-conspirators withdrew the funds for their own personal use. Alphonse appeared in federal court on April 26, 2023, pursuant to a writ bringing her to Jacksonville from Newton County Jail in Georgia where she is serving a jail sentence for violating probation on a firearm related crime. Robinson appeared in federal court on November 3, 2022, pursuant to a writ bringing him to Jacksonville from Georgia State Prison where he is serving a prison sentence for violating parole on a fraud related crime. The Court ordered Robinson detained pending trial. On February 8, 2023, Robinson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 32 years in federal prison and payment of restitution to the victims he and Alphonse defrauded. Robinson is also wanted on violation of probation warrants from South Carolina and Columbia County, Florida on two unrelated financial crime cases. This case was investigated by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service - Jacksonville Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.


title: Tampa Convicted Felon Sentenced To More Than Four Years In Federal Prison For Possessing A Firearm

body_text: Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge James Moody, Jr. has sentenced Christian Joel Andujar Rivera (25, Tampa) to four years and four months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of firearms. The court also ordered him to forfeit a Glock firearm and assorted ammunition associated with the offense. Andujar Rivera had pleaded guilty on February 2, 2023. According to court documents, in June 2022, Andujar Rivera was wanted on a felony charge of fleeing and eluding police. On June 13, 2022, the United States Marshal's Service Fugitive Apprehension Unit located Andujar Rivera at his residence in Plant City. On that same day, investigators arrived at the Plant City residence and engaged in a standoff with Andujar Rivera. Andujar Rivera stood at the top of a set of stairs in the home, concealed his hands behind his back, and failed to obey law enforcement commands to surrender. He told the officers that the officers would have to shoot him once he pulled his firearm out. He eventually surrendered without incident. After a search of the home, law enforcement located nine firearms and large amounts of assorted ammunition. A laboratory analysis later determined DNA found on one of those firearms, a Glock pistol, was linked to Andujar Rivera. As a multi-convicted felon, Andujar Rivera is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Tampa Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shauna S. Hale. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. PSN is a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.


title: Brazilian National Pleads Guilty To Attempted Sex Trafficking Of A Child

body_text: Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Mateus Fernandes Evangelista Da Silva (23, Brazil) has pleaded guilty to attempted sex trafficking of a child. Evangelista Da Silva faces a minimum mandatory term of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. As part of the plea agreement, Evangelista Da Silva will forfeit the electronic devices he used in committing the offense and make restitution to victims associated with this case who have been identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. According to the plea agreement, on October 6, 2021, Evangelista Da Silva used his cellphone to communicate with an undercover agent who purported to have access to two minor children, ages 13 and 14. Evangelista Da Silva coordinated a meeting and travelled to a designated location in St. Petersburg, Florida to meet the fictitious children for the purposes of engaging in sex. Once Evangelista Da Silva arrived, he stated he wanted to engage in oral sex and vaginal intercourse with the 13-year-old and paid the undercover agent $200. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell. This case was brought as part of the Tampa Bay Human Trafficking Task Force of the Middle District of Florida, which is one of 13 task forces in the country to receive grant funding from the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Task Force is a collaboration of local, state, and federal law enforcement agents working together with organizations to detect, investigate, and prosecute human trafficking in the Tampa Bay area. This includes trafficking of minors, forced labor, transnational sex trafficking, and sex trafficking of adults by force, fraud, or coercion. More information about the Tampa Bay Human Trafficking Task Force can be found at www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/humantrafficking . Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking . This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.


title: Multi-Convicted Felon Sentenced To More Than Eleven Years In Federal Prison For Possession With The Intent To Distribute Cocaine And For Violating Terms Of Supervised Release

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Corinthian King (32, Jacksonville) to 11 years and 8 months in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine. King has also agreed to the forfeiture of a Glock 9mm pistol and ammunition, possessed during his commission of the offense. King had pleaded guilty on September 21, 2022, and admitted to violating his supervised release on April 25, 2023. According to court documents, in April 2022, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic top of King as he was departing a Southside motel. During the traffic stop, the officer learned that King had a suspended driver license. During a search of the vehicle, officers recovered a digital scale with cocaine residue, plastic baggies, and a loaded Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol under the rear passenger seat. As the officers prepared to transport King, they discovered a plastic baggie in his pants containing more than 50 grams of powder cocaine, more than 40 grams of methamphetamine, and fentanyl and oxycodone pills. This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.


title: Panama City Couple On State Probation For Passing Counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes Indicted For Manufacturing And Passing Counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Neal Evan Pollman (42, Panama City) with one count of manufacturing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes and nine counts of passing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes, and Lyndsey Rhea Markland (41, Panama City) with four counts of passing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. If convicted, each faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count and payment of restitution to the victims they defrauded. According to court documents and public records, Pollman manufactured counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. Thereafter, he and Markland defrauded multiple businesses throughout the Middle District of Florida by passing the counterfeit currency. Pollman and Markland appeared in federal court on April 27, 2023, pursuant to a writ bringing them to Jacksonville from the Bay County Jail where they are serving time for violating their state probation on charges related to passing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. The Court ordered Pollman and Markland detained pending trial. Pollman and Markland are currently on State of Florida felony probation for multiple crimes related to the passing of counterfeit Federal Reserve notes in 2022. Their trial is set for June 2023. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Orange Park Police Department, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Secret Service - Jacksonville Field Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.


title: Jacksonville Registered Sex Offender Indicted For Committing Multiple Child Sexual Exploitation Offenses

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Andrew David Salas (35, Jacksonville) with interstate travel with the intent to engage in sexual conduct with a child, interstate transportation of a child to engage in sexual activity, production, attempted production, and possession of child sexual abuse materials, and committing felony offenses involving a child while required to register as a sex offender. If convicted, Salas faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 25 years, up to life, in federal prison, and a lifetime of supervised release. Salas was arrested at his residence on November 3, 2022, and has been in custody since that time. He is scheduled for arraignment on May 4, 2023. Salas is a registered sex offender, having been convicted of carnal knowledge of a minor child in Virginia in 2008. An indictment is only an allegation and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Carroll County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia State Attorney General’s Office, the United States Marshals Service, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Atlanta and Jacksonville. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys D. Rodney Brown and Kelly S. Karase. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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.justice.gov/psc.


title: Convicted Felon Sentenced For Possessing Firearm

body_text: Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has sentenced Patraic Setzer (29, New Port Richey) to three years and five months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Setzer to forfeit a Sig Sauer firearm, which is traceable to the offense. Setzer had pleaded guilty on February 7, 2023. According to court documents, officers from the New Port Richey Police Department conducted a traffic stop on Setzer, a six-time convicted felon, on May 31, 2022. A police canine alerted on the vehicle and officers searched the car, locating a loaded Sig Sauer firearm. Setzer was on federal supervised release at the time of the incident, following a sentence in the Bureau of Prisons for being a felon in possession of a firearm. As such, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Port Richey Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Beckman. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Orlando Restaurateur Pleads Guilty For Failing To Pay $2 Million In Employment Taxes

body_text: Orlando, FL –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Manuel Tato has pleaded guilty to three counts of failing to truthfully account for and pay over employment taxes. Tato faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to court documents, Tato owned and operated multiple restaurants in the Orlando area from at least 2010 to 2017, including Spice Modern Steakhouse. Tato was the owner and operator of an entity called Core Food Group, an affiliated company for Tato’s restaurants that was responsible for processing payroll for the employees of Tato’s restaurants. Through Core Food Group, Tato employed approximately 645 restaurant workers between 2010 and 2017, and had a duty to collect and pay over employment taxes on behalf of those employees. Employment taxes include Federal Income Tax, Medicare and Social Security. While Tato withheld employment taxes from his employees’ paychecks and informed his employees that he was doing so on their paystubs, he never actually paid those taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). During the charged time frame, July 2016 to March 2017, Tato failed to pay the IRS $93,690.66. Throughout the entire time Core Food Group existed, Tato failed to pay over $2 million in taxes that he had withheld from his employees and owed in relation to their employment. This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel S. Lyons and Assistant United States Attorney Dana Hill.


title: Jackson Man Sentenced to 46 months in Prison for  Being a Convicted Felon in Possession of a Firearm

body_text: Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. According to court documents, Earnest Guise, 41, was found in possession of a firearm by a Jackson Police Officer on June 6, 2021, during an investigation into a reported shooting. Guise has multiple prior felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing a firearm. Guise pled guilty on November 8, 2022 to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. This case was investigated by the FBI and the Jackson Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Terrill. This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime .


title: Cape Coral Trio Convicted For Their Roles In A Multi-Million Dollar Credit Card Fraud Scheme

body_text: Fort Myers, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Carlos Tejeda (62, Cape Coral), Juan Tejeda (35, Cape Coral), and Pedro Pelaez (59, Cape Coral) guilty in connection with their involvement in a large-scale credit card fraud scheme which operated in Cape Coral between late-2015 and mid-2018. Father and son ringleaders, Carlos and Juan Tejeda, were each convicted of 44 federal crimes, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit money laundering, production of counterfeit access devices, and possession of device-making equipment. For his role in the fraud, Pelaez was convicted of 11 federal crimes, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of more than 100 years in federal prison, including 2-year minimum mandatory sentences for each aggravated identity theft conviction. Their sentencing hearings are yet to be scheduled. All three defendants were remanded into custody pending sentencing. According to evidence presented at trial, Carlos Tejeda recruited several friends and associates, including co-defendant Pedro Pelaez, to create shell companies, obtain credit card processing terminals for their shell companies, and then permit Carlos Tejeda to swipe counterfeit credit cards fraudulently encoded with stolen credit and debit card numbers using the shell company credit card terminals. Evidence showed that Juan Tejeda’s primary role was to encode the counterfeit cards for his father Carlos Tejeda, but that he personally swiped counterfeit cards on shell company terminals as well. Each fraudulent transaction was typically between $1,000 and $3,000, but the same stolen card number was often used several times across multiple shell companies before victim cardholders from across the United States even knew their card numbers had been compromised. After the stolen funds were deposited into shell company bank accounts, the shell company owners would kickback a pre-determined percentage of the fraudulent proceeds to Carlos or Juan and keep the remainder for themselves. In total, nine shell companies were used to perpetrate the fraud, including those personally opened by Carlos Tejeda and Juan Tejeda. Credit card transaction data presented to the jury showed that during the duration of the fraud, more than $2.6 million dollars of credit card charges were attempted or conducted on the shell company terminals. In total, nine people have been convicted for their roles in this fraud, including the three above-named defendants and six others who previously pleaded guilty to their involvement and are awaiting sentencing. This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Cape Coral Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.


title: Tampa Man Pleads Guilty To Distributing And Possessing Child Sex Abuse Material

body_text: Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jeffrey Charles Thomas (41, Lithia) has pleaded guilty to distribution and possession of child sex abuse material. Thomas faces a mandatory minimum term of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison. He will be required to forfeit the electronic devices used in the offense. According to court documents, Thomas communicated with an undercover agent he met in an online chat group dedicated to people interested in father/daughter incest. Between August 9 and November 28, 2022, Thomas communicated online with the undercover agent. In his communications, Thomas described in graphic detail his desire to engage in various sexual acts with the undercover agent’s fictitious minor stepdaughter. Thomas then sent the undercover agent an approximately 14-minute video of a minor child being sexually abused. On December 6, 2022, the FBI executed a search warrant at Thomas’s residence and found him in possession of approximately 14 images and 31 videos of child sex abuse material, including the video he had sent to the undercover agent. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.


title: Joint Statement from 2023 US-Canada Cross Border Crime Forum (CBCF)

component: Criminal - Office of International Affairs

body_text: The United States and Canada have an enduring partnership guided by a shared commitment to security, prosperity, and advancing democratic values. Today, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino and Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Lametti hosted Attorney General of the United States Merrick B. Garland and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in Ottawa, for the second meeting of the Canada – U.S. Cross-Border Crime Forum (CBCF) since it was reestablished by President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau’s 2021 Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership . The meeting allowed Ministers to assess progress on collaborative efforts to counter cross-border crime, examine how to make our communities safer, and share experiences on efforts to ensure that our criminal justice systems are fair and effective. Building on the success of the March 2022 CBCF in Washington, D.C., as well as commitments made by President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau in Mexico in January 2023 and in Ottawa in March 2023, Ministers discussed ways to enhance collaboration in the following areas: Fentanyl / Opioids The opioid overdose crisis, fueled by a toxic illicit drug supply, has taken a tragic toll on communities across our countries and around the world. The United States and Canada are committed to combatting the opioid epidemic together through attacking each link of the illicit production and distribution of synthetic opioids – including by preventing the importation of illicit precursor chemicals from China and elsewhere. Efforts will build on initiatives from the U.S.-Canada Opioids Action Plan and the newly established Trilateral Fentanyl Commission. To this end, Ministers instructed their officials to expand intelligence sharing to support interdictions and investigations, counter transnational organized crime, build a global coalition against synthetic drugs, disrupt the supply chain by identifying chemical and equipment diversion, address illicit finance, and engage with Canada and U.S.-based chemical, lab equipment, and shipping companies. They also confirmed the importance of considering all available options for reducing demand, improving health outcomes, and saving lives. Reducing Firearms Trafficking and Violence Both the United States and Canada share a strong commitment to combatting firearms violence. To keep our communities safe, Ministers emphasized ongoing actions to address the smuggling of firearms across our shared border. Noting recent success on coordinated firearms investigations, Ministers plan to deepen cooperation in tackling gun violence in several key areas, including timely and actionable information sharing, investigations and enforcement. In particular, Ministers decided to continue advancing both domestic and bilateral efforts to reduce firearms violence – including through the Cross Border Firearms Task Force (CBFTF) – to trace and seize guns used in crime, disrupt cross-border firearms smuggling, and to identify and target shippers and receivers through the coordination of joint operations and investigations. Ministers also decided to advance collaborative work related to stemming the proliferation of privately manufactured firearms (“ghost guns”) and strengthen cooperation with state, provincial, Indigenous and tribal partners. In addition, they highlighted the Memorandum of Understanding between the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), signed in March 2023; as well as a Memorandum of Understanding between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), signed in November 2022. These arrangements will be pivotal in helping both countries interdict firearms and drugs through enhanced information sharing. Anti–Money Laundering / Virtual Currency Money laundering threatens the integrity and stability of the financial sector and broader economy, and harms citizens’ safety, security, and quality of life. Ministers took note of how quickly and easily criminals can move the proceeds of serious crimes across our borders in the form of virtual currencies, and the challenges that this growing phenomenon presents to our law enforcement officials and prosecutors. Increasingly, virtual currencies are being used illicitly to fund the smuggling of fentanyl, other narcotics, human beings, and firearms, as well as to launder the proceeds of these criminal activities, as documented in a recent Financial Action Task Force report that our officials were instrumental in supporting. Through joint efforts, the United States and Canada can provide actionable information to law enforcement, regulators, and the private sector on both sides of the border. Ministers called on officials to explore additional opportunities to collaborate on countering the criminal use of virtual currencies. Human Smuggling The United States and Canada share the world’s longest undefended border and are committed to maintaining its integrity. Both countries recognize that it will take a concerted, unified effort to counter the cross-border human smuggling that is occurring in both directions across our shared border and undermining both countries’ legal immigration systems. All too often, these incidents result in tragic outcomes, as individuals lose their lives attempting to cross between ports of entry in remote areas or under dangerous conditions. Ministers called on their officials to work with other agencies and external partners, including cross-border communities, to strengthen efforts to gather and share information for the detection and investigation of organized crime groups and networks that engage in human smuggling and prey upon vulnerable individuals. They asked officials to review recent incidents along the border to identify opportunities to improve intelligence, detection, and interdiction to disrupt cross-border smuggling and investigate and hold accountable those involved. They recognized the importance of enhancing and leveraging sensor technology, personnel, and information-related resources, with an emphasis on timely and actionable information sharing and engagement with state, provincial, Indigenous and tribal partners in support of dismantling smuggling networks. Sex Offender Travel Notification of intended travel by registered sex offenders is a tool that supports a country’s ability to make informed admission decisions. Ministers discussed foreign partner notification regarding impending cross-border travel by sex offenders, including with respect to the threshold required to permit RCMP notification of intended travel by Canadian offenders. Canada noted the introduction of legislation on April 26, 2023, to strengthen reporting and notification for registered sex offenders intending to travel domestically or internationally. The United States shared that, in 2022, the Angel Watch Center, a collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice’s U.S. Marshals Service, sent 4,527 sex-offender travel notifications to 130 countries, including 149 notifications to Canada. Both countries re-committed to ensure law enforcement officials in both countries have the information necessary to make informed admission decisions and continue to work on other measures to ensure public safety in accordance with their respective laws. Criminal Justice Reform / Access to Justice Ministers discussed criminal justice reform, as well as each country’s ongoing efforts to address root causes of crime and implement effective, equitable, and inclusive approaches to promoting community safety, criminal justice, and law enforcement. They noted the importance of continuing our work regarding groups already overrepresented in the criminal justice system, to guard against reversing the strong progress made on this front. They welcomed the outcome of the collaboration of their respective Access to Justice Offices over the past year on strategies to overcome systemic inequality and discrimination, as part of efforts to increase access to and strengthen confidence in the justice system. They also reiterated their commitment to the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the full realization of the Sustainable Development Goal 16, promoting effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels and equal access to justice for all. In a measure that crosscuts all these discussions, Ministers also committed to develop guidance and deliver training to support a common understanding among law enforcement personnel in both countries, of the laws and policies regarding permissible information sharing for law enforcement and investigative purposes, and to encourage all appropriate sharing in service to public safety. Finally, Ministers also signed a Statement of Partnership to Prevent, Investigate, Prosecute, and Disrupt Cross-Border Crime. Regular updates will be provided to evaluate progress in each of these areas. Ministers also took stock of other priority issues, including transnational repression and foreign interference, and the situations in Ukraine and Haiti. Our countries share a strong commitment to promoting democratic resilience and will continue to bolster our information sharing to combat transnational threats to democracy, including foreign interference. The United States and Canada firmly deplore Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The United States and Canada will continue to collaborate with their allies and the international community to safeguard Ukrainian sovereignty, seize and freeze assets subject to sanctions, counter state-sponsored disinformation, and support accountability mechanisms for war crimes and other atrocities. Ministers also reinforced their respective countries’ commitments to provide aid to Haiti to combat gang violence and shore up the Police Nationale d’Haïti. They shared their appreciation for the close collaboration among various departments and agencies to coordinate capacity building and equipment procurement efforts for the safety and security of citizens in Haiti. Both countries remain committed to exploring joint law enforcement actions in Haiti.


title: Fairfield County man pleads guilty to armed bank robberies in Athens, Marietta

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: COLUMBUS, Ohio – A career bank robber pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to armed bank robberies in Athens and Marietta in 2020. The plea includes an agreed-upon sentence of more than 13 years in federal prison. William E. Johnson, 58, of Lancaster, admitted to committing armed robberies in August 2020 in Athens and October 2020 in Marietta. Johnson’s plea agreement details that on Aug. 17, 2020, he brandished a firearm at Hocking Valley Bank on East State Street in Athens. Johnson wore a prosthetic forehead and nose, skin-toned arm sleeves/gloves, makeup and a COVID mask, all designed to disguise his appearance. Johnson ordered employees to get on the floor and then emptied several drawers of cash. In total, he took more than $25,000. After stealing the cash, he tied the employees’ hands with zip ties. Johnson ordered the bank manager to give him the keys to the bank manager’s car and the manager complied. Johnson fled the bank in the stolen vehicle. On Oct. 22, 2020, Johnson robbed the Citizens Bank on North Second Street in Marietta. Johnson was wearing a full-length Halloween-style mask that made him appear to be an old man and wore a red hood pulled up around his face. Johnson possessed a gun and forced his way behind the tellers’ counter. He emptied several drawers, stealing $11,390. At the time, Johnson had a warrant out for his arrest for a pending indictment for a bank robbery in Williamstown, West Virginia. Law enforcement officers spotted Johnson driving in West Virginia on the evening of the Marietta bank robbery and pulled him over. Johnson attempted to flee on foot, telling officers they would have to kill him to take him into custody again. Officers tased Johnson and placed him under arrest. Officers searched Johnson’s vehicle and located more than $9,000 in cash, a loaded handgun, zip ties and his disguises. Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cincinnati Division; the Athens, Marietta, Williamstown, W.Va. and Parkersburg, W.Va. police departments; the Washington County and Wood County, W.Va. sheriff’s offices; and the West Virginia State Police announced the guilty plea entered on April 27 before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Noah R. Litton and S. Courter Shimeall are representing the United States in this case. # # #


title: Omaha Man Sentenced to 102 Months in Prison for Distribution of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Nebraska

body_text: United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Jeremy M. Boyd, 25, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for receipt and distribution and of child pornography. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Boyd to imprisonment for 102 months. There is no parole in the federal system. After completing his term of imprisonment, Boyd will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. Boyd must also pay an assessment of $1,500 to victims of child pornography offenses. On April 6, 2020, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) forwarded a CyberTip to the Nebraska Internet Crimes against Children (ICAC) Task Force in Lincoln, Nebraska. The CyberTip was received by NCMEC from MediaLab/Kik on February 27, 2020. Kik is a freeware instant messaging mobile app available for use on cell phones. According to the report, a Kik user uploaded several video files depicting child pornography. An investigator reviewed the video files and confirmed they depicted child pornography. Investigators used the Kik account information to obtain the suspect’s internet protocol (IP) address, which led them to Boyd’s residential address. Investigators obtained a warrant and searched the residence on July 2, 2020. Three devices (a black gaming computer, an LG Tribute smartphone, and a Lexar USB flash drive) were seized. Investigators interviewed Boyd, who made admissions about receiving and viewing child pornography and having previously used the Kik app. A forensic examination of the gaming computer yielded 16 additional digital videos depicting child pornography. At least one video depicts the sexual abuse or exploitation of a 3- to 5-year-old female. 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 . The case was investigated by the Nebraska Internet Crimes against Children (ICAC) Task Force.


title: Alliance Woman Sentenced for Drug Crime

body_text: United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Tiffany Davis, 40, of Alliance, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Lincoln for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Davis to 51 months of imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After her release from prison, Davis will begin a four-year term of supervised release. On November 5, 2021, officers pulled over Davis’s car in Alliance. Officers executed a search warrant on the car and located approximately 44 grams of actual methamphetamine in Davis’s purse. Davis was intending to distribute the methamphetamine. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Box Butte County Sheriff’s Office.


title: Tulsa Man Sentenced for Armed Robberies

body_text: United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Donovan Shaw, 29, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to interfere with commerce by way of robbery with two counts of interference with commerce by robbery, and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a robbery. Shaw’s co-defendant, Leonard Hatten, was convicted following a jury trial in March and is awaiting sentencing. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Shaw to 112 months’ imprisonment, five years of supervised release, and a $400 special assessment. There is no parole in the federal system. Shaw pleaded guilty to attempting to rob a Family Dollar store and robbing a Bucky’s gas station at gunpoint in Omaha. Shaw was also sentenced for robbing a Kwik Shop, a second Bucky’s location, a Tobacco Hut, and a Sergeant Peffer’s restaurant in Omaha. Shaw was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $4,073.41. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Omaha Police Department.


title: Leader of Calhoun County-based Drug Trafficking Ring Sentenced to over 30 Years in Prison

body_text: ANNISTON, Ala. – A federal judge yesterday sentenced the leader of a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy based in Calhoun County, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson. U.S. District Court Judge R. David Proctor sentenced Antonio Franchester Orr, aka Lil T, aka Tony , 47, of Eastaboga, to 372 months in prison. In January 2023, Orr pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine and attempt to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, along with fifty-five counts of use of a telephone to commit a drug trafficking crime. According to the plea agreement, Orr coordinated with a Mexican source of supply, using a broker out of an Alabama state prison, to obtain methamphetamine and other controlled substances and distribute them in the Calhoun County area. According to plea documents, Orr was responsible for possessing or attempting to possess over 30 kilograms of methamphetamine, and overseeing the distribution of various other substances, including cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. Over the course of the investigation, agents seized over 20 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1 kilogram of cocaine, multiple firearms, and bulk currency from members from Orr and other members of his drug trafficking organization. “Armed drug traffickers will go to extreme lengths to profit from deadly drugs with no regard to the pain and devastation they cause our communities, and we will not tolerate it,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to target individuals who illegally possess firearms and push illegal and dangerous drugs in our communities.” “This outstanding collaboration between federal and local law enforcement agencies illustrates the continuing unified goal to keeping our community safe,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Thorne-James. “We are committed to investigating drug trafficking organizations that profit from the distribution of methamphetamine and other illegal and dangerous narcotics. The sentence imposed should be a warning to those thinking of polluting our communities with these addictive substances. “The ATF worked collaboratively and tirelessly with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to arrest and charge the members of this criminal organization,” said ATF SAC Watson. “We will continue to use all of our resources to disrupt the illegal possession of firearms, distribution of narcotics, and other acts of violence within the communities that we serve.” A total of 11 defendants have pleaded guilty to charges in the indictment returned in July 2022. The indictment was a result of a year-long Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) investigation into the drug-trafficking enterprise based in Calhoun County. The task force identified acts in furtherance of the conspiracy committed by members of the organization over a period of six months. Six of the defendants have now been sentenced, and five remaining defendants await sentencing. The DEA and the ATF investigated the case, along with assistance from the Anniston Police Department, Oxford Police Department, 7 th Judicial Circuit Major Crimes Unit, Calhoun County District Attorney’s Office, Talladega County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, Pell City Police Department, West Alabama Narcotics Task Force, Blount County Sheriff’s Department, and the Alabama National Guard Joint Counter Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allison Garnett and Blake Milner are prosecuting the case. This investigation is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), Operation “Lengua Doble.” OCDETF is an independent component of the U.S. Department of Justice. Established in 1982, OCDETF is the centerpiece of the Attorney General’s strategy to combat transnational-organized-crime and to reduce the availability of illicit narcotics in the nation by using a prosecutor-led, multi-agency approach to enforcement. OCDETF leverages the resources and expertise of its partners in concentrated, coordinated, long-term enterprise investigations of transnational organized crime, money laundering, and major drug trafficking networks.


title: Former West Virginia Parole Officer Sentenced for Witness Tampering

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: A former West Virginia regional director of parole for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation in Parkersburg, West Virginia, was sentenced yesterday in federal court in the Southern District of West Virginia to 87 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release for witness tampering. David Jones, 51, admitted that earlier this year, he deliberately withheld information and lied to state and federal investigators during their investigations of sexual misconduct by a state parole officer whom Jones supervised. Jones also admitted that, on multiple occasions from 2020 to this year, he repeatedly instructed a witness in the same investigation to lie to federal investigators and to destroy and withhold evidence. Specifically, Jones admitted both that he encouraged the witness to delete recordings she had of the parole officer sexually harassing her and he instructed the witness to delete evidence of his communications with her. “The defendant interfered with state and federal investigations of egregious sexual misconduct by a state parole officer the defendant was supposed to supervise,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously investigate and hold accountable individuals who obstruct and interfere with federal criminal civil rights investigations.” “David Jones’ attempt to cover up Anthony DeMetro’s reprehensible conduct makes the victim’s courage all the more commendable,” said U.S. Attorney Will Thompson for the Southern District of West Virginia. “Far too often, survivors of crime don’t seek justice because they are afraid that no one will believe them or that those in authority will betray them as David Jones tried to do in this case. We must be relentless in holding individuals like Mr. Jones accountable for their misconduct while ensuring that survivors are heard, believed, and supported.” “Mr. Jones crossed a line and abused his position of public trust by asking a witness to lie and delete evidence in a criminal investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Mike Nordwall of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office. “As the Regional Director of Parole in West Virginia, he was entrusted to uphold the law. Instead, he attempted to use his official capacity to influence a sexual misconduct investigation. This sentencing is a reminder that the FBI is committed to ensuring those who violate the public’s trust are held accountable.” The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office investigated the case. Special Litigation Counsel Kathryn E. Gilbert and Trial Attorney Daniel E. Grunert of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monica Coleman and Nowles Heinrich for the Southern District of West Virginia prosecuted the case.


title: Former Stoneham Police Officer Indicted for Wire Fraud

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A former detective sergeant for the Stoneham Police Department has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly concealing his history of evictions and using a family member’s credit report to obtain an apartment lease and then defrauding his landlord by intentionally withholding rent payments. Robert Kennedy, 53, of Stoneham, was indicted on two counts of wire fraud. Kennedy was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint with one count of wire fraud on March 31, 2023. According to the charging documents, Kennedy defrauded his last three landlords by providing materially false and misleading information in his rental applications to obtain the respective apartment leases. After moving in, it is alleged that Kennedy would intentionally withhold rent payments, despite making $141,000 - $187,000 a year from the Stoneham Police Department. As a result, Kennedy lived in the apartments rent-free by allegedly taking advantage of the slow eviction process. Specifically, it is alleged that Kennedy defrauded his most recent landlord by submitting materially false and fraudulent information during the rental application process. The landlord required Kennedy to submit to a tenant screening service, which included a credit check and eviction history check. Instead of providing his own date of birth and social security number to the tenant screening service – which would likely have shown Kennedy’s history of collections, delinquent payments, defaults and evictions – Kennedy allegedly provided the date of birth and social security number of a relative who shared his first and last name. The landlord relied on the information from the fraudulently obtained tenant screening report to approve Kennedy’s rental application and give Kennedy a lease for the apartment. It is further alleged that Kennedy immediately and intentionally violated the terms of the lease by giving the landlord bad checks for his rent and security deposit and failing to make subsequent rent payments. Kennedy lived in the apartment for approximately four months without making rent payments and currently owes the landlord approximately $14,000 in overdue rent. The charges of wire fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Stoneham Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elysa Q. Wan of Rollins’ Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao, Chief of Rollins’ Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit, are prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Convicted Child Rapist Sentenced for Naturalization Fraud and Judicially Denaturalized

component: USAO - North Carolina, Eastern

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. – Yesterday in federal court, Cruz Miguel Aguina, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle to eight months in prison following a guilty plea to immigration fraud. Moreover, Aguina was judicially denaturalized as a U.S. citizen. According to court records, on July 3, 2019, Aguina fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship by making materially false statements under oath regarding his naturalization application. In response to the question “Were you EVER involved in any way with any of the following:…Forcing, or trying to force, someone to have any kind of sexual contact or relations?” he answered “No.” Also, in response to the question “Have you ever committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?” he answered “No.” On June 16, 2022, in the Superior Court of North Carolina in Johnston County, Aguina was convicted of statutory rape of a child. He was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of between 240 and 348 months and ordered to register as a sex offender. According to the transcript of plea and judgment issued by the court, Aguina confessed to having committed the crime from January 1, 2019, through December 30, 2019. Therefore, the offense was ongoing at the time he made the false statements for his naturalization application. Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. Agents with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations, assigned to the Document Benefit Fraud Task Force, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sebastian Kielmanovich prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-253-1BO-RJ.


title: Convicted Child Molester Sentenced for Attempted Naturalization Fraud

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. – Armando Marinero-Garcia, age 49, a permanent resident of the United States, born in Mexico and residing in Johnston County, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle to five months in prison following a guilty plea to attempted naturalization fraud. According to court records, on June 1, 2018, Marinero attempted to fraudulently obtain U.S. citizenship by making materially false statements under penalty of perjury regarding his naturalization application. In response to the question “Were you EVER involved in any way with any of the following:…Forcing, or trying to force, someone to have any kind of sexual contact or relations?” he answered “No.” Also, in response to the question “Have you EVER committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense for which you were NOT arrested?” he answered “No.” On June 14, 2022, in the Superior Court of North Carolina in Wake County, Marinero was convicted of four counts of indecent liberties with a child and one count of crime against nature. He was sentenced to a combined term of imprisonment of 100 months and ordered to register as a sex offender. According to the transcript of plea and judgments issued by the court, Marinero committed the crimes on August 1, 2016. Therefore, the statements he made on his naturalization application were false. Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. Agents with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations, assigned to the Document Benefit Fraud Task Force, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sebastian Kielmanovich prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-252-1BO-RN.