title: Illinois Man Charged with Producing False U.S. Passports and Mailing Them to New Jersey

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – An Illinois man is charged with furnishing others with false U.S. passport cards through the mail, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. Juma Wajid, aka “Jay Khan,” and “Jamal Anthony,” 36, most recently of Chicago, Illinois, is charged with one count of furnishing a false, forged, and counterfeited U.S. passport to another for use. Wajid appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge John K. Larkins III in Atlanta federal court and was released on $15,000 unsecured bond. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: In April 2024, law enforcement identified a package containing a fake U.S. passport card that was sent through the mail. Law enforcement found that Wajid used an online account to send hundreds of mailings between June 2022 and April 2024 and that he used an encrypted messaging application to advertise the sale of fake identification documents. In August 2024, law enforcement purchased five false U.S. passport cards, as well as additional documents, from Wajid, who created the documents and mailed them to an address in New Jersey in exchange for payment in cryptocurrency. The charge of furnishing a false passport to another person carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the amount of money involved in the offense, whichever is greater. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, New York Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian K. Wood; postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen; and officers of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, under the direction of Director Laurie Doran, with the investigation leading to the charges. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trevor A. Chenoweth of the General Crimes Unit in Newark. The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. wajid.complaint.pdf


title: U.S. Attorneys for the Western District of Texas and Eastern District of Texas Announce Former Cartel Del Noreste Leader Pleads Guilty to 15 Counts and Faces up to Life in Federal Prison

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

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – Juan Gerardo Trevino-Chavez aka Huevo pleaded guilty in a federal court in San Antonio today to 15 counts related to his involvement in drug trafficking throughout Mexico and the United States. Trevino-Chavez, 42, was identified as the leader of the Cartel del Noreste drug cartel (CDN), the successor cartel to Los Zetas Cartel. Trevino-Chavez was identified as the head of CDN from September 2016 until his arrest in March 2022. He pleaded guilty Tuesday to all 11 counts in an indictment filed in the Western District of Texas, including one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana; one count of conspiracy to import marijuana; one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances; one count of conspiracy to employ a person under 18 in drug operations; one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; one count of conspiracy to import cocaine; one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; one count of conspiracy to import methamphetamine; one count of conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking; one count of possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and one count of money laundering. Trevino-Chavez additionally pleaded guilty to the four counts charged in an indictment filed in the Eastern District of Texas. In that district, he was charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, one count of continuing criminal enterprise, one count of smuggling goods from the United States, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Trevino-Chavez is scheduled to be sentenced in May 2025 and faces up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. This prosecution included significant contributions from Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. This case resulted from the work of multiple Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. ###


title: Five Members Of Drug Trafficking Organization Plead Guilty To Federal Drug And Drug-Related Crimes

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that five members of a drug trafficking organization pleaded guilty to Drug Conspiracy and other federal drug and drug-related crimes. Rito Alvarado Gomez, age 36, pleaded guilty to Drug Conspiracy. Jose Alberto Alvarado Gomez, age 34, Ricardo Villeda, age 26, and Iris Yoselin Luna-Herrera, age 27, pleaded guilty to Distribution of Methamphetamine. Ana Isabel Frayre Barboza, age 38, pleaded guilty to Misprision of Felony. The Indictment alleged that beginning in 2018 and continuing until around March 13, 2024, the defendants willfully and knowingly conspired together and with others to possess and distribute methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Oklahoma and elsewhere. The charges arose from a joint investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, along with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, the 8th North Drug Task Force of Hope, Arkansas, and the 9th West Drug Task Force of Nashville, Arkansas. Additionally, several law enforcement agencies contributed to this investigation, including the Arkansas State Police, the Hope Police Department, and the McCurtain County Sheriff’s Office. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Rito Alvarado Gomez, Jose Alberto Alvarado Gomez, Ricardo Villeda, and Iris Yoselin Luna-Herrera were remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing. Ana Isabel Frayre Barboza was allowed to remain on bond pending sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Cornell and Jordan Howanitz represented the United States.


title: Fayette County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – Bryson J. England, 42, of Oak Hill, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 2, 2024, England was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over by law enforcement officers in the Beckley area of Raleigh County. During the vehicle stop, officers conducted a pat-down search of England and found a loaded Armscor of the Philippines model M1911-AU FS .45-caliber pistol on his person. Officers also searched the vehicle and found an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle on the passenger side. Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. England knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for unlawful wounding in Kanawha County Circuit Court on January 6, 2003. England is scheduled to be sentenced on March 14, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the West Virginia State Police. United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-138. ###


title: Patrick Dwyane Murphy Resentenced To Life In Prison For 1999 Murder In Indian Country

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Patrick Dwayne Murphy, age 52, of Henryetta, Oklahoma, was sentenced to life in prison for second degree murder in Indian country. The charges arose from an investigation by the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Department, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On August 5, 2021, Murphy was found guilty by a federal jury at trial of Murder – Second Degree in Indian Country, Murder in Indian Country in Perpetration of Kidnapping, and Kidnapping Resulting in Death. According to investigators, Murphy and two others attacked the victim in rural McIntosh County. Murphy stabbed, mutilated, and killed the victim with a knife. The crimes occurred in McIntosh County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, and in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. On May 10, 2022, Murphy was sentenced to life on all three charges. In May 2024, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the kidnapping convictions and remanded the case for resentencing on the second degree murder conviction. The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief District U.S. Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the resentencing hearing. Murphy will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarrod Leaman represented the United States.


title: Former Senior Manager of Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Pleads Guilty to Insider Trading and Making False Statements

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A Virginia man pleaded guilty today for committing insider trading and making false statements about his trading to his employer, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (FRBR). According to court documents, Robert Brian Thompson, 43, of Mosley, worked as a bank examiner and senior manager with supervisory duties for the FRBR. Due to his position, Thompson was privy to confidential information about certain financial institutions under FRBR’s supervision, including confidential supervisory information (CSI), which is the property of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. As an employee of the FRBR, Thompson was also required annually to file a “Form for Employees Involved with Supervision and Regulation,” which is also called a “Form D.” Among other things, Form D requires employees to disclose if they have any assets, including any equity interest in any banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System and/or bank holding companies. From October 2020 through February 2024, Thompson misappropriated confidential information, including CSI, to execute trades in publicly traded financial institutions. In total, Thompson executed 69 trades in seven different publicly traded financial institutions for a total of approximately $771,678 in personal profits. To conceal the scheme, in each year from 2020 through 2024, Thompson falsely represented on the FRBR’s Form D that he had no assets, including no equities in any publicly traded financial institutions, and that he had not engaged in any activity that would constitute conflicts of interest, violations of FRBR policies, or violations of law. Thompson pleaded guilty to one count of insider trading and one count of making false statements. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 19, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the insider trading count and five years in prison on the false statements count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Special Agent in Charge John Perez of Headquarters Operations, Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (FRB-OIG) made the announcement. FRB-OIG is investigating the case. Trial Attorney Della Sentilles and former Assistant Chief Leslie S. Garthwaite of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Garnett for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.


title: Wisconsin Man Pleads Guilty to Failing to File Employment Tax Returns and to Failing to Pay Employment Taxes

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Eastern

body_text: United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad announced that on November 19, 2024, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman accepted the guilty plea of William S. Gallagher to one count of failure to truthfully account for and pay over employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7202. On October 22, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Gallagher with twelve counts of failure to truthfully account for and pay over employment taxes for each quarter in tax years 2018 through 2020. According to the indictment and plea agreement, Gallagher was the owner and manager of a swimming pool service and retail company in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The company, H2O Wisconsin, LLC, or Poolblu, employed approximately 15 workers. Gallagher was required to withhold federal income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes from his employees’ wages, hold those amounts in trust, and pay them over to the IRS. Additionally, Gallagher was responsible for filing quarterly tax returns (Forms 941) reporting these amounts to the IRS. Gallagher was further required to pay the employer’s matching portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes. For each quarter in tax years 2018 through 2020, Gallagher willfully failed to truthfully account for and pay over these taxes. Dating back to 2014, the loss to the IRS totaled over $606,000. Sentencing is scheduled for January 30, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., before Judge Adelman. At sentencing, Gallagher faces up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. He also faces up to three years of supervised release after completing any period of imprisonment. The IRS, Criminal Investigation Division, investigated the case, which Assistant United States Attorney John P. Scully is prosecuting. # # # For Additional Information Contact: Public Information Officer Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov 414-297-1700 Follow us on Twitter


title: San Antonio Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Receipt of Child Pornography

body_text: United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad announced that on November 19, 2024, Bobby E. Matjeka (age: 43) of San Antonio, Texas, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison by Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach. According to court records, Matjeka engaged online with an Appleton woman and encouraged her to send him sexually explicit images of her then 8-year-old daughter. For approximately one year, Matjeka engaged in online exchanges centered around the rape and sexual abuse of the woman’s children. He continued to receive images of the child and made plans to install hidden cameras in her home to remotely view the abuse. Judge Griesbach noted that this offense was “deplorable and despicable” in nature. The judge also noted the profound effects that the defendant’s actions imposed upon the victims. Ultimately, the judge determined that a sentence of 240 months in federal prison was a fair and just sentence reflective of the severity of the crime and consistent with the sentence previously received by the victims’ mother. Upon the completion of his federal prison sentence, the defendant will spend 15 years on supervised release. He will also have to register as a sex offender under state and federal law. 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 U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . This case was investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigations, the Appleton Police Department, and with the assistance of the Department of Homeland Security’s Milwaukee and San Antonio Field Offices. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble. # # # For Additional Information Contact: Public Information Officer Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov 414-297-1700 Follow us on Twitter


title: Modesto Methamphetamine and Heroin Trafficker Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Lupe Aime Busio-Valencia, 43, of Modesto, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to five years and 10 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, Busio-Valencia and co-defendant Jose Garcia Herrera, 63, of Modesto, were arrested on July 22, 2020, while attempting to deliver 10 pounds of methamphetamine and 3 kilograms of heroin to a drug customer. The drug were concealed within a hidden compartment underneath the driver’s seat. This case was the product of an investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Modesto Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Stokman and Justin Lee prosecuted the case. Garcia Herrera failed to appear for a prior court appearance and is currently a fugitive from justice. The pending charges against him are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.


title: Three Sacramento Men Plead Guilty to Fentanyl Pill Trafficking

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. —Jose Guadalupe Lopez-Zamora, 30; Joaquin Alberto Sotelo Valdez, 27; and Jose Luis Aguilar Saucedo, 28, all of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to fentanyl trafficking and related crimes, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, Lopez-Zamora was the leader of a Sacramento-based drug trafficking organization. From at least May 2019 until January 2021, the organization was responsible for importing tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone “M-30” pills from Mexico and distributing them in northern California and elsewhere. The group also distributed cocaine and methamphetamine. Sotelo Valdez was fentanyl pill distributor for the organization. Aguilar Saucedo sold hundreds of fentanyl pills on each of three separate occasions in March, April, and July 2020. Lopez-Zamora and Sotelo Valdez each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Lopez-Zamora also pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and one count of conspiracy to launder money. Sotelo Valdez also pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Aguilar Saucedo pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of fentanyl. Eight other co-defendants have pleaded guilty, and seven have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 27 months to over 10 years. Co-defendant Alejandro Tello is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22, 2025. Charges are pending against the following defendants: Rosario Zamora Rojo, Luis Lopez Zamora, Leonardo Flores Beltran, Erika Gabriela Zamora Rojo, and Sandro Escobedo. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Yuba-Sutter Narcotic and Gang Enforcement Task Force (NET 5), the California Highway Patrol, the Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force (BINTF), the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT), the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, the Sacramento Police Department, the Roseville Police Department, the Manteca Police Department, the Yuba City Police Department, and the West Sacramento Police Department. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Mexican authorities to secure the arrest and extradition of Luis Lopez Zamora to the United States from Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Spencer is prosecuting the case. Lopez-Zamora, Sotelo Valdez, and Aguilar Saucedo are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on March 10, 2025. Lopez-Zamora and Sotelo Valdez face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison. Aguilar Saucedo faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison. The actual sentences, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about OCDETF, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.


title: Former Tennessee State Senator Resentenced and an Additional Fine Imposed

component: USAO - Tennessee, Western

body_text: Memphis, TN – A federal judge recently resentenced former Tennessee State Senator Katrina Robinson, 43 , of Memphis, Tennessee to time served and imposed a fine in the amount of $48,600 for misrepresentations made to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Acting United States Attorney Reagan Fondren announced the new sentence today. According to the information presented in court, Robinson was the founder and director of The Healthcare Institute (THI), a for-profit provider of educational and training programs for jobs in the healthcare field. Between 2015 and 2019, THI received over $2.2 million in federal grants from HRSA, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. In 2021, a jury found Robinson guilty of two counts of wire fraud in connection with transfers that she made from THI’s operating account for personal expenditures for her wedding. The jury also found Robinson guilty of two counts of wire fraud for fraudulent misrepresentations made by Robinson to HRSA when completing Annual Performance Review forms for years 2017-2018 (Count 19) and 2018-2019 (Count 20). With respect to Count 19, the government presented evidence that Robinson reported to HRSA that 215 students had received scholarships in 2017-2018, but an investigation had confirmed that only 161 of those students actually received scholarships. The district court granted Robinson’s post-verdict motion for judgment of acquittal as to the wire fraud counts that involved fraudulent misrepresentations to HRSA, setting aside the jury’s verdict on Counts 19 and 20. The United States appealed the district’s court’s acquittal on Count 19 to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The appellate court reversed the district court’s grant of acquittal and reinstated the jury’s verdict with respect to Count 19. It held that the evidence at trial showed that Robinson made material misrepresentations to HRSA in 2017-2018 with the intent to deprive HRSA of grant funds and to induce HRSA to continue funding Robinson’s organization. Upon remand, Chief United States District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman resentenced Robinson to time served and assessed Robinson a fine of $48,600 for the misrepresentations she made to HRSA in 2017-2018. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General. Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Chris Cotten, Scott Smith, and Raney Irwin, who prosecuted this case in the district court, and Naya Bedini, who prosecuted this case on appeal with AUSA Cotten, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the case. ### For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov . Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.


title: Indiana Man Sentenced to 21 Months for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Western

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Damarion Jackson, 21, Indianapolis, Indiana, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 21 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. Jackson pleaded guilty to this charge on August 28, 2024. On November 4, 2023, Jackson was a passenger in a high-speed car chase in Monona, Wisconsin. Police officers were able to disable the car, forcing the driver to stop. Jackson fled on foot carrying a small bag. Officers found Jackson hiding between two residential fences with the bag nearby. In the bag there was a loaded Glock 29 10mm handgun with an extended magazine and equipped with a machinegun conversion device. A machinegun conversion device is an illegal after-market device that converts a semi-automatic handgun into a fully functioning machinegun. A handgun with a machinegun conversion device is extremely dangerous, even for experienced firearms users, because it is difficult to control and is capable of firing 50 rounds in four seconds with a single pull of the trigger. Jackson is not legally permitted to possess firearms or ammunition because of a prior felony conviction. At sentencing, Judge Conley commented on Jackson’s escalating conduct and the dangers of having a handgun equipped with a machinegun conversion device. Judge Conley also noted that Jackson had “started a criminal lifestyle” at a young age, but expressed hope that this conviction would be a turning point for Jackson. The charge against Jackson was the result of an investigation conducted by the Monona, Madison, and Fitchburg Police Departments. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force also assisted with the investigation. The task force consists of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers (TFOs) from local agencies including the Dane County and Clark County Sheriff’s Offices and the Fitchburg, Madison, Sun Prairie, and La Crosse Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Glinzak prosecuted this case. This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.


title: Registered Sex Offender Admits Possessing Child Pornography

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A registered sex offender from Jefferson County, Missouri pleaded guilty Tuesday and admitted selling child pornography online. Patrick Mayberry, 45, of High Ridge, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession of child pornography as a prior offender. Mayberry told investigators that he’d received over $2,000 by selling child pornography that he’d obtained on the dark web. Mayberry had multiple videos containing child sexual abuse material in his MEGA cloud-storage account. Authorities were alerted by a cyber tipline report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that Mayberry had uploaded 88 files containing child pornography to his Google account. Mayberry was on probation at the time of the offense. In 2003, Mayberry was convicted of second-degree rape – victim under age 16 in Oklahoma. In 2008, he was convicted of one count of attempting to procure child pornography for seeking nude photographs of a nine-year-old. In 2021 in Jefferson County Circuit Court in Missouri, Mayberry was convicted of one count of failure to register as a sex offender. Mayberry is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 13, 2025. The charge is punishable by a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years, a $250,000 fine, or both. The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Auburn Man Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for Receipt of Child Pornography

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Timothy Durel, 58, of Auburn, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to five years and three months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, between 2012 and 2021, Durel uploaded and shared between email accounts hundreds of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. This included images of prepubescent children. When law enforcement searched Durel’s home in 2021, they seized electronic devices and found hundreds of additional images of child pornography. This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Yang prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.


title: Corrections Officer Charged Along with Inmates and Others in Conspiracy to Smuggle Contraband into the D.C. Jail

body_text: WASHINGTON – Corrections Officer Rashaad Roper, 45, of Gaithersburg, MD, is one of five people charged by indictment, unsealed today, in a conspiracy to provide a knife, drugs, and cell phones to inmates in the D.C. jail as they awaited trial for murder and assault with intent to kill while armed. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Investigator Kevin L. Hammond of the D.C. Department of Corrections Office of Investigative Services. Also named in the indictment are: LaTara Brown, 31, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, and Kiya Holland, 33, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, who were arrested on November 19, 2024. Roper, Brown, Holland, and their co-defendants—Darius Robertson, 31, Marcel Vines, 28, and Stefon Freshley, 28—are each charged with providing or possessing contraband in a prison, as well as conspiring to do so. According to the indictment, Holland and Brown packaged contraband, such as a knife, cell phones, and controlled substances, into Tupperware containers hidden concealed in saranwrap in the middle of prepared food. They would bring the Tupperware containers to the Central Detention Facility, also known as the D.C. Jail, where Officer Roper or another corrections officer identified in the indictment as Co-Conspirator 1, would take possession of the containers and smuggle them into the jail. Once inside, the corrections officer would deliver the contraband to Robertson, Vines, and/or Freshley, who were inmates inside the housing unit where the officers worked. On two occasions, the Department of Corrections Office of Investigative Services (“OIS”) recovered contraband related to the conspiracy. On February 28, 2024, OIS intercepted a bag Holland dropped off at the jail and that Roper intended to pick up. The bag contained two Tupperware containers filled with: (1) one switchblade knife; (2) one Apple iPhone cellphone; (3) a white USB iPhone charger; (4) two pairs of eyeglasses; (5) a bundle marijuana wrapped in clear saranwrap; (6) suspected tobacco wrapped in clear saranwrap; (7) several sheets of white rolling papers; (8) a pair of gambling dice; (9) three white sheets of bonded paper that were damp and emitted a chemical odor; (10) two saran-wrapped packages of marijuana; and (11) five individually wrapped packages in clear saranwrap containing approximately 100 cigarettes. Additionally, on July 25, 2024, OIS did a sweep of the housing unit where Robertson, Vines, and Freshley were held. Officers recovered, among other things, (1) 269 blue pills (including 120 from Vines’ cell), containing 5F-ADB—a synthetic cannabinoid and a Schedule I controlled substance; (2) 60 cigarettes soaked in an unknown liquid (including 40 in Vines’ cell); (3) 255 strips containing Buprenorphine (170 in Vines’ cell)—a Schedule III narcotic controlled substance; (4) 7 pieces of paper soaked in an unknown liquid substance; (5) three cellular phones; and (6) cigarettes. The conspiracy charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of 5 years in prison, while providing or possessing contraband in a prison carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. A U.S. District court judge will determine the appropriate sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other factors. This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the D.C. Department of Corrections Office of Investigative Services with the assistance of the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. roper_et_al_indictment.pdf


title: South L.A. Man Found Guilty of Valentine’s Day Armed Robbery of Armored Truck in Hawthorne in Which Firearm Was Discharged

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A South Los Angeles man was found guilty by a jury today of the armed robbery of an armored truck in Hawthorne on St. Valentine’s Day in 2022, a heist in which more than $166,000 in cash and customer checks were stolen and a firearm was discharged after the truck’s driver was held on the ground at gunpoint. Deneyvous Hobson, 38, of the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), one count of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. “Our community will not accept violent gun crime and armed and violent felons will be held accountable,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “I commend our prosecutors and our federal and local law enforcement partners for bringing this defendant to justice. With Operation Safe Cities, we will remain vigilant in protecting the public from gun violence.” According to evidence presented at a six-day trial, Hobson and co-defendant James Russell Davis, 36, also of the West Adams neighborhood of South Los Angeles, on February 14, 2022, robbed a Sectran Security Services armored truck by ambushing the truck’s driver after the driver had finished servicing an ATM. Three weeks prior to the robbery, Hobson and Davis cased the Wescom Credit Union in Hawthorne and observed a Sectran driver serving an ATM. During and before the robbery, Davis acted as a lookout and performed countersurveillance nearby. On February 14, 2022, at approximately the same time in the morning as their casing three weeks earlier, Hobson, traveling in a separate car from Davis, arrived at the credit union while the victim – identified in court documents as “J.G.” – was servicing the credit union’s ATMs. Hobson and two other co-conspirators got out of their white Honda Accord, approached the victim, ordered him to the ground at gunpoint, and took J.G.’s service weapon, a .40-caliber handgun. Hobson and two co-conspirators stole approximately $166,640 in cash and checks from the Wescom Credit Union’s ATM. As Hobson and two accomplices returned to their car, one of the co-conspirators fired the 9mm semi-automatic handgun he was carrying. They then fled the scene. The next day, Hobson attempted to sell for $800 via text the 9mm semi-automatic handgun he carried at the robbery, stating that the weapon was “not all the way bad it was just shot doing a get down,” according to court documents. In October 2022, Hobson illegally possessed a 9mm pistol and 12 rounds of 9mm ammunition. Hobson was not permitted to possess the firearm or ammunition because his criminal history includes felony convictions in 2003 in Los Angeles Superior Court for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha scheduled an April 18, 2025, sentencing hearing, at which time Hobson will face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Hobson has been in federal custody since February 2023. Davis pleaded guilty on February 16 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. On June 10, Judge Aenlle-Rocha sentenced Davis to 166 months in federal prison and ordered him to pay $166,640 in restitution to Sectran Security Services. Davis has been in federal custody since March 2023. Operation Safe Cities establishes strategic enforcement priorities with an emphasis on prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime. Across this region, the most damaging and horrific crimes are committed by a relatively small number of particularly violent individuals. This strategic enforcement approach is expected to increase the number of arrests, prosecutions and convictions of recidivists engaged in the most dangerous conduct. It is designed to improve public safety across the region by targeting crimes involving illicit guns, prohibited persons possessing firearms, or robbery crews that cause havoc and extensive losses to retail establishments. The FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Inglewood Police Department, and the Hawthorne Police Department investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler and Jena A. MacCabe of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Jason C. Pang of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.


title: Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Death Resulting from Gun Crimes

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis County man to 15 years in prison after finding by a preponderance of the evidence that he used an illegally-acquired pistol to kill his pregnant girlfriend in 2017. Darius Carter, 30, was found guilty after a three-day trial in May of two felony counts: aiding and abetting the making of false statements in the straw purchase of a firearm and conspiracy to make false statements in the straw purchase of firearm. Witness testimony and evidence showed that Carter enlisted the help of his mother, Lynn Hooks, and his friend, Dakota Carr, to buy a gun for himself and one for his girlfriend from Piazza Jewelry and Pawn on July 14, 2017. Carter was on probation at the time and was forbidden from possessing a firearm. Carr was an employee at the pawn shop, and he, Hooks and Carter conspired to have Hooks buy the guns to get around a background check requirement and the fact that Mason was underage. They purchased a Heckler & Koch model VP9 9mm for Carter and a .380 caliber Glock pistol for his girlfriend, Sarah Mason. Mason, who was 20 years old and about eight months pregnant, was fatally shot in the back of the head on Oct. 31, 2017. Her daughter, Milanie, also died. During Tuesday’s hearing, evidence and testimony showed that Carter and Mason had engaged in a series of arguments about Carter’s infidelity, and he was angry with her for going through his phone. She told her mother that she was moving out of the home she shared with Carter. After work that day, evidence showed Carter travelled to the area of their home in St. John, Missouri, then left. When he returned, he was missing his jacket. His prized pistol was also missing. That gun is consistent with the firearm used to murder Mason. A neighbor testified that Carter was howling and bellowing in distress when he discovered Mason’s body but showed no tears or other evidence that his emotion was real. Carter also has a history of abusive and controlling behavior toward women, according to court testimony. Judge Autrey said in court that the evidence presented Tuesday was “analogous to first-degree murder.” The 15-year sentence, consisting of 10 years for the false statement count and five years for the conspiracy count, is the maximum for each crime. Hooks, 60, and Carr, 32, were sentenced to probation. Both Hooks and Carr pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the making of false statements in the straw purchase of a firearm and conspiracy to make false statements in the straw purchase of firearm. They admitted that Hooks lied on a form and falsely claimed to be the guns’ buyer. Carr processed that form, knowing that it contained false statements and later bought an accessory for Carter’s gun using his employee discount. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. John Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Reilly and Nino Przulj prosecuted the case.


title: Two men admit to transporting undocumented individuals in stolen pickup trucks

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: LAREDO, Texas – A Texan and a Mexican national have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport undocumented aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Juan Daniel Saldaña, 30, San Antonio, and Noe Alonso Moreno-Alvarez, 23, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy. On Sept. 13, law enforcement patrolling near Bruni observed two pickup trucks driving in tandem in high speed on FM Road 205. Saldana and Moreno-Alvarez were the respective drivers and were transporting several undocumented individuals in the stolen vehicles. Attempting to evade authorities, both men crashed through a ranch fence. Saldana stopped after he collided into a tree and fled with his girlfriend. Moreno-Alvarez kept driving until he stopped some distance from the other truck. The next day, law enforcement found and arrested both men as well as the illegally present individuals. Saldaña and Moreno-Alvarez admitted to driving through private ranches in attempts to circumvent a Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint. Saldaña used bolt and wire cutters to gain access to the ranches and expected to receive payment from smugglers in Mexico. Saldaña admitted he worked for the alien smuggling organization for some time. Moreno-Alvarez said he entered the United States illegally a few months ago and agreed to transport undocumented migrants to work off his smuggling fee. He drove the lead vehicle, but after abandoning the truck, he joined the group of migrants in an attempt avoid arrest. However, Saldaña and the others identified him as a driver. U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña accepted the plea and will set sentencing at a later date. At that time, the men face up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Saldana and Moreno-Alvarez have been and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Border Patrol conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Webb County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Homero Ramirez prosecuted the case.


title: Buffalo man indicted on charges of selling fentanyl that resulted in two deaths

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that a federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging Rashaun Crule, 30, of Buffalo, NY, with narcotics conspiracy and distribution of fentanyl resulting in the death, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan K. Glaberson, who is handling the case, stated that, according to the superseding indictment, in February 2023, Crule distributed fentanyl to two individuals identified as M.M. and B.Y. in Amherst, NY. The victims believed they were purchasing cocaine, when in reality Crule delivered a bag of pure fentanyl. Both M.M. and B.Y. ingested the fentanyl shortly after receiving it, overdosed immediately, and died as a result. The victims bodies were not discovered for several days. A search of Crule’s cell phone determined that he deleted all messages between himself and one of the victims. In addition, about five months after the deaths of the two victims, Crule joked in a text message with another individual about the strength of the fentanyl that he was selling, responding with laughing emojis to a message suggesting his fentanyl was strong enough to cause overdoses. At the time, Crule was on probation for a 2022 felony drug conviction in Erie County. The superseding indictment is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino, New York Field Division, and the Amherst Police Department, under the direction of Chief Scott Chamberlin. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. # # # #


title: Niagara Falls Crips member sentenced on drug charges

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Michael Pryor, 27, of Niagara Falls, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, cocaine, and distribution of fentanyl within 1,000 feet of public housing property, was sentenced to serve 36 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who handled the case, stated that between June and October 21, 2022, Pryor conspired with co-defendants Shawn Pryor, Cameron Lee, and others to sell cocaine. Pryor, Shawn Pryor, and Cameron Lee, identified as members/associates of the Crips Gang, assisted each other with the distribution of narcotics by selling drugs to one another when one of them needed some drugs to sell to a customer. In addition, on October 7, 2022, Michael Pryor sold fentanyl to an undercover law enforcement officer within 1,000 feet of the Anthony Spallina Towers, a housing facility owned by the Niagara Falls Municipal Housing Authority, a public housing authority. He also sold cocaine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl to the undercover officer and an individual working with law enforcement during the course of the conspiracy. On October 16, 2022, in furtherance of the conspiracy, Pryor, Shawn Pryor, and another individual drove to a convenient store on Ashland Avenue in Niagara Falls and beat up a rival drug dealer, who was selling drugs in their area. They later chased the victim into the convenience store before leaving the area. The victim was treated for a laceration to his right hand and a chip fracture of a wrist bone. Shawn Pryor and Cameron Lee were previously convicted. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the Niagara Falls Police Department, Superintendent Nick Ligammari, and the Niagara County Sheriff's Office, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti. # # # #


title: Leader in debt collection scheme going to prison

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Joseph Ciffa, 56, of Tonawanda, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and filing a false tax return, was sentenced to serve 37 months by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, who handled the case, stated that Ciffa was involved in the debt collection business since at least 2013. Since early 2015, Ciffa ran, and conspired with others to run, an illegitimate debt collection business, operating out of multiple locations, which included: 1625 Buffalo Avenue in Niagara Falls, NY; 870 Ontario Street and 1567 Military Road, both in Kenmore, NY; and out of his home office on Grand Island. The operation utilized fraudulent means to collect debts, to recollect on debts already collected, to over-collect on debts actually owed, and to process and transfer payments related to the collection of such debts. Debt collectors made threatening statements over the telephone to debtors in an effort to induce payment of debts. Those statements included reference to criminal statutes, and the filing of criminal complaints and/or warrants. In order to intimidate debtors and induce payment, debtors were routinely routed to employees who posed as attorneys during the calls. Between January 2015, and December 2016, Ciffa’s operation collected approximately $3,061,205 from victims. Ciffa also filed a false tax return for the tax year 2015, underreporting his business income, thereby avoiding a total tax liability of approximately $15,651. In addition, in 2016 Ciffa committed fraud involving Medicaid benefits. He lied in an application to the Erie County Department of Social Services, by under-reporting his income, in order to obtain benefits for himself and his children. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special-Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Thomas Fattorusso; the United States Postal Service Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward; and the New York State, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Inspector General Lucy Lang. # # # #


title: Fort Worth mother admits to smuggling minors from Mexico

body_text: LAREDO, Texas – A 36-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle children into the United States for financial gain, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. On Aug. 8, Sandra Perez applied for admission into the United States driving an SUV. She had her three minor U.S. citizen children with her along with two minor Mexican children. Perez claimed the two Mexican children were also hers and attempted to present Texas birth certificates and Social Security cards that belonged to her two other children as proof. After the Mexican children failed to answer authorities questions, Perez admitted to attempting to bring the Mexican children into the United States to the children’s mother in Fort Worth, knowing that they did not have legal authority to enter the country. She also admitted she expected to receive $5,000 per child after delivery. U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña accepted the plea and will set sentencing at a later date. At that time, Perez faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Perez was permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing. Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Homero Ramirez is prosecuting the case.


title: 1,295 KILOGRAMS OF COCAINE SEIZED BY THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD

component: USAO - Virgin Islands

body_text: St. Thomas, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Julio Contreras Bueno and Christian Garay Ochoa, both of Mexico, appeared before Magistrate G. Alan Teague for their initial appearance after being charged by Indictment with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine while on board a vessel subject to jurisdiction of the United States. According to court records, on September 5, 2024, during a routine patrol in international waters in the Eastern Pacific, a Royal Canadian Naval ship with a United States Coast Guard detachment onboard intercepted a go-fast vessel after it was sighted approximately 427 nautical miles southwest of Acapulco, Mexico. The vessel, which was dead in the water floating adrift with bales visible on the deck, displayed no indicia of nationality and had no flag flown. The Coast Guard detachment conducted a right of visit boarding on the vessel as it was suspected of illicit maritime activity. The vessel had a large hole in its bow and Julio Contreras Bueno, Christian Garay Ochoa, and Francisco Hernandez Penaloza were found onboard. A claim of Mexican nationality was made by the crew, but the Mexican government could neither confirm nor deny nationality of the vessel. The vessel was therefore determined to be one without nationality, thus subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. A search of the vessel revealed 35 bales consistent with contraband. Two presumptive tests were conducted on packages inside the bales, which proved positive for cocaine. The contraband was removed, and the vessel was sunk due to the damage to the hull. The initial appearance of Hernandez Penaloza will be scheduled before Magistrate Teague pending his removal from the Southern District of California. If convicted, they face a minimum of ten years and a maximum of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. This case is being investigated by the United States Coast Guard and Drug Enforcement Administration and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Payne. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. U.S. Attorney Smith reminds the public that a criminal Indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Winslow Woman Sentenced for Embezzlement Scheme

body_text: BANGOR, Maine: A Winslow woman was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor for a wire fraud scheme. U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Sarah Nale , 49, to nine months in prison followed by nine months of home confinement and two years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay over $816,000 in restitution. Nale pleaded guilty on August 5, 2024. According to court records, between March 2012 and September 2022, Nale stole $816,584.74 from two local businesses—a realty trust and a professional services firm—where she was the bookkeeper and sole employee. A large portion of the funds were stolen by writing checks from the realty trust to the professional firm, and then writing checks to herself from the professional firm. She would write large checks to herself for money she was not owed, but prepared a checkbook ledger that made the checks appear to have been made to legitimate vendors or for her usual salary. The FBI and the Waterville Police Department investigated the case. ###


title: Portland Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Enticing a Minor, Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Maine

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Portland for enticing a minor and possessing child sexual abuse material. U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Joshua Decker , 36, to 144 months in prison followed by supervised release for life. Decker pleaded guilty on July 3, 2024. According to court records, in December 2022, Decker encountered the out-of-state 16-year-old victim in an online chat forum and began regularly communicating with them despite knowing the victim was a minor. In April 2023, the conversations became graphic and sexual, and Decker discussed traveling to meet the victim. The U.S. Attorney’s Office does not identify minor victims of crime and is limiting identifying information, including gender and location, to protect the minor victim’s privacy. In July 2023, the Portland Police Department executed a search warrant on Decker’s vehicle and person, recovering a tablet. Examination of the tablet revealed child sexual abuse material. Decker was previously convicted in Androscoggin County Criminal Court in 2018 for possessing sexually explicit material of a minor under 12. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case with assistance from the Portland Police Department. Online enticement is increasing: The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) reported an alarming 300% increase in online enticement reports between 2020 and 2023. “Online enticement” involves an individual communicating with someone believed to be a child via the internet with the intent to commit a sexual offense or abduction. This type of victimization takes place across every platform, including social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms, etc. Learn more about online enticement, including red flags and risk factors, at https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/onlineenticement . If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741. Free Project iGuardian program available to Maine schools & communities: The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) program Project iGuardian is focused on keeping children and teens safe from online predators through education and awareness. The in-person educational outreach effort was created to share information about the dangers of online environments, how to stay safe online, and how to report abuse and suspicious activity. Schools, parent groups, and other community groups interested in bringing the program to their community can find more information at: https://www.dhs.gov/know2protect/training . Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s 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, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc . ###


title: Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Making Hate Crime Threats against The Council on American-Islamic Relations (“CAIR”) Michigan Chapter

component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: DETROIT – A Florida man pleaded guilty today to federal charges for repeatedly threatening the Council on American-Islamic Relations (“CAIR”) Michigan Chapter, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today. Ison was joined in the announcement by Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Chad Baugh, Chief of the Canton Police Department. According to court documents, Michael Shapiro, 72, of West Palm Beach, Florida, placed three separate phone calls to CAIR’s office located in Canton, Michigan, and left voicemails containing the following threats: • December 8, 2023: “I’m going to kill you bastards. I’m going to kill you bastards.” • December 14, 2023: ““I’m going to kill you mother f*****g bastards. Muslims! I’m going to kill you mother f*****s. I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill you!” • December 15, 2023: “You’re a violent people. Why do you come to America? Why do you come to Europe? Mother f*****s. You’re violent. You’re killers. You’re rapists. I’m going to kill you mother f*****s!” For this, Shapiro pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting threats in interstate commerce. Shapiro also admitted that he intentionally selected CAIR as the victim of his threats because of the actual and perceived religion and national origin of the people who work at and are assisted by CAIR. “No one should be able to threaten violence and instill fear on an entire community. Today’s conviction should send a strong message that those who do so will be investigated, identified, and aggressively prosecuted,” stated U.S. Attorney Ison. "Michael Shapiro's guilty plea for threats motivated by religious bias underscores the FBI's unwavering commitment to protecting individuals from hate and intolerance," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "This conviction serves as a powerful demonstration of the serious consequences faced by those who engage in hate-fueled threats, sending a clear warning to others. The success of this case is a direct result of the strong collaboration between the FBI Michigan and the Canton Police Department. Law enforcement efforts are greatly bolstered by the community's support, including faith-based organizations, in addressing and preventing hate crimes. Together, we remain steadfast in our dedication to combating violence rooted in bias and will continue to promote safety, respect, and justice for all members of our diverse communities. This case unequivocally illustrates that acts of hate and intolerance are met with zero tolerance by the Michigan law enforcement community. Such offenses will be vigorously prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, exemplifying our unwavering commitment to justice and protecting all community members." This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Canton Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frances Lee Carlson.


title: Investigation into Shooting in Bricktown Lands Oklahoma City Man in Federal Prison for 10 Years for Drug and Gun Charges

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Western

body_text: OKLAHOMA CITY – QUINTRAL DEMETRICES JONES , 28, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 120 months in federal prison for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. On December 19, 2023, a federal Grand Jury returned a three-count Indictment against Jones, charging him with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, illegal possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. According to public record, on December 18, 2022, officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department responded to a parking lot in Bricktown in reference to a shooting. On scene, officers reviewed surveillance footage, where they watched a passenger of a vehicle—later determined to be Jones—fire a weapon out of the passenger window at another occupied vehicle. Officers eventually located and searched the vehicle Jones was in and found cocaine and a firearm, which was later confirmed to be the one fired at the scene of this shooting. On June 24, 2024, Jones pleaded guilty, and admitted he intended to distribute the cocaine in the car and possessed a gun in furtherance of his drug trafficking. At the sentencing hearing on November 19, 2024, U.S. District Judge Bernard M. Jones sentenced Jones to serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge Jones noted the serious nature of the offense involving the discharge of a firearm and the possession of distribution levels of cocaine. Judge Jones further noted that Jones had a lengthy criminal history—including previous convictions involving both guns and drugs—yet still participated in the activity leading to his convictions in this case. Public record reflects that Jones has a long criminal history, with convictions in Oklahoma County District Court that include: concealing stolen property and possession of marijuana in case number CF-2014-5742; unauthorized use of a vehicle, aggravated attempting to elude a police officer, and possession of an offensive weapon while committing a felony in case number CF-2014-6402; second degree burglary in case number CF-2014-6451; possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and felon in possession of a firearm in case number CF-2017-6174. 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 Stan J. West prosecuted the case. This case is also part of “Operation Shots Fired.” Operation Shots Fired targets cases involving individuals who discharge firearms as part of their criminal activity, such as drive-by shootings or when shots are fired during robberies, domestic disputes, or other incidents. 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 additional information.


title: Auburn Man Pleads Guilty After Being Caught on Video Selling Crack Cocaine

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: An Auburn man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to distributing and possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances. According to court records, in May and June 2024, agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) directed a confidential source to conduct two controlled buys from Pierre Calhoun , 39, with both transactions captured on video and audio recordings. The DEA lab later tested the seized drugs and confirmed them to be approximately 24.7 grams of crack cocaine. Calhoun faces up to 20 years imprisonment and a fine up to $1 million. Any sentence would be followed by no less than three years of supervised release. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The DEA investigated the case. ###


title: Convicted Criminal Sentenced to Six Years in Prison After Repeatedly Illegally Reentering the United States

component: USAO - Texas, Northern

body_text: A criminal who returned to the U.S. within five months of last being deported was sentenced to six years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton. Moises Olivos-Hrucha, a 31-year-old citizen of Mexico, was charged in this District with illegal reentry after removal in March 2021, convicted in May 2021, and sentenced in January 2022 to 27 months in federal prison. After serving his sentence, he was deported. Just five months later, in October 2023, he was found back in the state of Texas. He was again charged with illegal reentry after removal and pleaded guilty in May 2024. He was sentenced on Tuesday, Nov. 19 by U.S. District Judge Ada Brown, who ordered him to serve 68 months for the 2024 conviction and four months on the revocation of supervised release for the 2022 conviction, to run consecutively for a total of 72 months in federal prison. At Monday’s sentencing, prosecutors noted Mr. Olivos-Hrucha had engaged in criminal activity in the U.S. multiple times in between deportations. In 2013, he was convicted by the state of robbery and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment after punching the victim’s head, slamming her onto the ground, and dragging her across the ground. Mr. Olivos-Hrucha will be subject to deportation again after serving his six-year sentence. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Madeleine Case prosecuted the most recent criminal case and revocation; former NDTX Assistant U.S. Attorney Travis Elder (now serving in Utah) prosecuted the original criminal case.


title: Dell and Iron Bow Agree to Pay $4.3M to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Submitting Non-Competitive Bids to the Army

component: USAO - Alabama, Northern

body_text: BIRMINGHAM – Dell Technologies Inc. and Dell Federal Systems L.P. (collectively Dell), located in Austin, Texas, have agreed to pay $2,300,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting and causing the submission of non-competitive bids to the Army and thereby overcharging the Army under the Army Desktop and Mobile Computing 3 (ADMC-3) contract. Iron Bow Technologies LLC (Iron Bow), located in Herndon, Virginia, also agreed to pay $2,051,000 for its role in the scheme. The settlements resolve allegations that from May 2020 to April 2024, Dell operated a deal registration program, whereby it gave advantageous pricing to Iron Bow to sell certain Dell computer hardware products to the Army in response to solicitations under the AMDC-3 contract. The United States alleged that Dell also submitted its own direct bids to the Army on the same solicitations, knowing that its prices would be higher than Iron Bow’s, thereby creating a false appearance of competition. The United States further alleged that Dell’s practice of providing higher direct bids influenced the Army’s source selection process and enabled Iron Bow to overcharge the Army for certain Dell products. “The United States relies on competition to get the best value and price for the American taxpayers,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This settlement demonstrates the department’s commitment to hold accountable those who overcharge the government through collusion or other unlawful conduct.” “Fraud in the government contracting process costs taxpayers untold dollars each year,” said U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona for the Northern District of Alabama. “We will continue to work with our federal law enforcement partners to investigate and pursue those who commit government contracting fraud.” The Dell settlement also resolves a lawsuit filed against Dell under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to sue on behalf of the government when they believe that a defendant has submitted false claims for government funds and receive a share of any recovery. The settlement in this case provides for the whistleblower, Brent Lillard, an executive of another IT reseller, to receive a $345,000 share of the recovery from Dell. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Lillard v. Dell Technologies Inc. , No. 5:20-CV-1613-HNJ (NDAL). The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama, with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General, Army Criminal Investigation Division, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Inspector General and General Services Administration Office of Inspector General. Trial Attorney Samson Asiyanbi of the Justice Department’s Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Blutter for the Northern District of Alabama handled the matter. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.


title: Three Men Convicted on Drug Charges

body_text: ANNISTON, Ala. – A federal jury has convicted a Tuscaloosa man on drug charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Steven L. Hofer. The jury returned a guilty verdict against Hanston Alexander Clark, 33, of Tuscaloosa, after two days of testimony before U.S. District Court Judge Corey L. Maze. Clark was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl, and use of a communication facility in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to evidence presented at trial, in June 2023, Clark used a telephone to exchange calls and text messages with his co-defendant to arrange a drug transaction. On June 29, 2023, Clark drove to Anniston, Alabama, and delivered three pounds of methamphetamine and one hundred grams of fentanyl to his co-defendant. Two other defendants, Terrance Antwon Stevens, 41, and Yannick Keyon Wolf, 35, both of Anniston, Alabama, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Stevens also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and use of a communication facility in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. This investigation is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF is an independent component of the U.S. Department of Justice. Established in 1982, OCDETF is the centerpiece of the Attorney General’s strategy to combat transnational organized crime and to reduce the availability of illicit narcotics in the nation by using a prosecutor-led, multi-agency approach to enforcement. OCDETF leverages the resources and expertise of its partners in concentrated, coordinated, long-term enterprise investigations of transnational organized crime, money laundering, and major drug trafficking networks. The DEA and ATF investigated the case along with the Oxford Police Department and 7th Judicial Major Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany Byrd and Alan Kirk are prosecuting the case.


title: Former Rhode Island Correctional Officer Sentenced for Smuggling Contraband into a Federal Detention Center

body_text: PROVIDENCE, RI – A now former Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility correctional officer who smuggled controlled substances into the federal detention center has been sentenced to federal prison to be followed by a term of home confinement, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. According to charging documents and information presented to the court, in mid-February 2021, two inmates housed at the Wyatt Detention Center communicated with a former detainee and another person outside of the facility to arrange to provide a controlled substance to then-correctional officer Kaii Almeida-Falcones, 30, of Smithfield, who smuggled the substances into the facility. A strip search of a detainee on February 15, 2021, revealed a package containing the drugs smuggled by Almeida-Falcones, which were confirmed to be controlled substances by subsequent lab testing. Additional controlled substances smuggled into the facility were found in the cell of another detainee, concealed inside a pillowcase. Almeida-Falcones is seen on Wyatt Detention security video entering each of the detainees cells the evening before. Almeida-Falcones was sentenced on November 14, 2024, by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to six months of incarceration in federal prison to be followed by twenty-four months of federal supervised release - the first six months to be served on home confinement. He pleaded guilty on June 10, 2024, to the charge of providing contraband to an inmate. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ly T. Chin. The matter was investigated by the FBI, the United States Marshals Service, the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General, and the Professional Standards Unit at the Wyatt Detention Center. ###


title: Manager and Enforcer of Queens-Based Sex Trafficking Ring Convicted of Felony Charges Including Assault In-Aid-Of Racketeering and Hobbs Act Robbery

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: A federal jury in Brooklyn yesterday returned guilty verdicts on all counts against Siyang Chen and Yichu Chen in connection with their roles in a Queens-based sex trafficking and prostitution ring. The jury convicted Siyang Chen of sex trafficking conspiracy, several assaults in-aid-of racketeering and Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy. The jury convicted Yichu Chen of the robbery and assault of a sex worker in Centreville, Virginia on September 15, 2020. The verdict followed a month-long trial before United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano. Prior to the trial, on September 27, 2024, Siyang Chen pleaded guilty to nine counts in the superseding indictment, including racketeering conspiracy and assaults in-aid-of racketeering, and, during trial, on October 22, 2024, to an additional count of assault in-aid-of racketeering. With this verdict Siyang Chen has now been convicted on all counts in the superseding indictment with which he was charged. When sentenced, Siyang Chen faces up to life in prison and Yichu Chen faces up to 20 years in prison. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Thomas G. Donlon, Interim Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the verdict. “The trial evidence provided a behind-the-scenes view of the horrific machinations of a sex trafficking organization in all its inhumanity and violence motivated by greed,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This verdict is a victory for justice and for the victims who were subjected to brutal beatings and degrading treatment at the hands of the defendants. My Office will stand by the brave victims who assisted prosecutors and law enforcement in holding the perpetrators accountable.” Mr. Peace expressed his thanks to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska, the Oklahoma City and Manchester field offices of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In addition, local police departments across the United States provided invaluable assistance, including the Beaverton (Oregon) Police Department, the Michigan State Police, the Missouri Highway Patrol, the Oklahoma City (Oklahoma) Police Department, the Omaha (Nebraska) Police Department, the Overland Park (Kansas) Police Department, the Portland (Oregon) Police Department, the Southfield (Michigan) Police Department and the Troy (Michigan) Police Department. “For three years, Siyang Chen managed a national sex trafficking operation designed to establish a monopoly over their victimized workers through organized attacks, effected by Yichu Chen, among others, to terrorize potential defectors and competitors. This ruthless enterprise ordered brutal assaults with physical restraints and various blunt instruments to maintain its tyrannical control. May this conviction emphasize the FBI’s intolerance of the systemic use of violence and serve as a deterrent to those who employ such horrific measures to increase profits,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy. “This verdict delivers a modicum of justice to the courageous survivors who endured unconscionable treatment at the hands of these men, who have now been convicted of operating a brutal interstate sex trafficking and prostitution enterprise,” stated NYPD Interim Commissioner Donlon. “The NYPD, along with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, will continue to hold accountable those who seek to profit from the abuse and exploitation of others.” As proven at trial, between April 2019 and September 2021, defendant Siyang Chen helped lead a nationwide prostitution business that trafficked women. Members of the organization directed and carried out violent attacks on commercial sex workers to protect the enterprise’s turf and deter the victims from working for rival organizations or independently. Siyang Chen was a manager of the criminal enterprise, who advised the organization on strategies to improve profits, including by using violence—and specifically, by targeting and attacking sex workers. The victims of the organization were subjected to extreme brutality. Evidence admitted at trial demonstrated that members of the organization zip-tied the victims’ hands and viciously beat them with breaker bars, hammers, wrenches, and other blunt objects, leaving the victims bloody, terrified, and, in many cases, seriously injured. Siyang Chen planned and participated in robberies and assaults across several states. WeChat messages shared among members of the ring graphically depicted violence that occurred during the assaults. Videos of the assaults were circulated to senior members of the enterprise to show that the beatings were sufficiently severe and to sex workers to cultivate an atmosphere of fear. The videos showed victims screaming, struggling while they were bound, bleeding and being beaten with hammers and other blunt weapons. Siyang Chen commented in a message about a planned attack: “beat to the death [] at least 4 fractures ... Tell the girl not allowed back will hit again coming back.” He made clear that his message to sex workers was, “Fuck off if you don’t want to die.” Yichu Chen was part of the organization’s “hit team.” Specifically, acting at Siyan Chen’s direction, Yichu Chen was recruited to beat a woman who was engaging in commercial sex work for a rival prostitution business at a location in Centreville, Virginia. Siyang Chen instructed Yichu Chen how to zip-tie the woman’s wrists behind her back and, subsequently, Yichu Chen beat her with a metal breaker bar. Yichu Chen robbed the victim of money and a cell phone. Members of the organization paid Yichu Chen an additional $400 for carrying out the attack, which a member of the organization contemporaneously described as a “super severe” beating. Ten co-defendants charged in the superseding indictment have pleaded guilty to various charges for their roles in the organization, including its boss and Siyang Chen’s wife, Rong Rong Xu, and are currently awaiting sentencing. Four others that committed crimes at the enterprise’s direction have been convicted in related cases and are awaiting sentencing. The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs and Civil Rights Sections. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew R. Galeotti, Sophia M. Suarez and Stephanie Pak are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Anna November. The Defendants: SIYANG CHEN Age: 35 Queens, New York YICHU CHEN (also known as “Ban Ban”) Age: 22 Queens, New York Defendants Who Previously Pleaded Guilty: RONG RONG XU (also known as “Eleanor”) Age: 31 Queens, New York YUAN YUAN CHEN Age: 31 Queens, New York BO JIANG Age: 29 Queens, New York MEIZHEN SONG (also known as “Die Die”) Age: 25 Dallas, Texas JIARUN YAN (also known as “Raymond Yan” and “Mike”) Age: 31 Queens, New York JILONG YU Age: 26 Dallas, Texas CARLOS CURY Age: 43 Queens, New York ZERONG TANG Age: 26 Queens, New York E.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 22-CR-158 (S-1) (ENV)


title: Illinois Man Arrested for Allegedly Plotting To Abduct a Child in Florida

component: USAO - Illinois, Northern

body_text: CHICAGO — An Illinois man has been arrested in Chicago for allegedly plotting to abduct a child from a school in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. DEVONTAY SHIELDS, 35, of Danville, Ill., is charged with one count of attempted kidnapping, according to a criminal complaint filed Sunday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Shields was arrested on Saturday at Union Station in Chicago as he attempted to board an Amtrak train to Miami, Fla. He remains detained in federal custody. A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 25, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge M. David Weisman. According to the federal complaint, Shields plotted to kidnap a boy from a school in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and hold him for a $100,000 ransom. Shields communicated his plans to individuals who, unbeknownst to Shields, were cooperating with law enforcement. At the direction of law enforcement, the cooperating individuals surreptitiously recorded a conversation with Shields, during which Shields stated that he planned to “get me a little boy” from the Florida school, the complaint states. Prior to leaving for Florida, Shields went to retail stores and purchased two children’s toys and zip ties. He was in possession of those items when he was arrested at Union Station. The complaint was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of Homeland Security Investigations. Substantial assistance was provided by the HSI Fort Lauderdale office, Chicago Police Department, Amtrak Police Department, Chicago Metropolitan Rail Police Department, Carpentersville, Ill. Police Department, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirsten Moran. The attempted kidnapping charge is punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. The public is reminded that a complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. shields_complaint.pdf


title: Evansville Drug Dealer Sentenced to Three Years in Federal Prison After Investigators Locate 2,000 Fake Pills Laced with Fentanyl

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: EVANSVILLE— Andre Lamont Wright Jr., 29, of Evansville, has been sentenced to three years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. According to court documents, prior to December 2022, law enforcement officers received information that Wright was selling large quantities of fentanyl-laced counterfeit “M30” oxycodone pills. On December 7, 2022, investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Evansville Police Department observed Wright conduct a drug deal outside of his Evansville home. Officers stopped the buyer for a traffic violation after leaving Wright’s home and recovered approximately eighteen counterfeit M30 fentanyl pills. Officers conducted a court-authorized search of Wright’s home and found approximately 2,000 counterfeit “M30” pills containing fentanyl, a digital scale, a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, 9mm ammunition, plastic bags, and $453 in cash. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on a person’s body size, tolerance, and past usage—a tiny amount that can fit on the tip of a pencil. Seven out of ten illegal fentanyl tablets seized from U.S. streets and analyzed by the DEA have been found to contain a potentially lethal dose of the drug. “Fentanyl traffickers are responsible for incalculable damage to our families and communities, peddling deadly pills with utter disregard for human life,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Just one of these fake pills can kill, that’s why we prioritize federal prosecution of the criminals who push this poison. Together with the Evansville Police Department and the DEA, our federal prosecutors will continue working to remove fentanyl and fentanyl dealers from our neighborhoods.” The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Evansville Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young. U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, who prosecuted this case. One Pill Can Kill : Avoid pills bought on the street because One Pill Can Kill . Fentanyl has now become the leading cause of death for adults in the United States. Fentanyl is a highly potent opioid that drug dealers dilute with cutting agents to make counterfeit prescription pills that appear to be Oxycodone, Percocet, Xanax, and other drugs. Fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl are usually shaped and colored to look like pills sold at pharmacies. For example, fake prescription pills known as “M30s” imitate Oxycodone obtained from a pharmacy, but when sold on the street the pills routinely contain fentanyl. These pills are usually round tablets and often light blue in color, though they may be in different shapes and a rainbow of colors. They often have “M” and “30” imprinted on opposite sides of the pill. Do not take these or any other pills bought on the street – they are routinely fake and poisonous, and you won’t know until it’s too late. ###


title: Dallas Gang Member Arrested With Switch Detained Pending Trial

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

body_text: A Dallas gang member arrested with a Glock equipped with a gold switch has been detained pending trial, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton. Johnny Bates, 19, was charged via criminal complaint with possession of a machinegun. He was arrested Nov. 7 and ordered detained pending trial after a hearing on Friday. According to court documents, in December 2023, Mr. Bates was allegedly caught on video firing a pistol that appeared to be fully automatic. Police were unable to apprehend him, but recovered a switch-equipped Glock pistol along the path where he had fled. In October 2024, Dallas Police Department detectives tracked Mr. Bates, a known “415 East Dallas Posse” gang member, to an apartment in Dallas’s Oak Cliff neighborhood. Officers attempted to place him under arrest on outstanding warrants from the December 2023 incident, but he resisted. They wrestled him to the ground until backup arrived. In his backpack, officers found a 9mm Glock pistol equipped with a gold switch and an extended magazine allegedly belonging to Mr. Bates: A query of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) linked the Glock was to an aggravated assault that occurred in Dallas on Sept. 12. (Officers have no reason to believe Mr. Bates was involved in that incident, as a suspect has already been identified.) At Friday’s detention hearing, officers testified to Mr. Bates’s alleged pattern of possessing machinegun conversion devices, offering images from his Instagram of firearms with switches attached and plainly visible. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Like all defendants, Mr. Bates is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison. The Dallas Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Withers is prosecuting the case. This case is part of “ Operation Texas Kill Switch ,” a statewide initiative taking aim at machinegun conversion devices, also known as “switches,” which transform commercially available semi-automatic firearms into fully-automatic weapons capable of firing faster than military-grade machine guns. Spearheaded by U.S. Attorneys Leigha Simonton, Alamdar Hamdani, Damien Diggs and Jaime Esparza, Operation Texas Kill Switch relies on partnerships with state and local law enforcement as well as rewards offered by Crime Stoppers.


title: Monroe Jury Finds Drug Trafficker Guilty in Federal Court

body_text: MONROE, La. – A federal jury in the Monroe Division of the Western District of Louisiana has returned a guilty verdict against Derrick Long a/k/a “Deelong,” 44, of Monroe, for drug trafficking, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. Chief United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty presided over the two-day trial. Long was charged in an indictment in August 2024, along with six other co-defendants, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and distribution of methamphetamine. According to evidence presented at trial, Long conspired with James Ard, Trentin Demond Parks, and Brandon Wright from January 2023 and continuing through July 2023 to distribute methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, in the Monroe area. Law enforcement agents began an investigation into the suspected drug trafficking activities of these men and conducted a number of narcotics buys from Long and Ard. Evidence at trial showed that Ard directed their source to call Long wherein they discussed the sale and purchase of methamphetamine. Agents obtained approval to conduct wiretap surveillance of Ard’s cellular phone and were able to intercept phone calls between Long and his co-defendants discussing large amounts of pills that they needed to obtain to sell, the distribution and transportation from Texas to Monroe to obtain the narcotics, and how much it would cost to get them and what profit they would make. Long was present with Ard and other co-defendants during drug transactions that took place at Ard’s residence. Through their investigation, agents were able to arrest the defendants for their involvement in the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Long faces a sentence of 10 years to life in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. All of the other defendants in this case have pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced in January and February 2025. The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Monroe Police Department and Metro Narcotics Task Force and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys J. Aaron Crawford and Samuel Crichton. # # #