title: Informational: Federal Court arraignments

component: USAO - Montana

body_text: The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared this week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt: Appearing in Billings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan on a criminal complaint on Oct. 12 was: Robert Stuart Quam, 42, of Belgrade, on charges of possession a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, felon in possession of a firearm and distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl. If convicted of the most serious crime, Quam faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and five years of supervised release on the drug charge and a mandatory five years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on the crime of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Quam was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Missouri River Drug Task Force and Billings Police Department conducted the investigation. PACER case reference. 23-144. Appearing on an indictment and pleading not guilty on Oct. 10 was: Glenn Gale Ware, 45, of Hardin, on charges of threats to injure or murder a federal law enforcement officer and harassing phone calls. If convicted of the most serious crime, Ware faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Ware was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI investigated the case. PACER case reference. 23-117. Appearing in Great Falls before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston on a criminal complaint on Oct. 11 was: Cesar Alberto Montiel-Gonzalez, 52, of Mexico, on charges of illegal entry into the United States. If convicted of the most serious charge, Montiel-Gonzalez faces a maximum of six months in prison, a $5,000 fine and one year of supervised release. Montiel-Gonzalez was detained pending further proceedings. The U.S. Border Patrol conducted the investigation. PACER case reference. 23-94. The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html . To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl . XXX


title: Aberdeen Man Sentenced for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced an Aberdeen, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on October 10, 2023. Tevaughn Brownlee, age 27, was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Brownlee was indicted by a federal grand jury in November of 2022. He pleaded guilty on July 24, 2023. The conviction stemmed from an incident on September 11, 2022, in Aberdeen, when Brownlee was involved in a domestic violence incident while possessing a firearm. Brownlee, who had previously been convicted of a felony in the state of Illinois, was in possession of a Smith and Wesson 45 caliber pistol. Due to the prior conviction, Brownlee is prohibited from possessing firearms. This case was investigated by ATF and the Aberdeen Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. Brownlee was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. # # #


title: Justice Department Awards $75 Million for Active Shooter Training, to Combat Trafficking of Illegal Drugs, and Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: The Justice Department Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) announced today that it has awarded nearly $75 million in critical grant funding to law enforcement agencies and stakeholders across the country. This funding is designed to not only assist with the Department’s crime reduction efforts, but also to provide much needed assistance to agencies looking to expand their law enforcement mental health and wellness services, combat the distribution and trafficking of illicit drugs, and receive active shooter training. “Today’s announcement underscores the Justice Department’s commitment to supporting our state and local law enforcement partners as we work together to keep our communities safe,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “These grants build on our efforts to disrupt the trafficking of deadly drugs, expand access to the mental health and wellness services that police officers deserve, and fund other critical programs. The Justice Department will continue to do everything in our power to get law enforcement officers the resources and assistance needed to help keep them and their communities safe.” “Every day, across the country, our state and local law enforcement partners are working tirelessly on the ground to protect our communities and preserve public safety,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Through the grants announced today, the Justice Department honors and supports our state and local partners with much-needed resources for community policing and critical training while increasing officer access to mental health and wellness services.” “The COPS Office grants announced today will help ensure law enforcement agencies across the country have the resources and training they need to promote public safety and further develop police-community trust,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “Our investment in the Collaborative Reform Initiative, in particular, will allow the Justice Department and our law enforcement partners to continue providing critical, voluntary technical assistance and support to agencies that request it.” “COPS Office grants work to not only reduce crime and increase public safety,” said Director Hugh T. Clements of the COPS Office. “But they also make sure that the work is done through the lens of community policing. I know that both officers and community residents will be well-served by these grants.” Funding highlights include: Nearly $48 million to combat the distribution and trafficking of opioids and methamphetamine through the COPS Anti-Heroin Task Force (AHTF) program and the COPS Anti-Methamphetamine Program (CAMP). Through the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) program, over $9 million to law enforcement agencies and stakeholder organizations to improve the delivery of and access to mental health and wellness services for law enforcement through training and technical assistance, demonstration projects, and implementation of promising practices related to peer mentoring mental health and wellness programs. Almost $11 million in active shooter training funding through the Preparing for Active Shooter Situations (PASS) program. Nearly $7.6 million in funding for the continuation of the Collaborative Reform Initiative, through which technical assistance providers offer expert services to state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies to support effective community policing. An award for $130,000 to support the efforts of the National Blue Alert Network, a voluntary nationwide system to give authorities an early warning of threats against law enforcement and to aid in the apprehension of suspects who have killed or seriously injured an officer or deputy. Complete lists of award recipients under these programs, including funding amounts, can be found here . The COPS Office is the federal component of the Justice Department responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Justice Department agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to organization for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources that are needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served. The COPS Office has been appropriated more than $20 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to over 13,000 state, local, territorial, and Tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 136,000 officers.


title: Beckley Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun Crime

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – Thomas D. Manns, 37, of Beckley, was sentenced today to two years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 26, 2020, law enforcement officers responded to a report of shots fired at an Ewart Avenue apartment complex in Beckley. The officers encountered Manns holding what they believed to be a firearm as he ran into a stairway. Officers searched the stairway and found a Mossberg model 500AT 12-gauge shotgun in a trash can. Video footage from the apartment complex’s security cameras showed Manns holding the shotgun before he put it in the trash can. Manns admitted to possessing the firearm. Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Manns knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for delivery of a controlled substance in Raleigh County Circuit Court on November 29, 2006. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Beckley Police Department. United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-66. ###


title: Founder of Swiss Asset Management Firm Sentenced for Global Securities Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – The founder and operator of a Swiss asset management firm was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his role in a massive global securities fraud scheme that generated over $150 million in illicit proceeds. Roger Knox, 53, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 36 months in prison. Knox was also ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $10,909,709 and restitution in an amount that will be determined at a later date. In January 2020, Knox pleaded guilty to securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud. “Illegal pump-and-dump schemes cause financial hardship on countless innocent investors and erode the integrity of our capital markets. For at least six years, Mr. Knox helped implement a staggering securities fraud scheme that generated over $150 million in illicit profits, $5 million of which ended up in Mr. Knox’s own pocket,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “With our federal partners, including the FBI and the SEC, our office is committed to identifying fraudsters like Mr. Knox and holding them accountable.” “Roger Knox was a critical participant in a massive global securities fraud scheme that generated more than $150 million in illegal proceeds. While today’s sentence cannot make up for the significant financial and emotional harm he and others inflicted upon their unwitting victims, it does send a message to those who may be looking to profit from similar schemes—think twice because the penalties you’ll face are steep,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Market manipulators should know that the FBI has a proven track record of rooting out fraudsters who illegally tilt the playing field against honest investors and undermine confidence in our markets.” Knox, with others, operated an asset management firm based in Switzerland called Silverton, and later renamed Wintercap. Through this business, Knox helped facilitate pump-and-dump schemes by selling massive quantities of microcap securities on behalf of undisclosed control groups who secretly owned the stock through nominee entities formally owned by third parties. The shares were generally held by the nominees in blocks of less than 5% of the issuer’s total outstanding shares in order to evade the disclosure obligations and sale limitations in the federal securities laws. To generate investor demand for the shares, the undisclosed control groups simultaneously orchestrated promotional campaigns to artificially inflate the price and trading volume of the shares. Knox then funneled the proceeds of the pump-and-dumps—totaling over $137 million between just 2016 and 2018—to co-conspirators in the United States and around the world through a complex money transfer system that disguised the source and nature of the funds. Examples of the securities that traded through Knox’s firm as part of pump-and-dumps included: Environmental Packaging Technologies, Inc. (EPTI), which Knox traded for a control group involving Morrie Tobin, Milan Patel and Matthew Ledvina and resulted in approximately $1.5 million in illicit proceeds; Garmatex Holdings, Ltd. (GRMX) and OneLife Technologies Corp. (OLMM), which Knox traded for a control group allegedly involving Luis Carrillo and resulted in approximately $5 million in illicit proceeds each; and Vitality Biopharma, Inc. (VBIO) (formerly known as Stevia First Corp.), which Knox traded for a control group allegedly involving Mike Veldhuis and generated over $17 million in illicit proceeds. The United States has already collected and is forfeiting approximately $9 million of the forfeiture amount due from Knox, as well as numerous securities, from bank and brokerage accounts located in United States, Canada, Malta, Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Today, the District Court also ordered forfeiture of several bank accounts located in Switzerland. Tobin, Patel and Ledvina each previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the EPTI pump-and-dump. In June 2020, Ledvina was sentenced to 30 months of probation. In December 2020, Patel was sentenced to 15 months in prison and Tobin was sentenced to one year and one day in prison. Patel was later granted compassionate release after six months of incarceration and ordered to serve six months of home incarceration. Tobin’s sentence was later reduced to four months in prison followed by eight months home incarceration. Tobin was also ordered to pay a $100,000 fine and forfeited $4 million, and Ledvina and Patel were ordered to a pay $50,000 fine each. They were also ordered to pay restitution, jointly and severally, in the amount of $1,908,583. A criminal complaint is pending against Carrillo and Veldhuis for the GRMX, OLMM and VBIO pump-and-dumps, as well as against alleged additional co-conspirators Frederick Sharp and Courtney Kelln, all of whom are located outside the United States. The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Acting U.S. Attorney Levy and FBI SAC Cohen made the announcement today. The Boston regional office of the SEC provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys James R. Drabick of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit and Carol E. Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit, prosecuted the case.


title: Progreso official charged for drug trafficking

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 40-year-old assistant city manager and school board president is now in custody on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute control substances, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Authorities arrested Francisco aka Frank Javier Alanis today. He is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ignacio Torteya Oct. 16 at 9 a.m. A federal grand jury returned the three-count superseding indictment Oct. 3. From January 2020 to March 20, 2022, Alanis allegedly conspired with Jose Rosbel Salas and others to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, mainly cocaine. If convicted, Alanis faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in federal prison as well as a possible $10 million maximum fine. The indictment also includes a notice of forfeiture related to the charges. Salas, 42, Weslaco, has pleaded guilty for his role and is awaiting sentencing. Also charged are David Gomez Ramos, 34, and Gregorio Salinas, 52, both of Mercedes, and Juan Pablo Serrata, 48, Santa Rosa. They are currently in custody pending further criminal proceedings. Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, Border Patrol, Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Rangers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandra Andrade is prosecuting the case. The investigation is part of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces which 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 on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage . An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.


title: Wisconsin Man Convicted of Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Eastern

body_text: Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, joins Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division in announcing Joseph M. Thomas, 43, of Kenosha was convicted on October 13, 2023, in federal court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin for possessing material depicting the sexual abuse of children. According to court documents, Thomas, who was convicted in 2011 of the repeated sexual assault of a young child, saved and viewed child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on hard drives he stored in his residence from 2017 to 2021. Law enforcement uncovered Thomas’s stash of CSAM after observing that someone accessing the internet from his residence in 2021 appeared to be downloading CSAM over an online file-sharing network. The FBI then obtained a warrant to search Thomas’s residence and seized multiple hard drives and other digital devices, a forensic examination of which revealed evidence that Thomas had used these devices to save and view CSAM and to search for similar material online. The jury convicted Thomas of one count of possessing child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 1, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan J. Paulson for the Eastern District of Wisconsin and Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . # # # For Additional Information Contact: Public Information Officer Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov 414-297-1700 Follow us on Twitter


title: Eastern Shore Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Coercion and Enticement of a Minor

component: USAO - Maryland

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland - U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Richard Wesley Robinson, age 74, of Cambridge, Maryland, to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release, for enticement and coercion of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Judge Hollander also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Robinson must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, is an employee, and is a student, pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Baltimore. According to his guilty plea, prior to July 17, 2018, Robinson communicated with a 12-year-old boy, using mobile phones and the internet to arrange a meeting for sexual activity. On July 17, 2018, Robinson met the victim at a park in Easton, Maryland, where Robinson engaged in sexual activity with the child. Robinson used his cellphone to document the sexual abuse of the minor victim. In July of 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”) received a CyberTip report from Snapchat, reporting that Robinson’s Snapchat account had uploaded suspected child pornography. Law enforcement later executed a search at Robinson’s residence and seized two cellular phones and additional electronic media. Investigators forensically examined the content of the phones seized from Robinson’s residence and reviewed the content of his Snapchat and Gmail accounts after obtaining search and seizure warrants. The sexually explicit images that Robinson produced of the victim on July 17, 2018 were found on both of Robinson’s cell phones. After his abuse of the victim, Robinson sent text messages to others describing his sexual abuse of the boy and used Snapchat to distribute the sexually explicit images he took of the victim to others. In addition to distributing sexually explicit images of the victim to other internet users, Robinson also engaged in sexually explicit communication regarding minors. During these communications, Robinson discussed the sexual abuse of children, including a prepubescent child who was being cared for by another Snapchat user. On June 9, 2021, Robinson received sexually explicit images depicting the sexual abuse of a two-year-old male victim from that Snapchat user. After receiving the images, Robinson asked the Snapchat user about the abuse and encouraged the Snapchat user to “take some pics.” 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. United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI for its work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who prosecuted the federal case. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Former plant manager at Seattle barrel cleaning company sentenced to prison and home confinement

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Seattle – The former plant manager of a barrel cleaning and reconditioning company, Seattle Barrel and Cooperage Company, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 30 days in prison and four months of home detention for conspiracy and making a false statement to the Environmental Protection Agency, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. John Sanft, 58, pleaded guilty in January 2022. He was the company’s plant manager during a conspiracy to illegally dump caustic waste into the King County sewer system, which ultimately empties into Puget Sound. The company used a hidden drain, and, over ten years, lied to regulators to carry out their illegal dumping. At today’s sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Richard A Jones told Sanft, “You were aware of the hidden drain at Seattle Barrel. You were willfully making false statements to regulators…. You chose to lie and lie and continue to lie.” Last month, company owner Louie Sanft was sentenced to 18 months in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. The company was sentenced to be on five years of probation. According to records in the case and testimony at trial, Seattle Barrel’s business involves collecting used industrial and commercial drums and reconditioning and reselling them. Part of the reconditioning process involved washing the barrels in a highly corrosive chemical solution. The caustic solution has a very high pH level. Since at least 2009, Seattle Barrel has operated under a discharge permit that prohibits it from discharging wastewater over a certain level of corrosivity (a pH exceeding 12) to the sewer system. Wastewater above pH 12 will corrode the sewer system and treatment plant, and potentially cause pass-through pollution to Elliott Bay and Puget Sound. In 2013, King County conducted covert monitoring of Seattle Barrel, and discovered the company was illegally dumping effluent with a pH above 12 in violation of its permit. King County fined the company, but the pollution did not stop. Beginning in 2016, Louie Sanft represented to King County in written monthly certifications that the company had become a “zero discharge” facility and was not discharging any industrial wastewater to the sewer. In fact, in 2018 and 2019, additional covert monitoring by the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division revealed that Seattle Barrel was continuing to routinely dump wastewater with a pH above 12 into the sewer system despite telling local regulators that no industrial wastewater was being discharged. Agents then installed real-time monitoring equipment that allowed them to determine when the dumping was taking place. Early on the morning of March 8, 2019, the covert monitors indicated Seattle Barrel was dumping high-pH material into the sewer. Agents immediately executed a search warrant and entered the building. Inside, they discovered a portable pump on the floor near the tank of caustic solution. They then discovered that the pump was being used to pump solution to a nearby hidden drain that had never been disclosed to King County. The drain led directly to the sewer system. Seattle Public Utilities says the sewer lines downstream from Seattle Barrel are prematurely damaged and will need early repair. These discharges put utility workers at risk, as such caustic chemicals can cause blindness, skin necrosis, bone damage, and even death. Louie Sanft, the owner and operator of Seattle Barrel, was convicted after a three-week trial of conspiracy, 29 violations of the Clean Water Act for discharging pollutants to the sewer, four counts of submission of False Clean Water Act Certifications and making a false statement to special agents of the EPA. In sentencing John Sanft, Judge Jones noted that unlike Louie Sanft, John Sanft did not lie to the jury from the witness stand. According to Seattle Barrel, the company stopped using caustic solution after EPA executed the search warrant in 2019. This case was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division, with assistance from the King County Industrial Waste Program and the Seattle Public Utilities, Drainage and Wastewater Source Control Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Seth Wilkinson and Thomas Woods, and Special Assistant United States Attorneys Karla Perrin and Gwendolyn Russell, Regional Criminal Enforcement Counsel with the Environmental Protection Agency.


title: Dupree, SD Man Sentenced for Second Degree Murder

body_text: PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Dupree, South Dakota, man convicted of Second Degree Murder was sentenced on October 11, 2023, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court. Stuart Cochran, Sr., age 50, was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison, four years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Cochran was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2022. He pleaded guilty on July 11, 2023. On the morning of June 25, 2022, Stuart Cochran, Sr. was driving home to Dupree when he observed the victim walking on the shoulder of US Hwy 212 near Eagle Butte, SD. Cochran bore a grudge against the victim based on past altercations. Cochran pulled up next to the victim. The two exchanged profanities. Cochran drew a pistol, leveled it at the victim and pulled the trigger. When the gun did not fire, Cochran racked the pistol slide and pulled the trigger again, shooting the victim in the face and killing him. This case was investigated by the FBI and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case. Cochran was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Sioux Falls Woman Sentenced for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that District Court Judge Lawrence Piersol has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota woman convicted of Possession of a Firearm by Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on September 25, 2023. Ashley Garcia, 36, was sentenced to twelve months and one day in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Garcia was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in February of 2023. She pleaded guilty on June 27, 2023. On December 21, 2022, Garcia was walking in the area of West 12th and Interstate 29 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota with a rifle. A concerned party called the police department about a woman walking outside, as it was during a blizzard, and the temperature was -9 degrees. When officers arrived, Garcia had the rifle in her left hand, but attempted to discard it upon being approached by law enforcement. This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Ebert prosecuted the case. Garcia was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Man Pleads Guilty in District of New Hampshire to Child Exploitation Offenses Occurring in New Jersey

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A Concord, New Hampshire, man pleaded guilty today in federal court in connection with the exploitation of a minor in New Jersey and possession of child sexual abuse material, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger and U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announced. Scott Wilkinson, 38, pleaded guilty to one count each of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material before U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante in federal court in New Hampshire. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Wilkinson traveled from New Hampshire to New Jersey in April 2022, where he engaged in sexual acts with a 12-year-old child. Wilkinson had been corresponding with the child online for approximately one year prior to traveling to New Jersey to meet the child. A video that Wilkinson created of himself engaged in sexual acts with the child was found on his cell phone, as were other images and videos of child sexual abuse material. The count of production of child pornography is punishable by a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison. The count of possession of child pornography is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison, or a maximum of 20 years in prison if the court finds the defendant possessed child pornography of a child under the age of 12. Wilkinson faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, up to lifetime supervised release, a fine of $250,000 and mandatory restitution. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 22, 2024. U.S. Attorney Sellinger and U.S. Attorney Young credited special agents of the FBI the Newark Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy; and the Egg Harbor Township Police Department with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. Valuable assistance was provided by the Concord Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Harteis of the District of New Jersey and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland of the District of New Hampshire. 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Rapid City Woman Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance

body_text: PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on October 11, 2023. Jessica Grant, a/k/a Jessi Grant, age 46, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison, five years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Grant was indicted by a federal grand jury in December of 2021. She pleaded guilty on July 11, 2023. The conviction stemmed from a drug conspiracy beginning in June 2019 and continuing until December 2021. Grant was involved in a conspiracy with numerous other individuals to distribute methamphetamine in multiple communities in South Dakota, including Eagle Butte, Pierre, Rapid City, and Rosebud. Grant received large amounts of methamphetamine and re-distributed it to various individuals. Methamphetamine is a Schedule II controlled substance. This case was investigated by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case. Grant was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. # # #


title: Eagle Butte Woman Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance

body_text: PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on October 10, 2023. Irene Guerrero, age 39, was sentenced to four years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Guerrero was indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2022. She pleaded guilty on June 14, 2023. The conviction stemmed from a drug conspiracy beginning in February 2021 and continuing until June 2022. Guerrero was involved with several other individuals to distribute methamphetamine in and around the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. Guerrero received distributable quantities of methamphetamine from others which she then sold. Methamphetamine is a Schedule II controlled substance. This case was investigated by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case. Guerrero was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. # # #


title: Swift Bird, SD Man Sentenced for Assault

body_text: PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Swift Bird, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury was sentenced on October 11, 2023, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court. Cody Dean High Elk, age 40, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. High Elk was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2023. He pleaded guilty on July 11, 2023. On the evening of July 3, 2022, High Elk and his wife were arguing while walking to their home in the Swift Bird Community. High Elk threw his wife to the ground and punched her. High Elk’s wife fled to their home. High Elk followed and continued to strike her until shortly before law enforcement arrived. High Elk’s wife incurred a separated shoulder and bruising on her face, shoulder and forearm in the assault. This case was investigated by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case. High Elk was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Meridian Women Sentenced to 41 Months in Federal Prison for Embezzling More Than $1.7 Million from Black Canyon Irrigation District

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: BOISE – Catherine Skidmore, 56, of Meridian, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for a wire fraud and money laundering scheme in which she embezzled from the Black Canyon Irrigation District (BCID), announced U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit. In imposing the sentence, U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford also ordered Skidmore to pay restitution in the amount of $1,792,207.59 and to serve three years of supervised release following her prison sentence. According to court records, Skidmore was employed as the Secretary-Treasurer of the BCID from approximately January 2014 through July 2022. As the Secretary-Treasurer of the BCID, Skidmore, among other things, handled fee collecting, bill payments, management of the investment accounts, and maintained the BCID’s QuickBooks database and ledgers. As the BCID Secretary-Treasurer, Skidmore had access to, and signature authority over, BCID’s bank accounts, including the ability to write and deposit checks and transfer funds to and from the accounts. Skidmore’s authority over and access to the BCID’s financial accounts, including the BCID’s savings account at a bank, and a Local Government Investment Pool (LGIP) account administered by the Idaho State Treasurer. Beginning in May 2019 and continuing to July 2022, Skidmore knowingly devised a scheme and artifice to defraud the BCID by embezzling more than $1.7 million through the use of an elaborate series of transfers between the BCID’s various financial accounts. To implement the scheme, in May 2019, using a falsified form containing the forged signature of a member of the board of directors, Skidmore opened a second LGIP account with the Idaho State Treasurer without the knowledge or authorization of the BCID or its Board of Directors. From June 2019 through July 2022, Skidmore authorized and directed the authorization of transfers from the original LGIP account to the unauthorized second LGIP account without disclosing the nature of those transfers to the BCID or its Board of Directors. Skidmore then caused approximately $1,792,000 to be transferred from the unauthorized LGIP account to the ICCU savings account through a series of 25 separate interstate wire transfers, all without the knowledge of the BCID. Once the funds were transferred to the BCID’s savings account, Skidmore withdrew the funds, mostly in the form of cashier’s checks. Skidmore then used the funds for her personal benefit. For example, Skidmore obtained the following cashier’s checks in excess of $10,000: Date Cashier’s Check Issued Amount 6/21/2019 $70,657.50 6/28/2019 $27,768.25 12/20/2019 $150,000 1/22/2020 $140,000 1/22/2020 $13,500 2/11/2020 $144,400 12/3/2020 $25,000 12/23/2020 $15,000 12/23/2020 $15,000 2/11/2021 $11,231 4/19/2021 $56,000 7/8/2021 $25,000 8/13/2021 $90,000 9/16/2021 $270,000 11/3/2021 $26,300 11/3/2021 $30,000 11/3/2021 $75,000 12/15/2021 $25,000 To conceal the embezzlement, Skidmore made false entries in the BCID internal accounting records that represented certain funds were used to pay the BCID expenses when, in fact, Skidmore used the funds for her personal use and benefit. She also created and caused to be created fictitious invoices to make it appear that the funds she had stolen were used to pay for legitimate BCID business expenses when, in reality, she used the funds for her personal use and benefit. Skidmore used the proceeds for her personal benefit including, but not limited to, paying credit card bills for herself and others, real property taxes, home improvements, and making mortgage payments. She also used the funds to purchase real property, solar panels, and vehicles, and to fund an investment account. U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the FBI for its investigation, which led to the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Mazorol and Brittney Campbell prosecuted the case. ###


title: Detroit Man Sentenced to 10 Years Along with His South Dakota Co-Conspirator in Meth Conspiracy

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Detroit, Michigan man and a Sioux Falls, South Dakota man, convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on September 29, 2023. Vernon Lee Mason, Jr., 31, and his co-conspirator, Demetrius Jackson, 42, were both sentenced to ten years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. They were both also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Mason, Jr. and Jackson were indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in March of 2022. Mason, Jr. pleaded guilty on July 17, 2023, and Jackson pleaded guilty on November 8, 2022. On November 19, 2021, law enforcement stopped the vehicle in which Jackson and Mason, Jr. were traveling. They searched the vehicle and found approximately 57 grams of methamphetamine, which the two intended to distribute to others. Investigators then obtained a search warrant for Jackson’s residence and found an additional 755.5 grams of methamphetamine intended for distribution. Mason was also captured on a wire intercept discussing drug transactions with a local drug dealer from Trent, South Dakota. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Sioux Falls Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case. Mason, Jr. and Jackson were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service after their sentencings.


title: Clackamas County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Exploiting and Extorting Three Canadian Children Online

component: USAO - Oregon

body_text: PORTLAND, Ore.—A Clackamas County, Oregon man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison today for using social media to stalk three Canadian children online and coerce them into producing and sharing sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves. Kevin Robert McCarty, 37, of Happy Valley, Oregon, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison and a life term of supervised release. According to court documents, in September 2021, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents in Portland and Vancouver, Canada began investigating an individual later determined to be McCarty for exploiting young children online. Beginning in July 2020 and continuing until November 2021, McCarty, who went by the alias “Robbie MacKenzie” online, used various social media platforms, including Snapchat and Instagram, to coerce three Canadian children into producing and sending him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves. Once the children sent McCarty photos or videos, he demanded more. If the children refused, McCarty threatened to send the photos and videos he had already obtained to the minor victims’ friends and families, which he did on several occasions. On at least two occasions, McCarty told his victims they could either comply with his demands or commit suicide. On November 16, 2021, McCarty was charged by criminal complaint with sexually exploiting children, distributing child pornography, cyberstalking, enticing a child online, and transferring obscene material to a minor. On November 18, 2021, HSI agents served a search warrant at the Happy Valley residence McCarty shared with his mother, sister, and sister’s family. After learning McCarty was visiting a cousin in Riverside, California, agents located and arrested McCarty in Riverside the same day. On February 15, 2023, McCarty waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a felony information charging him with one count of enticing a minor online and two counts of sexually exploiting children. This case was investigated by HSI with assistance from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. It was prosecuted by Gary Y. Sussman, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org . Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, they re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org . 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Beresford Man Charged with Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Beresford, South Dakota, man for Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography. Theodore John Jungbauer, age 59, was indicted in October of 2023. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta L. Wollmann on October 6, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment. The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 40 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, life of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered. The Indictment alleges that between December 13, 2021, and August 24, 2023, Jungbauer knowingly received and distributed, and attempted to receive and distribute, any child pornography that had been mailed, shipped, and transported in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including by computer. The charge is merely an accusation and Jungbauer is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper is prosecuting the case. 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . Jungbauer was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial which has been set for December 12, 2023.


title: Kenel Man Sentenced for Assault

body_text: ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Kenel, South Dakota man convicted of Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to an Intimate Partner. The sentencing took place on October 10, 2023. Rodd Rough Surface, age 46, was sentenced to two years and one day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Rough Surface was indicted for assault by a federal grand jury in August of 2022. He pleaded guilty on July 10, 2023. On May 29, 2021, Rough Surface was at his home in Kenel, in Corson County, within the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. He was drinking alcohol with the victim, his dating partner, when they got into an argument and he assaulted her. He used his hands to strangle her and gave her a black eye, bruising, and rendered her unconscious. This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, Standing Rock Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Maher prosecuted the case. Rough Surface was ordered to self-surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons by October 31, 2023. ###


title: Milbank Man Sentenced to 12 1/2 Years in Meth Conspiracy

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that District Court Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Milbank, South Dakota man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on October 2, 2023. Travis Thiele, 41, was sentenced to twelve years and six months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Thiele was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in April of 2022. He pleaded guilty on June 20, 2023. Beginning on an unknown data and continuing until April of 2022, Thiele regularly obtained methamphetamine from a co-conspirator and distributed it to others in Northeastern South Dakota. He is believed to have been involved in the distribution of approximately 17 pounds of methamphetamine during his involvement in the conspiracy. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case. Thiele was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Pine Ridge Man Convicted of Three Counts of First-Degree Murder

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Elijah West, 26, of Pine Ridge, South Dakota, of three counts of First Degree Murder, three counts of Discharge of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, and one count of Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person following a five-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on September 22, 2023. The convictions carry a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine and a $700 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered. West was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2022. That same month, West killed three people by shooting them at a residence near Wounded Knee, South Dakota. This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State Court. 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 FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah B. Collins and Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case. A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date will be scheduled. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. ###


title: Four Co-Conspirators Serving Prison Time for Involvement in Fentanyl Conspiracy in Northeast South Dakota

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced Daren Lee Basche, a South Dakota man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. This was the last sentencing of the four defendants involved in this indictment, and it took place on October 10, 2023. Basche, 58, of Brandon, South Dakota, was sentenced to 9 years and 7 months in federal prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release. Previously, Jevon McLeod, 33, of Sisseton, South Dakota, was sentenced on March 14, 2023, to 40 years in federal prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release. Tiarah Bissonette, 26, of Sisseton, South Dakota, was sentenced on March 14, 2023, to 4 years and 9 months in federal prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release. Trey Petrich, 24, of Watertown, South Dakota, was sentenced on August 28, 2023 to 12 years and 7 months in federal prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release. Additionally, they were each ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. All four defendants were indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl by a federal grand jury in July of 2022. Basche pleaded guilty on June 12, 2023, McLeod pleaded guilty on December 5, 2022, Bissonette pleaded guilty on November 16, 2023, and Petrich pleaded guilty on May 3, 2023. During this conspiracy, McLeod would pick up pills containing fentanyl from co-conspirators in other states and transport it back to South Dakota to be distributed. Basche, Bissonette and Petrich were sub-distributors for McLeod. The group was responsible for distributing thousands of pills containing fentanyl in Northeast South Dakota. This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigations, the Roberts County Sheriff’s Office, the Codington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case. All defendants were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service after their sentencings.


title: North Dakota Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Washington, D.C. Man Sentenced for Misprision of a Felony

body_text: PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Mandan, North Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on October 10, 2023. Chief Judge Lange also sentenced a Washington, D.C., man conviction of Misprision of a Felony. The sentencing took place on August 11, 2023. Abdul Vann, age 48, was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison, seven years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Samuel Vann, age 22, was sentenced to time served of seven months of custody, one year of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Abdul, his son Samuel, and two other co-defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury in February of 2023. Abdul pleaded guilty on June 22, 2023. Samuel pleaded guilty on June 30, 2023. The convictions stemmed from a drug conspiracy in December 2022 wherein Abdul Vann knowingly and intentionally agreed with others to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Abdul, and his three co-defendants were arrested while at a gas station in Oacoma. Their vehicles were searched and approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine was found in vacuum sealed bags wrapped as Christmas presents. Abdul and the co-defendants were transporting the methamphetamine from a source in Law Vegas, Nevada, to North Dakota for further distribution. Samuel Vann had actual knowledge of the conspiracy; however, he did not do anything to stop it. Methamphetamine is a Schedule II controlled substance. This case was investigated by the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the Northern Plains Safe Trains Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case. The two remaining co-defendants will be sentenced later this month. Samuel Vann was released following his sentencing. Abdul Vann was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Investment Banker Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion

component: Tax Division

body_text: A U.S. citizen residing in the Principality of Monaco pleaded guilty today to tax evasion for concealing from the IRS over $5,130,000 in income derived from a real estate transaction and securities investments in offshore bank accounts. According to court documents and statements made in court, Stephen L. Schechter was a licensed U.S. investment banker, U.K. corporate finance advisor and owner and operator of a U.S.-based financial investment advisory firm. In 2002, Schechter formed an entity called Charles Penn Longview (CPL) in the British Virgin Islands. In June 2004, Schechter opened a Swiss bank account in the name of CPL at what ultimately became known as Piguet Galland & Cie SA. In doing so, he and his bank relationship manager concealed Schechter's U.S.-citizenship status in bank documents. Until it was closed around January 2013, the account generated interest and dividends that Schechter never reported to the IRS as income. In June 2011, Schechter sold a Monaco apartment for approximately €14,000,000, which he deposited into his CPL account at Piguet. He subsequently used the sale proceeds to purchase $8,856,691 in various securities, on which he earned interest, dividends and capital gains. Schechter never disclosed the income from the sale of the Monaco apartment or the securities bought from sale proceeds to his tax return preparer. Schechter knew that, as a U.S. citizen, he was obligated to report and pay taxes on his income, even if he earned it abroad and lived outside the United States. Schechter later opened another CPL bank account at UBS Monaco SA, closed his account at Piguet, and transferred the balance of approximately $10.2 million into the new UBS Monaco account, further earning undisclosed interest and dividends until 2017. U.S. citizens and permanent residents are required annually to file a FinCEN Form 114 – Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) – if the combined balance of all foreign accounts they own, have a financial interest in or signature authority over is more than $10,000 at any point during that calendar year. However, Schechter did not file FBARs reporting his Piguet or UBS Monaco accounts. Schechter is scheduled to be sentenced on March 1, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for tax evasion. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia made the announcement. IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Senior Litigation Counsel Nanette Davis and Trial Attorney George Meggali of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Goemaat for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.


title: North Carolina Man and Woman Plead Guilty to Roles in Counterfeit Currency Conspiracy

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – Crystal Wilks, 23, and Jamarcus Harris, 32, both of Lenoir, North Carolina, each pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. Wilks and Harris admitted to their roles in a conspiracy to create and pass counterfeit United States currency in the Southern District of West Virginia. According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 12, 2022, Wilks and Harris traveled with two of their co-conspirators from North Carolina to West Virginia. Wilks and Harris admitted that they passed counterfeit $100 bills at businesses in Beckley, Fayetteville and Summersville. Wilks, Harris and their co-conspirators rented a room that evening at a Summersville hotel, where they attempted to create new counterfeit United States currency. Wilks and Harris admitted that their counterfeiting process involved bleaching $1 bills, scanning a genuine $100 bill, and printing the resulting image on the bleached bills. Wilks and Harris are scheduled to be sentenced on January 26, 2024. Each faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Wilks and Harris also owe restitution. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Secret Service. United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander A. Redmon and Ryan Blackwell are prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-54. ###


title: Court Finds That Galveston County, Texas, Redistricting Plan Violates the Voting Rights Act

body_text: The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas ruled this morning that the redistricting plan used by the governing body of Galveston County, Texas, known as the Commissioners Court, violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The court held that the County’s plan denies Black and Latino voters an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and to elect a candidate of their choice. “This decision demonstrates that the Justice Department is vigorously enforcing the Voting Rights Act in communities across the country,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The court recognized that the Galveston County Commissioners Court redistricting plan deprived the county’s Black and Latino voters of an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect a candidate of their choice. The Justice Department will continue to stand up for the right of every eligible citizen to vote and to have that vote counted.” “This ruling should send a clear message that all jurisdictions, whether at the state or local level, must comply with the Voting Rights Act,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Voting Rights Act stands as one of our most important civil rights laws that protects the ability of communities of color to participate in the political process and have an equal opportunity to elect candidates of choice. As the court made clear, this is not a typical redistricting case. Even though there was no need to do so, the commissioners court eliminated Black and Latino voters’ opportunity to have a voice on that body. As the district court correctly found, destroying the only district with a majority of Black and Latino residents is a blatant violation of the Voting Rights Act.” “The right to vote is one of the fundamental rights in our democracy, a right guaranteed irrespective of race or ethnicity, said U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas. “This decision protects the rights of Black and Latino voters in Galveston County and affords them an equal opportunity to have a voice on the Galveston County Commissioners’ Court consistent with federal law.” The court held that the county’s plan prevents Black and Latino voters from electing a candidate of choice in any district. In particular, the court found that county eliminated an existing district where such an opportunity had existed for decades. The court observed that doing so was “mean-spirited” and “egregious” given that there was no reason to make major changes to the district as it had previously existed. The court concluded that the County’s elimination of that district extinguished the Black and Latino communities’ voice on its commissioners court. It does so even though these two groups comprise 38% of the total population in Galveston County. Because candidate qualifying for Galveston County’s 2024 elections is fast approaching, the County has until Oct. 20 to enact a redistricting plan that contains at least one district that provides Black and Latino voters with an equal opportunity to elect a candidate of choice to the county governing body. If the county prefers not to submit a revised plan, the court has ordered it to implement a redistricting plan presented by the United States on or before Nov. 1. The court’s ruling comes following a bench trial earlier this year that lasted from Aug. 7 through 18. The redistricting plan at issue in the case was adopted by the county on Nov. 12, 2021, after release of the data from the 2020 Census. The Justice Department filed its complaint against Galveston County in March 2022. Complaints about discriminatory practices may be reported to the Civil Rights Division through its internet reporting portal at www.civilrights.justice.gov or by calling (800) 253-3931. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division’s work to uphold and protect the voting rights of all Americans is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section .


title: Oklahoma City Man Sentenced to Serve Seven Years in Federal Prison for Three Separate Incidents of Illegal Firearm Possession in Six Months

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Western

body_text: OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday, EFRAIN URIAS , 37, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to serve 84 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a different firearm on three separate occasions after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. On September 29, 2022, Urias was charged by a Superseding Information with three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Specifically, the Superseding Information alleged Urias possessed a different firearm on three separate dates—October 24, 2021, March 19, 2022, and April 8, 2022. On October 18, 2022, Urias pleaded guilty to the three-count Superseding Information. At the sentencing hearing yesterday, U.S. District Judge Charles Goodwin sentenced Urias to serve 84 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, the court noted the fact that the dates of his firearm possession were within a six-month time frame. The court also noted Urias’ significant criminal history. Public records reflect that Urias holds multiple felony convictions, including burglary in the second degree in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-2005-6838, and possession of methamphetamine and assault and battery on a police officer in Kingfisher County District Court case number CF-2015-31. This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary E. Walters prosecuted the case. This case is part of the Western District of Oklahoma’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok . Reference is made to public filings for more information.


title: Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim Delivers Keynote Address at the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources’ 31st Fall Conference in Washington, DC

component: Energy and Natural Resources Division

body_text: I’d like to thank ABA SEER for inviting me to your environmental law conference. It’s a pleasure to be here, and in particular to appear with Tommy Beaudreau, who has had a phenomenal career as Deputy Secretary at the Department of the Interior. For those I haven’t met before, my name is Todd Kim, and I have the great privilege to serve as the Assistant Attorney General of the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the Department of Justice. Becoming the AAG for ENRD has been a homecoming for me. I originally joined the Division as an Honors Attorney, and I spent almost eight years in the Division’s Appellate Section. I’m very proud to be back at ENRD, and I’m eager to talk with you about our work and how it relates to your experiences representing private clients on environmental compliance issues or working on environmental initiatives in the public sector. Today, I’ll briefly address ENRD practice in the Supreme Court, and then focus on environmental justice and climate change—priority issues for this ambitious Administration. But let me start with a short overview of ENRD. As most of you know, ENRD is one of the litigating divisions at DOJ. We’re sometimes called the “world’s largest environmental law firm,” with over 600 employees, including more than 400 attorneys. ENRD’s mission is to protect the health and welfare of the American people, preserve our breathtaking landscapes and precious natural resources, and ensure that all Americans are treated fairly under the law. And our civil and criminal enforcement efforts have real nationwide impact. In fiscal year 2023, for instance, we obtained over $400 million in civil and criminal fines, penalties and costs recovered, and we secured federal injunctive relief valued at over $2.3 billion. ENRD, of course, also has a substantial practice defending agency actions taken or challenged under environmental and natural resource laws, in addition to acquiring lands needed for federal projects, and litigating to secure and protect the rights and resources of federally recognized tribes. Let’s turn now to substantive topics. Environment and natural resource matters appear on the Supreme Court’s docket with some frequency, and ENRD plays an important role in assisting the Solicitor General in handling these matters. Today, I’d like to mention three cases—one current, two recent—that reflect how environmental law is at the cutting edge of administrative law. First, the current case: Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which involves the doctrine of judicial deference named after the famous case of Chevron v. NRDC. This case directly concerns whether the D.C. Circuit erred in applying Chevron to hold that the National Marine Fisheries Service had authority to promulgate a particular rule under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. But the question on which the Supreme Court granted certiorari in May transcends this particular context. That question reads: “Whether the Court should overrule Chevron or at least clarify that statutory silence concerning controversial powers expressly but narrowly granted elsewhere in the statute does not constitute an ambiguity requiring deference to the agency.” As I’m sure you recognize, a decision in this case may have broad implications for administrative practice across the federal government. The brief of the United States, filed last month, argues that the Court should not overrule Chevron because it is a bedrock principle of administrative law that sets clear ground rules for all three branches of government, and principles of stare decisis weigh heavily in favor of adhering to Chevron. I commend the brief to you for reading. Oral argument has not yet been set in the case. Stay tuned. Next, let’s turn back to June of last year, and the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. EPA. The Court concluded that a particular Clean Air Act provision did not authorize the EPA to devise emission limitations for power plants based on the generation-shifting approach in the Clean Power Plan issued in 2015. Of interest beyond the Clean Air Act, the Court articulated a major questions doctrine under which, absent a sufficiently clear statement from Congress, courts should not interpret a statute to authorize certain “novel” or “unprecedented” agency actions of “vast economic and political significance.” The full implications of the ruling are still being debated. In the sixteen months following the decision, litigants have raised the major questions doctrine in a wide array of challenges to agency actions. This body of law will continue to develop. Again, stay tuned. Finally, Sackett v. EPA, a decision from this past May. There, the Court held that an adjacent wetland is within the Clean Water Act’s protections as a “water of the United States” only if the wetland has a continuous-surface connection with a body of water that is itself a covered “water of the United States.” The Court interpreted this statutory phrase to include relatively permanent bodies of water connected to a traditional navigable water. The Court rejected the “significant nexus” standard established in 2006 under Justice Kennedy’s concurring opinion in Rapanos v. United States. The United States is of course committed to following the law and implementing the Clean Water Act to deliver the essential protections that safeguard the nation’s waters from pollution and degradation. Let me highlight some actions that have already occurred since Sackett issued. Last month, to conform to the decision, EPA and the Department of the Army published a rule amending the definition of “waters of the United States” in regulations that had issued in January. For example, the new rule removed the “significant nexus” standard from consideration when identifying tributaries and other waters as federally protected. Going forward, the agencies will also continue to interpret the regulations defining “waters of the United States” consistent with the Sackett decision through the wide range of tools available: approved jurisdictional determinations, guidance, agency forms and training materials, or future rulemaking as appropriate. Litigation challenging the January rule also continues in various courts. In light of Sackett and the new rulemaking, ENRD teams have been working with the parties and making appropriate filings in cases in the Sixth Circuit, the District of North Dakota, and the Southern District of Texas. I highlight each of these cases because they are important, and their full implications are as yet uncertain. Once more: stay tuned. Now let me turn to two of the Administration’s key priorities: furthering environmental justice and combating the climate crisis. All Americans should be able to breathe clean air, be protected from the worsening effects of climate change, and have access to safe drinking water. Yet across the nation, there are communities—all too often low-income communities, communities of color, and indigenous communities—that suffer disproportionately from environmental injustice. Last fall, I was in Jackson, Mississippi. Unprecedented flooding had caused Jackson’s largest water treatment facility to fail. At least 150,000 residents were left without drinking water. My division, working with EPA, the City of Jackson, and the State of Mississippi, quickly negotiated an interim order, subsequently approved by a federal district court, that put in place an Interim Third-Party Manager, among other important steps to stabilize the public drinking water system. Unfortunately, there are other problems facing the people of Jackson. The City has longstanding issues complying with a Clean Water Act consent decree; billions of gallons of untreated or partially treated wastewater have spilled into neighborhoods and the Pearl River. Just two weeks ago, we successfully moved the district court to approve another interim order that will ensure that some repairs are made to the sewer system in the near term to address these sewage overflows. The kind of inequity and injustice that the people of Jackson have suffered goes against everything we stand for as a nation. But it persists. So, this Administration is taking action toward its ambitious environmental justice goals. ENRD’s role in that process is central. Case in point: in May of last year, the Department of Justice established an Office of Environmental Justice and housed it within ENRD. Our new office acts to engage the entire Department in the collective pursuit of environmental justice, so that ENRD and the Department as a whole do our best to protect overburdened and underserved communities and to promote fair and equal treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in the decision-making that affects their lives. The Office of Environmental Justice has been very active—look, for instance, to how it has been training the environmental justice coordinators that every one of the 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices have appointed. Another demonstration of our commitment is the Department’s Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy. This strategy establishes four principles that will guide the advancement of environmental justice through federal enforcement. These principles are that we will: prioritize cases that will reduce public health and environmental harms to overburdened and underserved communities; make strategic use of all available legal tools to address environmental justice concerns; ensure meaningful engagement with impacted communities; and promote transparency in our environmental justice enforcement. The strategy is on our website, as will be the annual report that we are releasing today; I hope you’ll take a look. That report has much more, but here are some examples of the Department’s environmental justice work. Earlier this year, the Department launched the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Environmental Crimes Task Force to investigate and prosecute violations of federal environmental law in that region. This task force will leverage resources from many federal agencies to aggressively prosecute environmental crimes and associated fraud, waste, and abuse. We’re working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and more than fifteen federal agencies to consider a wide range of potential violations, ranging from oil or chemical spills to issues involving air quality or toxic waste. Among many specific case examples I could highlight, ENRD has also recently filed Clean Water Act claims against the City of Baytown, Texas for hundreds of instances of untreated sewage discharge into waterways in and around the City. In that case we seek injunctive relief and penalties, with the goal of ensuring that the Baytown community has access to clean water. I should emphasize, though, that the Department’s environmental justice efforts are not limited to ENRD’s cases. Several months ago, for instance, the Civil Rights Division secured a settlement in its environmental justice investigation into the City of Houston’s response to illegal dumping in Black and Latino Neighborhoods. The Department’s environmental justice strategy also recognizes the need to prioritize enforcement that addresses the unique impacts that tribal communities may face, including impacts to treaty rights, water, land, or other resources needed to support tribal sovereignty and homelands. Over the past year, with the Department’s Office of Tribal Justice, ENRD has convened three summits with various federal agencies and tribal governments to discuss how the federal government and tribes can more effectively work together on these issues. So here’s the takeaway for those who deal with compliance matters. Our enforcement decisions take into account the imperative to advance environmental justice. We are listening to concerns expressed in historically overburdened and underserved communities across the country and are actively seeking to address those concerns. We encourage industry clients to be sure they are listening to neighboring communities and meeting their obligations under federal environmental law. The failure to do so could result in federal enforcement. This brings me to my last big topic—climate. In Executive Order 14,008, President Biden directed the United States Government to “combat the climate crisis with bold, progressive action that combines the full capacity of the Federal Government with efforts from every corner of our Nation…” ENRD is doing its part, hand-in-hand with client agencies and our state, local, and tribal partners. For example, ENRD will partner with EPA on the new National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives and Climate Enforcement and Compliance Strategy that Assistant Administrator Uhlmann mentioned yesterday. Where available, we will use statutory authority directed at specific greenhouse gases. But existing law also enables us to enforce violations that indirectly result in excess greenhouse gases, and to seek remedies that will ensure future compliance, notwithstanding the growing threats of drought, extreme temperatures, wildfires and flooding. So, what we consider ENRD “climate” cases has a fairly flexible definition, covering three broad categories of matters: first, affirmative litigation to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions; second, affirmative litigation to otherwise protect natural resources and the environment against climate-related threats; and third, climate-related defensive litigation. Let’s take a quick look at each of these areas. First, in the most classic “climate case” typology, we bring affirmative enforcement actions that reduce, or promote absorption of, greenhouse gas emissions. Many types of sources generate pollution contributing to climate change, including petrochemical plants, cement kilns, fossil-fuel power plants, refrigerants and foam insulation, oil and gas production, refineries, landfills and mobile sources. ENRD’s docket includes many cases against such sources under the pollution control statutes administered by EPA, especially the Clean Air Act. For example, this April, we announced settlements under which three natural gas processors agreed to pay over $9 million in penalties and to make improvements to prevent leaks and emissions at 25 natural gas processing plants and 91 compressor stations in 12 states and Indian Country. Once fully implemented, the agreements will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50,000 tons per year. One growing field of enforcement involves HFCs, greenhouse gases hundreds to thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide. In 2020, Congress enacted the bipartisan American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, providing EPA with new authority to phase down the production and consumption of HFCs. To help ensure the integrity of the program and a rigorous and timely phasedown, ENRD participates in a multi-agency enforcement and prosecution initiative to prevent the illegal trade, production, use, and sale of HFCs, along with EPA and the Departments of Homeland Security, State, and Defense. We expect to see even more case referrals from our key client agencies as the initiative ramps up. And we have affirmative case work enforcing laws that protect critical carbon “sinks” like wetlands and forests, which absorb greenhouse gases and slow climate change. We bring actions under the Clean Water Act to respond to illegal filling of wetlands without a required permit. We also work in the international arena to reduce deforestation worldwide, including through criminal prosecutions under the Lacey Act and other criminal statutes to counter trade in illegally harvested timber. Indeed, ENRD has prioritized investigating and prosecuting timber trafficking offenses. The Division’s Environmental Crimes Section partners regularly with U.S. Attorneys’ offices to prosecute cross-boundary offenses. Our successful prosecutions to date have yielded the highest ever fine for timber trafficking, in a case against Lumber Liquidators; restitution to foreign countries like Peru for timber illegally sourced from their countries; and many lessons about how trafficking works, and how we can stop it. The Division has also focused on developing relationships with foreign governments and strengthening their ability to detect and prosecute these offenses. Because these crimes cross boundaries, it is essential that U.S. and foreign enforcement personnel understand our mutual legal frameworks, how they complement each other, and how each country and its economy and natural resources affect the global supply chain. This April, the Department formalized some of this work, announcing the formation of a Timber Working Group. It is an interagency collaboration created to target available resources across the federal government to identify and investigate complex timber trafficking cases domestically and transnationally; to develop new tools and techniques to investigate and prosecute timber trafficking cases; and to build the ability of partner governments worldwide to combat this devastating illegal trade. That brings me to the second broad category of climate cases I mentioned: affirmative litigation to protect wildlife and natural resources. These cases may include claims on behalf of Indian tribes or federal agencies to secure water rights as well as reserved treaty, hunting, fishing and gathering rights on behalf of tribes. These are all resources under increasing threat from the effects of climate change—increasing temperatures, drought, and more. And in the final broad category, ENRD’s docket contains an increasing number of cases defending greenhouse gas emissions regulations and controls; agency actions in support of the conversion to cleaner energy; and various policy and management decisions to protect sensitive resources. For example, last month, after extensive briefing, ENRD participated in oral arguments defending two significant EPA actions under the Clean Air Act with climate implications. On September 14 and 15, the D.C. Circuit heard oral arguments in Texas v. EPA, a challenge to EPA’s 2021 regulations prescribing greenhouse gas emission standards for passenger cars and light trucks; and then Ohio v. EPA, a challenge to EPA’s waiver of Clean Air Act preemption to allow California to operate its pre-existing vehicle emissions program, including its zero-emission vehicle and greenhouse gas standards. In closing, it is obviously an exciting and important time to be an environmental lawyer. I know I am excited to be at ENRD as we hope to undertake even more of this vital work in the years ahead. Thank you very much.


title: Fayetteville Man Sentenced for Lying to FAA

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Noah Felice, age 71, was sentenced to one month incarceration for lying to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Christopher A. Scharf, Special Agent in Charge, Northeastern Region of the U.S. Department of Transportation-Office of Inspector General, and Christopher F. Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Field Office of the Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of Inspector General. Felice was previously convicted after a jury trial in December 2022. At the trial, evidence was presented that proved that in September 2017, Felice submitted to the FAA an application for an airman medical certificate, which is a certificate demonstrating that a pilot is medically fit to fly an aircraft. On the application, Felice stated that he had no history of criminal convictions and was not receiving medical disability benefits. In fact, Felice had four prior misdemeanor convictions, two of which were for lying about his criminal history on state and local forms. Felice also was receiving several thousand dollars a month from the Department of Veterans Affairs because he had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. United States District Court Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also sentenced Felice to serve three years of supervised release following his term of incarceration. As a condition of that release, Felice will be required to remain in home confinement for three months. This case was investigated by the Department of Transportation-Office of Inspector General and the Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of Inspector General, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Sutcliffe and Paul Tuck.


title: Three Gang Members Convicted of Racketeering Murder

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A federal jury in Santa Ana, California, convicted three Orange County men today of murder in aid of racketeering as part of their association with the Mexican Mafia, a prison gang. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on Aug. 21, 2017, Mike Escobar, aka Risky, 40, a member of the Little Hood gang in Anaheim; James Mendez, aka Buck, 44, a Sureño gang member from Garden Grove; and Kevin Trejo, aka Minor, 36, a member of the Jeffrey Street gang in Anaheim, murdered their victim in Orange, California. Escobar, Mendez, and Trejo tricked the victim into driving with them from the victim’s home in Anaheim to a residential neighborhood near Orange, where they shot him seven times in the back and once in the head. Escobar, Mendez, and Trejo were acting on orders from co-defendant Johnny Martinez, aka Crow, 47, a member of the Mexican Mafia. Martinez issued the order to kill the victim because he stole drugs and money controlled by Martinez on two occasions. The jury convicted Escobar, Mendez, and Trejo of murder in aid of racketeering. They are scheduled to be sentenced on March 25, 2024, and each face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney E. Martin Estrada for the Central District of California, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Assistant Director in Charge Donald Alway of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement. The FBI Los Angeles Field Office, Orange County Resident Agency; Orange Police Department; Santa Ana Police Department; Anaheim Police Department; Fullerton Police Department; Placentia Police Department; Orange County Sheriff’s Department; Orange County Probation Department; Orange County District Attorney’s Office; and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Grace Bowen and Christopher Matthews of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Greg Staples and Gregory Scally for the Central District of California are prosecuting the case.


title: Three Orange County Gang Members Found Guilty of Murdering Gangster at Behest of Imprisoned Mexican Mafia Member

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: SANTA ANA, California – Three Orange County street gang members were found guilty by a federal jury today of the August 2017 murder in Orange of a gangster who had fallen afoul of a member of the Mexican Mafia prison gang. Mike Escobar, a.k.a. “Risky,” 40, a member of the Little Hood gang in Anaheim; James Mendez, a.k.a. “Buck,” 44, a Sureño gang member from Garden Grove; and Kevin Trejo, a.k.a. “Minor,” 36, a member of the Jeffrey Street gang in Anaheim, each were found guilty of one count of violent crime in aid of racketeering. According to evidence presented at the eight-day trial, on August 21, 2017, the defendants murdered the victim, a member of a Costa Mesa street gang. At the time of his murder, the victim trafficked drugs and collected “taxes” from gangs in Orange County for imprisoned Mexican Mafia member Johnny Martinez, a.k.a. “Crow,” 47, a co-defendant in this case who has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and who is scheduled to go to trial on June 25, 2024. The defendants tricked the victim into driving with them just before midnight from his home in Anaheim to a residential neighborhood in Orange, where they shot him seven times in the back and once in the head. Escobar, Mendez, and Trejo were acting on orders from Martinez, who issued the order to kill the victim because the victim on two occasions stole drugs and money controlled by Martinez, the jury found. United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney scheduled March 25, 2024 sentencing hearings for the defendants, each of whom faces a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison. An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court. The FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office; the Orange Police Department; the Santa Ana Police Department; the Anaheim Police Department; the Fullerton Police Department; the Placentia Police Department; the Orange County Sheriff’s Department; the Orange County Probation Department; the Orange County District Attorney’s Office; and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Greg Staples and Gregory Scally of the Santa Ana Branch Office and Trial Attorneys Grace Bowen and Christopher Matthews of the Justice Department Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting this case.


title: Newcomb Man Charged with Assaulting Two Federal Officers, Seriously Injuring One

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced that Kenneth Lee Begay appeared in federal court on an indictment charging him with two counts of assault upon a federal officer inflicting bodily injury and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Begay, 59, of Newcomb, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, will remain in custody pending a detention hearing set for Monday, October 16, 2023. According to the indictment, on June 4, 2023, Begay assaulted John Doe and Jane Doe, both officers with the Navajo Nation Police Department who were also specially commissioned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, while the officers were attempting to arrest Begay following threats he made to tribal officials during a chapter-house meeting. The assault resulted in serious bodily injury to Jane Doe. An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the most serious allegation, Begay faces up to 20 years imprisonment and up to three years of supervised release thereafter. The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case. # # # 23-247