title: Gary Man Convicted of Drug Conspiracy and Using a Firearm to Commit Murder

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

body_text: HAMMOND- Devonte Hodge, 32 years old, of Gary, Indiana, was found guilty of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (cocaine and 100 grams of heroin) and using a firearm to commit murder following a 6-day jury trial presided over by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson. Hodge is scheduled for sentencing December 5, 2024. Any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the District Court Judge after consideration of federal statutes and the United States Sentencing Guidelines. This case was investigated by the FBI/GRIT Task Force and the ATF/HIDTA Task Force with the assistance of the Hobart Police Department, the Indiana State Police, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, the Gary Police Department, the Kokomo Police Department, and the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office. The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Nozick and Joel Mathur. 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: Two Found Guilty in Brutal Revenge Kidnappings and Murders That Occurred Three Days After Christmas 2017

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: WASHINGTON – Malique Lewis, 26, and Marcel Vines, 28, were found guilty by a federal jury in the armed kidnappings of Armani Nico Coles and Kerrice Lewis in Washington, D.C., on December 28, 2017, which resulted in the brutal revenge killings of both victims later that evening. The verdict, handed up yesterday, followed a four-week trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County (MD) Police Department. U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich will schedule sentencing for Lewis, aka “Freak,” and Vines, aka “Baby Boy,” in the coming days. Both men face two consecutive mandatory-minimum sentences of life imprisonment. According to the government’s evidence at trial, Lewis and Vines conspired with a third co-defendant to kidnap and kill Nico Coles and Kerrice Lewis, who has no relation to defendant Lewis, out of a desire for revenge. Earlier that day, the victims’ friend shot and killed the defendants’ friend, Ronzay Green. The defendants knew who killed Green and decided to retaliate against that man, travelling across the city to his neighborhood to look for him. When they arrived, they saw Ms. Lewis, who they recognized as friends with the man who killed Green, and began to follow her. Between approximately 2:45 and 3:00 pm, at an AutoZone parking lot in the 900 block of Longfellow Street Northwest, the defendants kidnapped Kerrice Lewis. Armed with an assault rifle and a .45 caliber firearm, Lewis and Vines held Ms. Lewis in the backseat of her own vehicle while they drove her car across the city with the intent that she would lure the man who killed Green to them. Unsuccessful, the defendants then used Ms. Lewis’ phone to lure Nico Coles to a location near First and Kennedy Streets Northwest, believing Mr. Coles could lead them to the man responsible for Green’s murder. At approximately 6:00 p.m. that same evening, the defendants kidnapped Nico Coles. They forced Mr. Coles into the backseat of Ms. Lewis’ car and forced Ms. Lewis into the trunk of her own car. As the defendants drove Ms. Lewis’ vehicle towards their Clay Terrace neighborhood, they encountered traffic on Interstate 295 in Maryland. While in traffic, the defendants shot Mr. Coles twice, and then pushed the mortally injured man from the car onto the highway, leaving him on the shoulder of the Interstate as they fled into D.C. Approximately an hour later, the defendants drove Ms. Lewis’ vehicle, with Ms. Lewis still confined in her trunk, to an alley behind the 800 block of Adrian Street Southeast. The defendants then opened the trunk, shot Ms. Lewis at least 13 times, and set her remains and her vehicle on fire, before fleeing the scene. Analysis of the ballistic evidence from both scenes indicated that the same two firearms, a .45 caliber and a 7.62mm caliber, were used to kill both victims. Additionally, law enforcement recovered fingerprints from an item that was pushed out of Ms. Lewis’ car along with Mr. Coles’ body. Analysis of those fingerprints identified two prints as belonging to defendant Vines. The night after the murders, Lewis was captured on video at a McDonald’s drive-through, driving Mr. Coles’ missing vehicle. Shortly after the murders, Lewis also made statements, via text, bragging about them by sending news articles and saying, “we ain’t done”. Lewis and Vines were both arrested on January 5, 2018, on unrelated charges. Shortly thereafter, Lewis was charged by Prince George’s County States Attorney’s Office with the murder of Mr. Coles. In August 2018, Lewis and Vines were charged in D.C. Superior Court with both murders. The case was removed to federal court on May 23, 2019. Both defendants have been in custody since their arrest in January 2018. This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, with additional assistance provided by the United States Marshals Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberley Nielsen, George Eliopoulos, and Colleen Kukowski of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.


title: Fentanyl Importer/Supplier And Sex Trafficker Sentenced To Life In Prison

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Joseph Marion (41, St. Petersburg) to life in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and crack cocaine; distributing fentanyl; distributing a mixture of fentanyl and heroin that resulted in serious bodily injury; and possessing fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and crack cocaine with the intent to distribute it. As part of his sentence, the court also ordered Marion to forfeit the $13,190 that was recovered from his pocket at the time of his arrest, which represented proceeds from his criminal conduct. According to testimony and evidence presented at trial and sentencing, Marion imported fentanyl and fentanyl analogues from China via the U.S. mail. Marion blended and packaged the fentanyl himself and then sold fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and crack cocaine to multiple street dealers, each of whom further distributed those drugs to users. During the trial, one of those street dealers testified that she bought 40-100 bags of fentanyl from Marion each day, every day, for several years. Marion sold between 7.1 and 17.8 kilograms of fentanyl, enough to kill over 70,000 people, to just this one street dealer. In November 2019, a woman who was with Marion in his apartment snorted Marion’s fentanyl, thinking it was heroin, and nearly died. Paramedics arrived at the apartment and saved her life, though she was hospitalized for days afterward. In addition to importing and selling drugs, Marion also trafficked women for sex. He often recruited women who were addicted to his drugs and then advertised and “managed” them as prostitutes. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Secret Service, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Petersburg Police Department, and the Clearwater Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael M. Gordon. This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF .


title: Federal Firearms Licensee Pleads Guilty to Firearm Trafficking and Straw Purchasing Conspiracy

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to conspiring to illegally traffic and straw purchase firearms. Cory Daigle, 29, of Revere, pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in firearms; one count of illegal possession of a machine gun; one count of receipt or possession of unregistered firearm; one count of conspiracy to make false statements in records required to be kept by an FFL; and one count of aiding and abetting making false statements in records required to be kept by an FFL. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Nov. 20, 2024. Daigle was charged by criminal complaint in January 2023 along with Gustavo Rodriguez and Shakim Grant. He was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2023. Daigle was a licensed firearms dealer doing business as Steelworks Defense Solutions. From in or about August 2022 through November 2022, Daigle and Rodriguez conspired to create false entries in records required to be maintained by Daigle, an FFL, in order to conceal the illegal sale of multiple firearms via Grant to Rodriguez, who could not lawfully purchase or possess firearms. Specifically, Daigle and Grant made and signed false representations on required forms to disguise Rodriguez’s identity as the true firearm purchaser. Rodriguez is prohibited from possessing a firearm. Additionally, Daigle attempted to coverup the illegal straw purchase by providing false information to law enforcement. One of the guns sold by Daigle was used two weeks later in a shooting outside of Rodriguez’s residence. According to court documents, the same gun, was subsequently recovered from a juvenile in New Bedford by police. In January 2023, multiple guns were seized during a search of Daigle’s residence. They were found in numerous safes, as well as on furniture, in bedrooms, in drawers and in open areas throughout the residence. Grant pleaded guilty in May 2023 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 18, 2024. Rodriguez pleaded guilty on Nov. 13, 2023 and is awaiting sentencing. The charge of conspiracy to make false statements in records required to be kept by an FFL provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of aiding and abetting making false statements in records required to be kept by an FFL provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of trafficking in firearms provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of illegal possession of a machine gun provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of receipt or possession of an unregistered firearm provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the Revere Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.


title: Pulaski County Man Sentenced for Cyber Intrusion and Aggravated Identity Theft

component: USAO - Kentucky, Eastern

body_text: LONDON, Ky. – A Somerset, Ky., man, Jesse Kipf, 39, was sentenced to 81 months on Monday by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier, for computer fraud and aggravated identity theft. According to his plea agreement, Kipf intentionally accessed a computer without authorization and then obtained information from a protected computer for his own private gain and in furtherance of identity theft. Specifically, in January 2023, Kipf accessed the Hawaii Death Registry System, using the username and password of a physician living in another state, and created a “case” for his own death. Kipf then completed a State of Hawaii Death Certificate Worksheet, assigned himself as the medical certifier for the case and certified his death, using the digital signature of the doctor. This resulted in Kipf being registered as a deceased person in many government databases. Kipf admitted that he faked his own death, in part, to avoid his outstanding child support obligations. Kipf also infiltrated other states’ death registry systems, private business networks, and governmental and corporate networks using credentials he stole from real people. He then tried to sell access to these networks to potential buyers on the dark net, an overlay network within the internet that can only be accessed with specific software, configurations, or authorization and is commonly associated with the sale of illicit goods and services. “This scheme was a cynical and destructive effort, based in part on the inexcusable goal of avoiding his child support obligations,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “This case is a stark reminder of how damaging criminals with computers can be, and how critically important computer and online security is to us all. Fortunately, through the excellent work of our law enforcement partners, this case will serve as a warning to other cyber criminals, and he will face the consequences of his disgraceful conduct.” “Working in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, this defendant who hacked a variety of computer systems and maliciously stole the identity of others for his own personal gain, will now pay the price,” said Michael E. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office. “Victims of identity theft face lifelong impact and for that reason, the FBI will pursue anyone foolish enough to engage in this cowardly behavior.” Under federal law, Kipf must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years. The damage to governmental and corporate computer systems and his failure to pay his child support obligations amounted to a total of $195,758.65. United States Attorney Shier and Special Agent in Charge Stansbury; Russell Coleman, Attorney General of Kentucky; Anna E. Lopez, Attorney General for Hawaii; and Sheriff Bobby Jones, Pulaski County Sherriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence. The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by FBI Louisville, Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, Department of the Attorney General for Hawaii, and the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Dieruf prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. — END —


title: Owensboro Man Federally Indicted for Sexually Exploiting Children

component: USAO - Kentucky, Western

body_text: Owensboro, KY – A federal grand jury sitting in Bowling Green, Kentucky, returned a nine-count indictment on August 14, 2024, charging an Owensboro, Kentucky man with numerous offenses related to the sexual exploitation of children. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office, and Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. of the Kentucky State Police made the announcement. According to the indictment, Matthew D. Constant, 52, was charged with two counts of online enticement of a minor, three counts of receipt of child pornography, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, and two counts of transferring obscene material to a minor. The defendant made an initial court appearance on August 19, 2024, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The Court ordered the defendant detained pending trial. If convicted, Constant faces a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system. This case is being investigated by FBI Owensboro and the Kentucky State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leigh Ann Dycus, of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office, is prosecuting this case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.” The FBI Louisville Field Office is seeking to identify potential victims of Mathew D. Constant. If you are your minor dependent(s) have information about Constant, please contact the FBI at MCtips@fbi.gov. Your responses are voluntary but may be useful in the federal investigation in identifying you or your child as a potential victim. Victims may be eligible for certain services, restitution, and rights under federal and/or state law. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: U.S. Attorney's Office and ATF Announce Criminal Charges Against California Man for Unlicensed Firearms Dealing and Financial Crimes

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A California man was charged by superseding indictment for allegedly engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license, interstate travel in furtherance of that offense, and conducting unlawful financial transactions to promote the scheme. Brian Joseph , 52, appeared before a federal judge and will remain on conditions of release pending trial, which has not been scheduled. According to the indictment, between October 15, 2021, and November 29, 2022, Joseph allegedly engaged in the business of dealing firearms in Bernalillo County and elsewhere without being a licensed firearms dealer. To achieve this, Joseph traveled from California to New Mexico on multiple occasions to acquire firearms and resell them at a profit in California. In addition to the firearms charges, Joseph is accused of conducting financial transactions involving proceeds from the unlawful firearms dealings. Specifically, Joseph allegedly executed electronic fund transfers from Wescom Credit Union to PNC Bank on various dates in 2022 totaling $6,684.80. If convicted, Joseph faces up to 20 years in prison. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Brendan Iber, Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement today. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico is prosecuting the case. View the Superseding Indictment An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. # # #


title: Justice Department Announces Civil Rights Investigation into Conditions at Tennessee’s Trousdale Turner Correctional Center

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: The Justice Department announced today that it has opened an investigation into the conditions at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, a Tennessee Department of Correction facility operated by the private correctional management company CoreCivic. Trousdale Turner, located approximately an hour outside of Nashville, is Tennessee’s largest correctional facility. Based on an extensive review of publicly available information and information gathered from stakeholders, the department has found significant justification to open this investigation, including state audits that have flagged dangerous understaffing and safety concerns since Trousdale Turner first opened in 2016. The investigation will examine whether Tennessee protects those incarcerated at Trousdale Turner from harm, including physical violence and sexual abuse. “People are incarcerated at Trousdale Turner as punishment for their crimes, but in our legal system, punishment does not and cannot include violence and sexual abuse,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is launching this comprehensive investigation to determine if there are systemic constitutional violations regarding the treatment of people in this privately-run correctional facility. We are committed to protecting the constitutional rights of people held inside jails and prisons across our country.” “Publicly available information suggests that Trousdale Turner has been plagued by serious problems since it first opened its doors,” said United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis. “This includes reports of staffing shortages, physical and sexual assaults, murders, and a 188% turnover rate among prison guards just last year. Although CoreCivic owns and operates Trousdale, the State of Tennessee is ultimately responsible for the safety of the people incarcerated there. This investigation seeks to determine whether Tennessee is meeting its constitutional obligations.” The Justice Department notified State officials of the investigation earlier today and pledged that the department will work cooperatively with them in conducting the investigation and identifying solutions to any problems that are uncovered. The department has not reached any conclusions regarding the allegations in this matter. The investigation will be conducted under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. This statute gives the department the authority to investigate systemic violations of the rights of individuals in institutional settings, including prisons. The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section is conducting this investigation jointly with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the department via phone at 888-392-7031 or by email at community.trousdaleturner@usdoj.gov . Additional information about the Civil Rights Division’s work regarding correctional facilities is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt/rights-persons-confined-jails-and-prisons .


title: Deltona Man Pleads Guilty To Transferring Unregistered Firearms

body_text: Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that James Edward Snider, Jr., (25, Deltona) has pleaded guilty to transferring unregistered firearms. Snider faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, and sentencing is set for December 11, 2024. According to court documents, Snider transferred one or more machinegun conversion devices that were not lawfully registered. A search of Snider’s residence located additional machinegun conversion devices and firearm silencers. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Nate. 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: Couple Admits COVID-19 Loan Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: TRENTON N.J. – A New Jersey couple admitted fraudulently obtaining approximately $790,000 in federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) payments, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. Diana Valteri, 42, and Edmond Haxhillari, 43, of Sparta, New Jersey, and Cypress, Texas, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch in Trenton federal court on Aug. 19, 2024, to informations charging them with wire fraud and money laundering. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Valteri and Haxhillari are a married couple who from June 2020 through August 2020 participated in a fraudulent scheme to receive $790,000 in COVID-19 emergency relief loans and cash advances meant for distressed small businesses under the EIDL program. Valteri and Haxhillari submitted fraudulent loan applications on behalf of several businesses that purported to have employees and revenue, but were actually shell companies with no business operations. After receiving the EIDL funds based on their fraud, Valteri and Haxhillari diverted the proceeds for their own personal gain. The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and the money laundering charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Each charge also carries a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain to the defendants or gross loss to the victim, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 22, 2025. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy; special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan; special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Boston-New York Field Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bradley Parker, and special agents from the Small Business Administration, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Eastern Regional Office, with the investigation leading to the charges. The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Fatime Meka Cano and Aja Espinosa of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . haxhillari.information.pdf valteri.information.pdf


title: Justice Department Announces Civil Rights Investigation into Conditions at Tennessee's Trousdale Turner Correctional Center

component: Civil Rights - Special Litigation Section

body_text: NASHVILLE – United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Henry C. Leventis and Assistant Attorney General Kristin Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced today that the Justice Department has opened an investigation into the conditions at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, a Tennessee Department of Correction facility operated by the private correctional management company CoreCivic. Trousdale Turner, located approximately an hour outside of Nashville, is Tennessee’s largest correctional facility. Based on an extensive review of publicly available information and information gathered from stakeholders, the department has found significant justification to open this investigation, including state audits that have flagged dangerous understaffing and safety concerns since Trousdale Turner first opened in 2016. The investigation will examine whether Tennessee protects those incarcerated at Trousdale Turner from harm, including physical violence and sexual abuse. “Publicly available information suggests that Trousdale Turner has been plagued by serious problems since it first opened its doors,” said United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis. “This includes reports of staffing shortages, physical and sexual assaults, murders, and a 188% turnover rate among prison guards just last year. Although CoreCivic owns and operates Trousdale, the State of Tennessee is ultimately responsible for the safety of the people incarcerated there. This investigation seeks to determine whether Tennessee is meeting its constitutional obligations.” “People are incarcerated at Trousdale Turner as punishment for their crimes, but in our legal system, punishment does not and cannot include violence and sexual abuse,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke. “The Justice Department is launching this comprehensive investigation to determine if there are systemic constitutional violations regarding the treatment of people in this privately-run correctional facility. We are committed to protecting the constitutional rights of people held inside jails and prisons across our country.” The Justice Department notified State officials of the investigation earlier today and pledged that the department will work cooperatively with them in conducting the investigation and identifying solutions to any problems that are uncovered. The department has not reached any conclusions regarding the allegations in this matter. The investigation will be conducted under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. This statute gives the department the authority to investigate systemic violations of the rights of individuals in institutional settings, including prisons. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee is conducting this investigation jointly with the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section. Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the department via phone at 888-392-7031 or by email at community.trousdaleturner@usdoj.gov . Additional information about the Civil Rights Division’s work regarding correctional facilities is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt/rights-persons-confined-jails-and-prisons . # # # # #


title: Owner Of Insurance Firm Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For $40 Million Scheme To Steal Client Healthcare Funds And Defraud Lenders

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that ANTHONY RICCARDI, an owner and manager of the Connecticut insurance firm Employee Benefit Solutions LLC (“EBS”), was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. Between 2015 and 2019, RICCARDI and his co-conspirators used EBS as part of a widespread, $40 million scheme to misappropriate and steal client healthcare funds and defraud multiple lenders. RICCARDI previously pled guilty on February 21, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern, who imposed today’s sentence. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “For years, Anthony Riccardi schemed to abuse his position of trust by stealing millions in fiduciary money that was meant to pay for important employee healthcare expenses. He used this stolen money to fund a lavish lifestyle that included luxury cars and a sprawling mansion. To keep the scheme going, Riccardi also defrauded lenders out of millions. Today’s sentence underscores that no matter how complex the scheme, those who use their positions defraud others and enrich themselves will answer for their crimes. According to the Indictment, the Complaint, other court filings, and statements made during court proceedings: From at least 2015 and continuing through 2019, RICCARDI was the 50% co-owner and Executive Vice President of EBS, which offered a variety of healthcare insurance-related services to clients. EBS, among other things, provided third party healthcare claims administration (“TPA”) services to clients that elected to “self-fund” (or self-insure) their employee healthcare plans. As a TPA, EBS would purportedly administer, process, and pay healthcare claims for its clients’ employees in exchange for an administrative fee. Between at least 2015 and continuing through 2019, EBS represented an automobile dealership chain (“Company-1”) headquartered in Westchester County, New York. EBS served as a TPA for Company-1’s self-funded employee healthcare program and purported to process and pay claims to medical providers that treated Company-1’s employees. To do this, EBS generated bimonthly “check register” invoices for Company-1 that listed all employee healthcare expenses from healthcare providers during that two-week period. EBS also administered a bank account on Company-1’s behalf for the express purpose of paying Company-1 healthcare claims. Company-1 would fund each check register by paying the invoiced amount, expecting that EBS would promptly pay the claims to the healthcare providers. During this period, Company-1 transferred approximately $26 million to EBS for the payment of healthcare claims. In reality, a significant number of purported checks listed on the EBS “check register” invoices were never actually deposited by the healthcare providers. Instead, approximately $17.87 million in Company-1 healthcare payments were misappropriated with the overwhelming majority simply transferred by EBS into its own operating account, where they were used for non-healthcare expenses by the managers and owners of EBS. For example, a review of bank records indicates that Company-1 healthcare funds were used by RICCARDI and his co-conspirators to pay their home mortgage expenses as well as a personal credit card account with expenses relating to boating, luxury cars, and golf. EBS, through RICCARDI and his co-conspirators, made decisions on what few Company-1 healthcare claims they did pay based on which healthcare providers were likely to complain if they did not receive payment or if the claims were connected to Company-1 executives. The “check registers” sent to Company-1 also contained millions of dollars in fraudulent or inflated healthcare claims that were eventually paid by Company-1. EBS routinely inflated the Company-1 check registers at the direction of RICCARDI and his co-conspirators. Such efforts were typically accomplished through RICCARDI and his co-conspirators instructing others to manually create fraudulent entries in the EBS claims processing software, including fake claims under the name of a business controlled by RICCARDI. RICCARDI and his co-conspirators also took steps to conceal their fraud from Company-1 by creating and sending manipulated and fabricated bank statements and checks to create the appearance that healthcare claims were being paid by EBS, when in reality, they were not. By mid-2017, as EBS buckled under mounting outstanding fiduciary obligations, RICCARDI and his co-conspirators began an elaborate effort to conceal and perpetuate the ongoing fraud on Company-1 by applying for multiple fraudulent bank loans and merchant cash advances designed in part to pay various fiduciary obligations that EBS owed to Company-1. RICCARDI and his co-conspirators fraudulently applied for and received millions of dollars in loans under the auspices of financing the purchase of upgraded billing software for EBS, which included RICCARDI and his co-conspirators submitting fabricated invoices from a fake company that supposedly sold the billing software. * * * In addition to the prison term, RICCARDI, 46, of New Canaan, Connecticut, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. He was additionally ordered to pay $14,870,653.36 in restitution and forfeit $2,000,000.00. RICCARDI’s co-defendant, Patricia Riccardi, was previously sentenced to 30 months in prison following her guilty plea to one count of conspiring to commit wire fraud and bank fraud before Judge Halpern. RICCARDI’s co-conspirator, Erin Verespy, was previously sentenced to 66 months in prison following her guilty plea to one count of conspiring to commit wire fraud and bank fraud before U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Mr. Williams also thanked the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration; the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and the U.S. Secret Service, which are assisting in the investigation, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas S. Bradley is in charge of the prosecution.


title: West Palm Beach Sex Offender Sentenced to 5 Years’ Imprisonment after Jury Convicts for Failure to Properly Register

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – On Aug. 19, Ramon Fuertes, a/k/a “Raymond Cortez,” of West Palm Beach, Fla. was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment after a federal jury convicted him of four counts of failure of a sex offender to properly register, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2250(a). According to evidence introduced during the trial, Fuertes had been convicted in 2009 in federal court for sex trafficking of a minor and enticement of a minor. In 2018, upon completion of his federal prison sentence, Fuentes registered as a sex offender. In January and May 2023, Fuertes created and used two email addresses and a social networking account. Fuertes did not properly register these internet identifiers with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) as required by the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Moreover, on June 2, 2023, Fuertes vacated his West Palm Beach residence and flew to Georgia to live without notifying the proper authorities in the Southern District of Florida that he was terminating his residence in that jurisdiction and commencing his residence in another jurisdiction. As the evidence at trial showed, while in Georgia, Fuertes did not properly register as a sex offender and by late July 2023, stopped communicating with law enforcement in Georgia and Florida about his whereabouts. An arrest warrant was issued for Fuertes shortly thereafter. He was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Fugitive Task Force on Oct. 24, 2023. In April 2024, a West Palm Beach jury convicted Fuertes after a six-day trial. On July 18, 2024, U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian sentenced Fuertes to 60 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 60 months’ supervised release. In imposing the sentence, Judge Damian noted that Fuertes “has a history of noncompliance with rules.” U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and U.S. Marshal Gadyaces S. Serralta of the USMS made the announcement. USMS Miami investigated this matter, with assistance from PBSO, FBI, and Georgia Bureau of Investigations, as well as the Dekalb County Sheriff’s Office, Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, and Gwinnett County Police Department, all in Georgia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller prosecuted the case. You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 23-CR-80208. ###


title: Middlesex County Man Charged with Production and Possession of Child Pornography

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A Middlesex County, New Jersey, man was charged with producing and possessing photos depicting child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. Anthony Lagotta Jr., 54, of Plainsboro, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count each of production and possession of child pornography. He had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacey D. Adams in Newark federal court and was detained. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Approximately 15 years ago, Lagotta sexually assaulted two minor victims and took photos depicting that abuse. In July 2022, Lagotta uploaded approximately 30 of those images to a child pornography website hosted on the darknet. During a search of Lagotta’s residence on Aug. 19, 2024, authorities discovered on Lagotta’s computer approximately 700 images depicting sexual abuse of one of those two minor victims, including some of the same images that Lagotta had previously posted on the darknet forum. The charge of production of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charge of possession of child pornography carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited FBI Newark’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges. U.S. Attorney Sellinger also thanked the Plainsboro Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. 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 the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel Douek of the General Crimes Unit in Newark. The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. lagotta.complaint.pdf


title: Devon Physician Agrees to Pay $8,000 to Resolve Alleged Controlled Substances Act Violations

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Daniel Rubino, M.D., has agreed to pay $8,000 to resolve allegations that he violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) by dispensing and distributing Schedule III and Schedule IV controlled substances without an effective prescription issued for a legitimate medical purpose. The United States’ investigation involved Dr. Rubino’s self-prescribing practices at his medical office, Daniel T. Rubino, P.C., located at 176 E. Conestoga, Devon, Pa., 19333. As part of the settlement, Rubino has entered into a two-year Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which includes additional responsibilities regarding the handling of controlled substances. The MOA imposes compliance obligations significantly more stringent than those in the applicable laws and regulations. Between March 2020 and December 2022, DEA investigators discovered that Rubino was self-prescribing Schedule III and IV medications while he treated patients at his medical office, specifically buprenorphine and eszopiclone. During this time period, DEA identified that Rubino had written approximately 44 prescriptions to himself, and that he had done so without the oversight of a prescribing physician and with no initial assessments, reevaluations, or routine monthly visits with a full assessment of his chronic pain and urinalysis. Accordingly, Rubino repeatedly dispensed or distributed Schedule III and IV controlled substances to himself without an effective prescription in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 829(b) and 21 C.F.R. § 1306.04. Congress enacted the CSA to deter the illegal importation, manufacture, distribution, possession, and improper use of controlled substances, including prescription medications, and requires individuals and entities registered with the DEA to maintain complete and accurate records of all controlled substances and security systems so that controlled substances are no lost, stolen, or inappropriately dispensed. “Physicians who dispense and distribute Schedule III and IV controlled substances to themselves are engaging in a form of diversion,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Physicians and pharmacists have a responsibility to ensure that all controlled substances are tracked through a distribution chain and are prescribed in the usual course of professional practice. Our office is committed to ensuring total compliance with the Controlled Substances Act and we will vigorously enforce violations whenever we find them. Self-prescribing by physicians is no exception.” “The goal of DEA’s closed system of distribution is to create accountability for controlled substances – this includes accountability for physicians who self-prescribe controlled substances,” said Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s Philadelphia Field Division. “By self-prescribing numerous prescriptions for controlled substances over the course of more than two years, Rubino violated this closed system and created an environment where controlled substances could not be tracked through a distribution chain. As a pain management physician himself, Rubino should have known better.” The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates its emphasis on combating diversion of controlled substances. The dispensing and distributing requirements applicable to DEA registrants, including physicians, are the tools by which the DEA deters drug diversion. The investigation was conducted by the DEA’s Philadelphia Field Division, and the investigation and settlement were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah W. Frey and Anthony Scicchitano.


title: U.S. Attorney Dena J. King Delivers Remarks At Law Enforcement Officer Safety Training

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, delivered opening remarks today at the VALOR Officer Safety and Resilience Training in Charlotte. The program focuses on enhancing all aspects of safety, wellness, resilience, and performance for those who serve in law enforcement. More than 120 law enforcement officers and personnel from federal, state, and local agencies from across North Carolina are participating in the training, which is sponsored by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance as part of the VALOR initiative. This initiative aims to enhance officer resilience; provide the necessary tools to navigate the challenges of a career in law enforcement; promote officer safety; and help prevent the injuries and deaths of law enforcement officers and the people they serve. The program offers resources and practical strategies informed by real-world scenarios and the latest research to assist law enforcement with managing the stressors and risks that come with the job, develop skills to defuse dangerous situations, and strengthen officer safety and performance. In her address, U.S. Attorney King expressed her gratitude to those who serve in law enforcement, highlighting their critical role as the frontline defenders of our communities. “Our law enforcement officers’ dedication and courage serve as the foundation of our justice system,” said U.S. Attorney King. “I want to thank our brave men and women in law enforcement for working hard every day to make our neighborhoods safer, protect our children from harm, and uphold the principles of justice with honor and dignity.” U.S. Attorney King also talked about the significant risks that come with a career in law enforcement, and paid tribute to fallen officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. “The officers who made the ultimate sacrifice exemplify the highest ideals of the profession,” said U.S. Attorney King. “We honor their memory by continuing to fight for the principles they stood for – justice, integrity, and the protection of the innocent.” U.S. Attorney King closed her remarks by reinforcing the commitment of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Justice Department to helping law enforcement officers and the communities they serve stay safe and well.


title: Former Mail Carrier Convicted of Receiving Bribes, Fraud Conspiracy and Drug Conspiracy

body_text: CAMDEN, N.J. – A former U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier has been convicted of bribery, fraud, and conspiracy charges, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. Emerson Pavilus, 49, of Union, New Jersey, was convicted on Aug. 15, 2024, on all three counts of an indictment charging him with receiving bribes as a public official, conspiring to defraud the United States, and conspiring to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. The jury returned the verdict following a trial before U.S. Circuit Court Judge Stephanos Bibas, sitting by designation in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. According to documents filed in this case and the evidence presented at trial: Pavilus was a mail carrier at the post office in Flanders, New Jersey. From at least 2015 to 2020, Pavilus received cash payments in exchange for helping individuals intercept packages containing illegal narcotics and other illicit materials. Pavilus provided his conspirators with addresses for vacant houses along his mail route to which they could ship illegal packages. Pavilus then intercepted those packages from the mail stream and personally delivered them to his conspirators in exchange for bribe payments at places other than the addresses listed on the packages. The bribery charge is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain from the offense, or three times the monetary equivalent of the bribe amount, whichever is greatest. The conspiracy to defraud the United States charge carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain from the offense, whichever is greater. The narcotics offense carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison, and a maximum fine of $250,000. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker; the USPS Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, in Newark, under the direction of Postal Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division, with the investigation leading to the guilty verdict. He also thanked the Irvington Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordann R. Conaboy and Mark J. McCarren.


title: Restaurant Owners Charged With Harboring Undocumented Workers

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Hua Yao Ke (38) and Ping Ping Zheng (37), both of Jacksonville, have been charged by criminal complaint with harboring undocumented workers for commercial advantage and private financial gain. Each faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. According to the complaints, Ke owned and operated the Kamiya 86 Sushi and Thai restaurant located in Ponte Vedra Beach. Zheng owned and operated the Kamiya 86 Asian Bistro and Sushi Bar located in Jacksonville Beach. At the restaurants, Zheng and Ke employed workers who were unlawfully present in the United States and who were not legally authorized to work in the United States. Contrary to federal law, they did not require the workers to provide documents to establish that they could legally work in the United States. Ke and Zheng also each owned a residence at which they provided rent-free housing to the undocumented workers. They provided the workers with free transportation between the houses and the restaurants. They also provided the workers with free food. They paid the workers in cash and did not withhold taxes and other payments from the workers’ wages. A complaint 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 Homeland Security Investigations and the Border Patrol, with assistance from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and the Jacksonville Beach Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.


title: White Earth Man Sentenced to Nearly 25 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography on the Red Lake Reservation

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – A White Earth man has been sentenced to 292 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for producing and attempting to produce child pornography, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to court documents, in December 2020, Ryan Edward Thompson, 34, a.k.a. “Ryan Edward Wayne Townsend,” knowingly used a minor in sexually explicit activity to produce pornography images. Using her school-issued laptop to message the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the 13-year-old victim disclosed that the defendant began sleeping in her room at night and sexually abusing her. Law enforcement responded and later discovered photographs of a sexual nature had been taken with the victim’s own cell phone. On February 1, 2024, a federal jury found Thompson guilty of two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography. He was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge John R. Tunheim. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Red Lake Department of Public Safety. The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the White Earth Nation Indian Child Welfare Services, the Red Lake Nation Victim Services, Fosston Public Schools, Minneapolis Public Schools, and the Family Advocacy Center of Northern Minnesota. The 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. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . If you need suicide or mental health crisis support, or are worried about someone else, please call or text 988 or visit the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline chat to connect with a trained crisis specialist. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary S. Riverso and Laura M. Provinzino prosecuted the case.


title: Cape Girardeau Postal Worker Sentenced to Prison for Stealing Mail

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: CAPE GIRARDEAU – A former U.S. Postal Service mail carrier who both stole and failed to deliver customers’ mail was sentenced Tuesday to 14 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp also ordered Robert Gafford, 34, to pay a $5,000 fine and restitution of $1,605. Gafford of Jackson, Missouri, was convicted by a jury in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in February of one count of delaying or destroying mail and one count of embezzlement of mail. Gafford worked out of the Cape Girardeau Post Office annex and was responsible for delivering mail on a rural route in or near Scott City, Missouri. In late 2021, the postmaster received complaints from a couple on Gafford’s route that they were not receiving mail and packages, according to evidence and testimony presented at the trial. The couple have Informed Delivery, a Postal Service program that provides pictures of the mail that is scheduled to be delivered that day. The couple sent postal officials images of missing mail. There were days when their mail was not delivered and officials found it at the Post Office and days in which the mail could not be located, according to evidence and trial testimony. When confronted by supervisors and told he must deliver the mail, Gafford said that he did not like the location of the victims’ mailbox, according to court records. He was also issued a written warning. Frustrated when their mail was still not being delivered, the couple mailed an Apple AirTag tracking device to themselves and traced it to Gafford’s home after it wasn’t delivered, the trial showed. A special agent with the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General then sent a test piece of mail with a tracking device. Investigators watched as Gafford stopped at his personal vehicle before leaving post office property in his mail vehicle that day. They also independently tracked Gafford’s postal vehicle as he skipped the couple’s mailbox. They tracked the test piece to Gafford’s personal vehicle after he left for the day, then pulled him over and seized the test piece and the couple’s other undelivered mail from his SUV’s glove box, the trial showed. Gafford’s refusal to deliver the victims’ mail and eventual theft of their mail lasted months, despite postal officials “extraordinary efforts to simply get Gafford to do his job,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn wrote in a sentencing memo. “The victims of Gafford’s months long failure to deliver their mail endured constant apprehension of not receiving their mail, including packages ordered from Amazon, a victim’s operator’s license from the Missouri Department of Revenue, and other mail.” The memo says Gafford continued to steal mail after the jury’s verdict. In early 2024, the postmaster reported receiving complaints about missing mail from residents on Dalhousie Drive in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, according to the sentencing memo. The postmaster and the mail carrier for that route placed an AirTag in a package and monitored the package. On April 23, 2024, the package disappeared and the postmaster traced it to Gafford’s home, the memo says. A court-approved search on May 2, 2024, revealed the package, and two Arrow keys, which unlock U.S. Postal Service collection boxes, cluster boxes and other locks, the memo says. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Hahn and Christopher Shelton prosecuted the case.


title: Atlantic County Man Admits Possessing Unregistered Machineguns and Other Items

body_text: CAMDEN, N.J. – An Atlantic County, New Jersey, man today admitted possessing unregistered machineguns and other items, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Michael John James, 30, of Somers Point, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Keil to an information charging him with possessing unregistered machineguns and other firearms, as defined under the National Firearms Act. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: In February 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at James’ residence, where they recovered dozens of firearms and ballistics items. Among the recovered items were three operable machine guns, an operable weapon modified to be shorter than a standard rifle, an operable weapon modified to be shorter than a standard shotgun, and three silencers. James admitted that he possessed all of the items recovered from his residence. James also admitted that these machine guns and other firearms were operable when he possessed them. The charge to which James pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 30, 2024. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Ross A. Marchetti; special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker; personnel from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor William Reynolds; and officers of the Somers Point Police Department, under the direction of Chief Robert C. Somers, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest. The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn Waegener and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden. james.information.pdf


title: City of Los Angeles to Pay $20.8 Million for Discharging More Than 12 Million Gallons of Untreated Wastewater into Santa Monica Bay

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – The City of Los Angeles has agreed to pay a total of $20.8 million to fix issues at the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant and to complete related environmental projects in connection with the discharge of millions of gallons of wastewater into Santa Monica Bay in 2021. Hyperion, the City’s oldest and largest wastewater treatment facility, collects, treats, and disposes of wastewater for Los Angeles and several other municipalities, including Beverly Hills, Culver City, El Segundo, Santa Monica, San Fernando, and West Hollywood. Hyperion’s service area includes more than 4 million people. Hyperion treats an average of 260 million gallons of wastewater per day, of which 225 million gallons are discharged through its 5-Mile Outfall to the Santa Monica Bay and 35 million gallons are conveyed to a water recycling facility for advanced treatment and reuse. Treatment of wastewater begins in a portion of the facility called the Headworks area, which involves the use of bar screens to remove large objects such as branches, plastics, and rags, from the entering wastewater. “We in Southern California love our beaches and people in our community deserve clean waters free of contamination when they visit the beach,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “This agreement requires the City to take concrete steps and commit substantial funds to improving the Hyperion facility and thereby prevent a disaster like this from reoccurring. Our office is committed to protecting our environment and we will continue to use our federal authority to ensure the safe use of our natural resources for future generations.” In July 2021, the Headworks became inundated with debris, causing wastewater to flood that area. Hyperion’s relief system was triggered and approximately 12.5 million gallons of untreated wastewater was discharged through the Facility’s 1-Mile Outfall into the Santa Monica Bay. Offshore water quality testing and monitoring subsequently conducted around the 5-Mile Outfall showed exceedances of applicable water quality standards for total coliform bacteria, E. coli , and Enterococcus . To resolve the U.S. Attorney’s criminal investigation, the City has agreed to spend no less than $20 million to perform and complete various projects at Hyperion, which the City agreed to perform under an Administrative Order On Consent previously issued by the EPA. That work includes improvements on Hyperion’s Distributed Control System, such as integrating bar screens, level sensors and other ancillary equipment, integrating the alarm or status screens software to remove the antiquated alarms, training Hyperion operators responsible for control room operations on the updates, and constructing high-level channel overflow manage improvements. In addition, the City has agreed to continue and expand upon its water quality testing program in compliance with its permits and will add two additional water quality testing sites between Dockweiler Beach and King Harbor. The City will also complete its rapid bacteria testing study and seek accreditation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency so it can test for bacterial levels in ocean water on a more rapid basis. The City will also retain a qualified third-party auditor to conduct annual audits of Hyperion’s operations to determine whether it is in compliance with the work described above and the Clean Water Act Finally, the City has agreed to perform a one-year community outreach service project in coordination with the Los Angeles Sanitation and Environmental Department and a nonprofit. That work will include meetings with local government officials and community members, developing an improved emergency communications plan, and coordinating educational outreach with residents and schools. The cost of the additional monitoring, rapid bacteria testing study, and the community outreach project is estimated to be no less than $800,000. The United States Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division is investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Dennis Mitchell and Mark Williams of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Mack Jenkins, Chief of the Criminal Division, are prosecuting this case.


title: Mexican National Charged with Illegal Reentry After Committing an Aggravated Felony

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – A Mexican national has been indicted for unlawful reentry of a deported alien after committing an aggravated felony, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to court documents, Jonathan Chavez-Galarza, 27, was found in the United States after having been previously deported following a Second-Degree Assault with a Dangerous Weapon conviction in Hennepin County on December 5, 2018. The indictment charges Chavez-Galarza with one count of reentry of removed alien after an aggravated felony. Chavez-Galarza made his initial appearance on August 14, 2024, in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Green is prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Federal Jury Convicts Man of Possessing Multiple Firearms While Trafficking Fentanyl in Chicago Suburbs

component: USAO - Illinois, Northern

body_text: CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted a man on drug and firearm charges for possessing multiple guns while trafficking fentanyl and other narcotics in the Chicago suburbs. The jury on Friday found OMARI ANDREWS, JR. guilty of possessing an AR-15 style firearm and three handguns while trafficking fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana in Mt. Prospect, Ill., in 2023. The jury returned its verdicts after a week-long trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Prior to trial, Andrews pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl and heroin in Westmont, Ill., Villa Park, Ill., Des Plaines, Ill., and Hillside, Ill., in 2022 and 2023. Andrews, 24, of Mt. Prospect, Ill., has been detained in federal custody since his arrest in 2023. U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang set sentencing for Dec. 18, 2024. Andrews faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. The verdicts were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago. The Skokie, Ill. and Evanston, Ill. Police Departments provided valuable assistance. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alejandro G. Ortega and Sean Hennessy. Holding firearm and drug offenders accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) – the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.


title: Oregon Man Charged in Swatting and Bomb Threats Scheme That Targeted Jewish Hospitals in New York City and Long Island

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today, an indictment was unsealed charging Domagoj Patkovic with conspiring to make and making threats concerning explosives, conspiring to transmit and transmitting threatening communications, and conveying false information concerning explosives. Patkovic was arrested this morning at his residence in Portland, Oregon and will make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Youlee Yim Yu in U.S. District Court of Oregon later today. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Christie M. Curtis, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the charges. “As alleged, the defendant and his coconspirators, motivated by their hatred of Jewish people, targeted Jewish hospitals and care centers in New York City and on Long Island with hoax bomb threats, needlessly endangering patients and staff by creating chaos and alarm,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Our highest priority is ensuring all members of our community are protected and we will use all resources possible to prosecute dangerous bomb threats and swatting schemes to the fullest extent of the law.” Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to the New York City Police Department, Nassau County Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon for their assistance on the case. “Domagoj Patkovic allegedly issued a series of false bomb threats against Jewish healthcare facilities that prompted repeated emergency responses from local law enforcement and a partial evacuation from at least one hospital. These alleged actions incited unnecessary hysteria and redirected limited resources to mitigate a false alarm. The FBI will not tolerate those who utilize hoax bomb threat schemes to satisfy their anti-Semitic beliefs and endanger the wellbeing of our communities,” stated FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Curtis. As set forth in the indictment and in court filings, beginning at least as early as May 2021, the defendant and others made anonymous phone calls in which they made violent threats, including threats to detonate explosive devices, to Jewish hospitals and care centers within the Eastern District of New York, among other targets throughout the United States. The defendant himself made threats in at least six separate calls to hospitals and on a call with local law enforcement who had responded to a 911 notification from one of the hospitals. The defendant livestreamed the calls to others on an online social media and electronic communications service. On several occasions, local police responded to the scene and conducted bomb sweeps. On at least one occasion in September 2021, the hoax bomb threat resulted in a partial evacuation and lockdown of an entire hospital on Long Island. No explosive devices were ultimately found in any of the locations. The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, he faces up to 155 years’ imprisonment. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security & Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander A. Solomon, Laura Zuckerwise, and Andrew D. Reich are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Paralegal Specialist Wayne Colon. The Defendant : DOMAGOJ PATKOVIC Age: 31 Portland, Oregon E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-317 (RER)


title: Monroe Man Is Sentenced To Prison For Operating An Investment Scheme

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Christon Jermaine Brewer, 39, of Monroe, N.C., was sentenced today to 33 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of approximately $210,000 for operating an investment scheme, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, joins U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement. According to court records and court proceedings, from 2018 to 2022, Brewer executed a scheme to defraud at least ten victim-investors of more than $200,000. Brewer’s victims, including friends and acquaintances, were induced to invest in the scheme after Brewer promised he would invest their funds in the stock market. Brewer represented himself to victims as a wealthy investor, who had access to investment opportunities that would return profits and yield guaranteed returns. Relying upon Brewer’s false and fraudulent representations, victims sent thousands of dollars to the defendant in cash, or via mobile peer-to-peer payment methods, such as Apple Pay or Cash App. Contrary to promises he made to his victims, Brewer did not invest their money as agreed. Instead, he used it to pay for various personal expenses to support his lifestyle. While he was spending the victims’ money, Brewer convinced victims into believing their investments were safe, by sending them text messages that provided purported updates on their investments and screenshots falsely showing the high returns on their investments. On June 26, 2023, Brewer pleaded guilty to wire fraud. He is currently released on bond and will be ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. The FBI led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Bozin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.


title: Opa-Locka Felon Pleads Guilty To Stealing Firearm

body_text: Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Gee Seymour (31, Opa-Locka) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing a stolen firearm. Seymour faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison for each offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to the court documents, on December 13, 2023, Seymour entered a pawn shop in Clearwater and stole a Ruger LC9 9mm pistol from a display case. The next day, the store owner called the ATF Tampa office and the Clearwater Police Department to report the stolen firearm. Just after midnight, Seymour’s vehicle was stopped by officers from the St. Petersburg Police Department due to the vehicle having no operable lights. During the traffic stop, officers smelled the odor of marijuana and searched Seymour’s vehicle. The officers located the firearm he had stolen from the pawn shop the day before. On December 21, 2023, ATF agents interviewed Seymour who admitted that he had stolen the firearm and was a convicted felon at the time. As a convicted felon, Seymour is prohibited from possessing a firearm of ammunition under federal law. 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. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Clearwater Police Department, and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David W.A. Chee.


title: Sacramento County Man Pleads Guilty to Cyberstalking

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Michael Jameson Chand, 32, of Sacramento County, pleaded guilty today to cyberstalking, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, Chand intentionally engaged in a course of conduct to harass or intimidate the victim, Jane Doe, and used a cellphone and the internet to do so. This course of conduct caused Jane Doe substantial emotional distress, in part, because Chand had previously committed crimes against her. In 2017, Chand was convicted in California for offenses that included eliciting child sexual exploitation material from Jane Doe, who was 15 years old at the time. Chand was sentenced to two years in jail for that conviction. On Dec. 23, 2019, while on parole, Chand posted a public Facebook post under an alias, including Jane Doe’s full name, falsely claimed that she was dating a murderer, and asking, “please everybody help me get her into a mental hospital if you want her contact info let me know please.” Then, between June and October of 2020, he called her approximately 176 times and left 63 voicemail messages. Many of the voicemail messages contained insults and threats against Jane Doe and her family. Additionally, Chand created multiple social media accounts, some under aliases, to contact and harass Jane Doe. Using such accounts, he made posts publicly naming Jane Doe, and saying things that were designed to harass and intimidate Jane Doe. For example, in a public Facebook post made on August 5, Chand listed Jane Doe’s full name, her city and state of birth, and included a photo from her social media account, and falsely stated that “she killed her ex [boyfriend].” He also falsely claimed that Jane Doe had planned to move in with and would expose her “baby” to a “rapist,” and wrote, “Please help me find a way to get the poor kid away from her.” This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, and the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adrian T. Kinsella and Christina McCall are prosecuting the case. Chand is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on Jan. 7, 2025. Chand faces a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.


title: Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Child

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Dakota Jeremiah Pevino, aka Dakota Jeremiah Viggiano, 36, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, in July 2022, Pevino took a color photograph of a prepubescent minor victim posed in a sexually suggestive manner without any pants or underwear, with Pevino’s private parts visible in the in the foreground of the photograph. Pevino later knowingly sent this photograph to another person using the internet and an encrypted messaging application. In November of 2022, Pevino took another color photograph of the prepubescent minor victim posed in a sexually suggestive manner with the minor victim’s pants and underwear pulled down. Additionally, Pevino sent video recordings of adult males sexually abusing prepubescent minors to another user on the Telegram application. Those video recordings accompanied chats of a sexual nature regarding minors. This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force/Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina McCall is prosecuting the case. Pevino is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on Jan. 7, 2025. Pevino faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison up to a maximum of 30 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, restitution, and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The FBI is seeking to identify potential victims of Pevino. If you believe that you and/or your minor dependent(s) were victimized by Pevino at any time or have information relevant to this investigation, please send an email with your name, contact information, and best time to reach you to Pevinovictims@fbi.gov. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.


title: United States Announces Settlement Resolving Clean Air Act Violations at Medford, Long Island Metal Shredding Facility

body_text: Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Lisa F. Garcia, Regional Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), today announced a settlement with Gershow Recycling Corporation (Gershow) for its alleged violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA) at the company’s metal shredding facility in Medford, New York. Under the Consent Judgment, Gershow will install and operate technology to reduce the facility’s emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The settlement also requires Gershow to pay a civil penalty of $555,000. “This Office will vigorously enforce the Clean Air Act to protect local communities from harmful air pollution,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “This settlement requires Gershow to implement critical emission control technology that will help improve air quality for local communities, including those with the most vulnerable residents.” “Thanks to EPA’s action, people in and around Medford will breathe cleaner air and avoid harmful pollution,” said Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “Breathing air with higher levels of VOCs can cause breathing problems and make people more susceptible to respiratory infection, especially for people who suffer from asthma. This proposed settlement ensures that the company installs proper pollution controls at the facility and meets environmental requirements.” Background The CAA was enacted by Congress to promote the public health and welfare through prevention and regulation of air pollution from mobile and stationary sources. The CAA requires states to adopt federally enforceable plans to ensure the implementation and enforcement of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) at the local level. VOC emissions contribute to the formation of ground level ozone and to violations of the NAAQS for ozone. Exposure to VOCs may cause cancer, eye irritation, respiratory problems, and damage to the nervous system. Ground-level ozone, which is a constituent of smog, can also cause determinantal health effects. Under the NAAQS, EPA has designated the New York Metropolitan Area, including Long Island, as a non-attainment area for ozone. This designates the area as having poor ground level ozone. Consent Judgment In November 2021, EPA issued Gershow a Notice of Violation citing it for violating the CAA. The notice, and the Complaint filed today with the Consent Judgment, allege that Gershow failed to install pollution controls at its metal shredder, causing illicit emissions of VOCs. Further, Gershow failed to obtain a CAA air permit for the facility’s VOC emissions and failed to properly report the facility’s air emissions. Gershow’s facility operates metal shredding equipment, which is used to process scrap automobiles and other scrap material. The shredding process generates enough heat to vaporize the plastics, paints, and oils in certain scrap materials, resulting in the emission of VOCs and other air pollutants. Without an emission control system, pollutants disperse into the air and impact the surrounding communities. Under the Consent Judgment, Gershow is required to bring its facility into compliance with the CAA. Gershow must obtain the required operating permit, and then install and operate emission control equipment to reduce VOCs emitted by the shredder. EPA estimates that the new equipment that Gershow will install will prevent over 49 tons per year of VOC air emissions. The required pollution control equipment will also reduce the formation of harmful ground-level ozone. The Complaint and Consent Judgment were filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Following a 30-day public comment period, the United States will review any comments and, if appropriate, ask the Court to enter the Consent Judgment. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York vigorously enforces the nation’s environmental laws to address environmental, health, and climate impacts on individuals and communities within the district. Any member of the public who wishes to notify the United States of environmental justice concerns may contact the Office’s Environmental Justice Team here. The negotiations and settlement were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas R. Price and Matthew Silverman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York’s Civil Division, working with Robert DeLay, Assistant Regional Counsel, U.S. EPA Region 2, with assistance from Shaun Burke, Senior Environmental Engineer, U.S. EPA Air Enforcement Division, Office of Civil Enforcement. E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CV-5794


title: U.S. Attorney Easley Provides Update to Ongoing Albemarle Region Violent Crime Strategy

component: USAO - North Carolina, Eastern

body_text: EDENTON, N.C. – Today, U.S. Attorney Michael Easley, along with federal and local law enforcement, provided an update regarding ongoing and coordinated efforts to address violent crime in the Albemarle Region of Northeastern North Carolina. The Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) is a collaboration of the U.S. Attorney’s Office with the Edenton and Elizabeth City Police Departments, the Sheriff’s Offices in Bertie, Chowan, Perquimans, Pasquotank, Camden, Currituck, Washington, Gates and Dare Counties, North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service (USMS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the District Attorney for the region. A primary objective of the VCAP is to investigate and prosecute individuals contributing significantly to crime in the Albemarle Region (Elizabeth City, Edenton, and surrounding areas). Since the VCAP was launched in January, 21 individuals have been indicted. Just in the past week, law enforcement led a coordinated operation to indict and arrest eleven individuals. According to court documents, the following eight individuals were arrested on federal charges as part of the recent enforcement effort: Robert Hall, age 42, kidnapping and possession of a firearm by a felon (Perquimans County) Miguel Williams, age 34, possession of a firearm by a felon; possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (Elizabeth City) Stanford Dantzler*, age 23, possession of a firearm by a felon (Elizabeth City) Anthony McCoy*, age 25, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of machine gun (Elizabeth City) Rashawn Baum*, age 28, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl (Elizabeth City) Tysheem Commander*, age 31, possession of a firearm by a felon (Elizabeth City) Jamari Ishman*, age 24, possession of a firearm by a felon (Edenton) Al Ortiz, age 48, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl (Elizabeth City) *indicates that defendant is a member of the Blood Gang Since the beginning of the year, a team of prosecutors, analysts, and investigators have collaborated to identify, charge, and arrest, individuals contributing to violent crime in Northeastern North Carolina leading to 21 individuals, including five who have pled guilty, facing 34 charges and 26 guns seized, including five fully automatic machine guns. In addition, over 240 grams of fentanyl have been seized – enough for 120,000 potentially deadly doses. “In January of this year, I joined local law enforcement leaders in the Albemarle Region to discuss ways to work together to curb violent crime,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Since that initial launch of VCAP, we have brought charges against 21 individuals that we believe are contributing significantly to violence in the region. Those involved in violent crime should take note – our work will continue, and you will be next.” “The gang and drug violence plaguing our communities is a problem too large for any law enforcement agency to tackle alone. These arrests are an outstanding example of what local, state, and federal partners can accomplish when we operate as a force-multiplier in the fight against violent crime,” said Robert M. DeWitt, the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina. “We are proud partners on the team that is working hard to curtail violent crime in eastern North Carolina, and we are bringing all of our available resources to bear,” said Cardell T. Morant, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Charlotte that covers North and South Carolina. “These results of our efforts are encouraging, and we look forward to even greater success in our efforts to protect our communities.” “Locating, apprehending, and prosecuting the worst of the worst is a focus ATF shares with our law enforcement partners,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “As part of the Violent Crime Action Plan, ATF and our local, state and federal counterparts are combining our efforts and resources to disrupt drug trafficking networks, recover firearms from prohibited individuals, and make our communities safer.” “These indictments are the result of tireless investigative work and are a prime example of the benefits of our partnership with the U.S. Attorney's Office and local law enforcement,” said Interim Chief George Robinson. “The Edenton Police Department looks forward to continuing to work with our partners across the Albemarle region as we strive to improve overall quality of life and make Edenton one of the safest towns in North Carolina.” “I want to personally thank our U.S. Attorney Michael Easley of the North Carolina Eastern District and all the local, state, and federal agencies for partnering to rid our communities of some of our most violent offenders. These efforts will provide our citizens the reassurance that we will not tolerate the senseless acts of violence that plague so many of our communities. We want everyone to have a safe place to live, work, and play,” said Elizabeth City Interim Chief of Police James E. Avens, Jr. “Working Together Works!” “Thank you to the U S Attorney's Office for their hard work along with the many investigators and officers from these jurisdictions,” said Dare County Sheriff Doug Doughtie. “This is truly a team effort, and it takes that commitment from the judicial side as well as their law enforcement counterparts to make it work. Hopefully, this will send a strong message to those individuals who continue to commit violent crimes and to those others who think they can, that their days may be numbered until their time is up!” An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. ###


title: Hagerstown Woman Sentenced To Twenty Years In Federal Prison For The Sexual Exploitation Of Minors

component: USAO - Maryland

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland - U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar today sentenced Ashley Marie Tibbs, age 34, of Hagerstown, Maryland, to 20 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for sexual exploitation of a child. Judge Bredar also ordered that, upon her release from prison, Tibbs will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where she resides, where she is an employee, and where she is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”). The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Chief Paul Joey Kifer, Chief of the Hagerstown Police Department; and Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith, III. According to Tibbs’ guilty plea and other court documents, Tibbs sexually abused two minor victims, who were then between the ages of 2 and 5. On each occasion, Tibbs sexually abused the victims, produced videos of the abuse, and sent the videos to co-defendant John Balch in exchange for money. Balch paid Tibbs $38,325 via Cash App. Balch was previously sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for his exploitation of six minors. Co-defendants Jane Campbell and Amber Ricketts were also sentenced to more than 17 years and 10 years in federal prison, respectively, for distribution of child pornography. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s 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 . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page. U.S. Attorney Barron commended HSI, the Hagerstown Police Department, and the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in this investigation. U.S. Attorney Barron also recognized the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of West Virginia and the Middle District of Florida, and the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joyce King, who are prosecuting the case. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #