title: Fugitive High-Ranking MS-13 Leader Arrested on Terrorism Charges

body_text: CENTRAL ISLIP, NY - Yesterday afternoon, in federal court in Houston, Texas, Cesar Humberto Lopez-Larios, also known as “Grenas de Stoners” and “Oso de Stoners,” a high-ranking leader of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as “MS-13,” was ordered to be transferred in custody to the Eastern District of New York where he, together with 13 other high-ranking MS-13 leaders, are charged with directing the transnational criminal organization’s criminal activities in the United States, El Salvador, Mexico, and elsewhere over the past two decades. Lopez-Larios, who had been a fugitive for more than three years, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on June 9, 2024 when he arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas. Specifically, Lopez-Larios is charged with conspiracy to provide and conceal material support to terrorists, conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, conspiracy to finance terrorism, and narco-terrorism conspiracy. Lopez-Larios will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), Krysti Hawkins, Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, and Ivan J. Arvelo, Special Agent-in-Charge, HSI’s New York Field Office, announced Lopez-Larios’s arrest. “The arrest of Lopez-Larios, who is one of the most senior leaders of MS-13 in the world, is a significant achievement for law enforcement and another crucial step in the dismantling of this international criminal enterprise,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “The defendant will soon face a reckoning in a federal courtroom on Long Island where, acting on his orders, MS-13 has spilled so much blood and turned communities into war zones.” Mr. Peace expressed his thanks to the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office and Criminal Investigative Division’s Safe Streets Gang Unit, and HSI’s National Gangs and Violent Crime Unit and New York Field Office for spearheading the MS-13 leadership investigations. Additionally, he thanked the FBI and HSI’s Houston Field Offices, and the United States Customs and Border Protection Officers at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston for the critical support provided in connection with the arrest, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the United States Marshals Service for the Southern District of Texas for coordinating the defendant’s initial appearance in Houston. Mr. Peace also thanked the numerous Department of Justice components that contributed to this indictment, including the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Executive Office. “Now that Mr. Lopez-Larios is behind bars, he's no longer in his alleged position of power directing a reign of terror, nor enriching MS-13 and their cartel associates,” stated FBI Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge Hawkins. “The FBI will continue to collaborate with our partners to seek justice and to find the remaining fugitives of this vicious transnational criminal enterprise.” “Cesar Humberto Lopez-Larios’ arrest represents yet another significant leader of MS-13 to be brought to justice this year. Despite his attempts to evade authorities, Lopez-Larios must now answer to criminal charges stemming from his alleged management of one of the most malicious transnational criminal organizations in existence today,” stated HSI New York Special Agent-in-Charge Arvelo. “Although Lopez-Larios, also known as ‘Grenas de Stoners’ to his followers, is now in custody, we recognize there is more to be done. HSI New York, working with our law enforcement partners, will not cease in our efforts to hold MS-13 accountable for their unmitigated violence in communities across New York and elsewhere.” As set forth in the indictment and related court filings, Lopez-Larios and his co-defendants are part of MS-13’s command and control structure, consisting of the Ranfla Nacional , Ranfla en Las Calles , and Ranfla en Los Penales. They play significant leadership roles in the organization’s operations in El Salvador, Mexico, the United States, and throughout the world. In total, 27 of the highest-ranking leaders of MS-13 have been charged in the Eastern District of New York in this indictment and the related indictment of United States v. Arevalo-Chavez, et al. As further alleged, in approximately 2002, Lopez-Larios, his co-defendants and other MS-13 leaders began establishing a highly organized, hierarchical command and control structure as a means to effectuate their decisions and enforce their orders, even while in prison. They directed acts of violence and murder in El Salvador, the United States and elsewhere, established military-style training camps for MS-13 members and obtained military weapons such as rifles, handguns, grenades, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and rocket launchers. Further, beginning in approximately 2012, Lopez-Larios and other members of the Ranfla Nacional negotiated with officials from the government of El Salvador (GOES) to obtain benefits and concessions from the government. In order to extort those benefits and concessions, MS-13 engaged in public displays of violence to threaten and intimidate civilian populations, target GOES law enforcement and military officials, and manipulate the electoral process in El Salvador. Additionally, as alleged, the Ranfla Nacional directed the expansion of MS-13 activities around the world, including the United States and Mexico, where Lopez-Larios and other high-ranking leaders were sent to organize operations, make connections to obtain narcotics and firearms from Mexican drug cartels such as the Zetas, Gulf Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and Sinaloa Cartel, and engage in human trafficking and smuggling. The Ranfla Nacional also directed MS-13’s large membership in the United States to engage in criminal activities, such as drug trafficking and extortion to raise money to support MS-13’s terrorist activities in El Salvador and elsewhere. Lopez-Larios, who has been an MS-13 leader for approximately two decades in El Salvador, Mexico and the United States, was an original member of MS-13's Twleve Apostles of the Devil and later became a member of the Ranfla Nacional. Finally, the Ranfla Nacional and MS-13’s transnational leadership structure is alleged to have directed members in the United States to commit acts of violence to further its goals and implement rules enabling MS-13 to entrench itself in parts of the United States, including within the Eastern District of New York where, under the defendants’ leadership and rules, MS-13 has committed murders, attempted murders, assaults, kidnappings, drug trafficking, extortion of individuals and businesses, and obstruction of justice, and has sent dues and the proceeds of criminal activity by wire transfer to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador. For example, this Office's Long Island Criminal Division has prosecuted hundreds of MS-13 leaders, members and associates for carrying out more than 70 murders in the Eastern District of New York between 2009 and the present. Two related defendants from the Arevalo-Chavez indictment, Jorge Alexander De La Cruz, also known as “Cruger de Peatonales,” and Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales, also known as “Veterano de Tribus,” remain at large. Members of the public with information concerning their whereabouts are strongly encouraged to contact the FBI’s toll-free MS-13 tip line, 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or HSI’s tip line at (866) 347-2423 or https://www.ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form . Together, FBI and HSI have offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the fugitives. These charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted, Lopez-Larios faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. This case was brought by Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), which was created to combat MS-13, led by Assistant United States Attorney John J. Durham of the EDNY, and comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including the District of New Jersey; the Northern District of Ohio; the District of Utah; the District of Massachusetts; the Eastern District of Texas; the Southern District of New York; the Southern District of Florida; the Eastern District of Virginia; the Southern District of California; the District of Nevada; the District of Alaska; and the District of Columbia, as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI; HSI; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the USMS; the U.S. Bureau of Prisons; and the United States Agency for International Development, Office of Inspector General have been essential law enforcement partners and spearheaded JTFV’s investigations. The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John J. Durham, Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci and Megan E. Farrell of the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division with the assistance of Automated Litigation Support Specialist Michael Compitello. Newly Arrested Defendant in U.S. Custody : CESAR HUMBERTO LOPEZ-LARIOS (“El Grenas de Stoners” and “Oso de Stoners”) Age: 45 Previously Arrested Defendant in U.S. Custody : ELMER CANALES-RIVERA (“Crook de Hollywood”) Age: 48 FREDY IVAN JANDRES-PARADA (“Lucky de Park View” and “Lacky de Park View”) Age: 48 Fugitive Defendants: BORROMEO ENRIQUE HENRIQUEZ (“Diablito de Hollywood”) Age: 45 EFRAIN CORTEZ (“Tigre de Park View” and “Viejo Tigre de Park View”) Age: 54 RICARDO ALBERTO DIAZ (“Rata de Leewards” and “Mousey de Leewards”) Age: 51 EDUARDO ERAZO-NOLASCO (“Colocho de Western” and “Mustage de Western”) Age: 51 EDSON SACHARY EUFEMIA (“Speedy de Park View”) Age: 49 JOSE FERNANDEZ FLORES-CUBAS (“Cola de Western”) Age: 49 LEONEL ALEXANDER LEONARDO (“El Necio de San Cocos”) Age: 44 JOSE LUIS MENDOZA-FIGUEROA (“Pavas de 7-11” and “Viejo Pavas de 7-11”) Age: 59 HUGO ARMANDO QUINTEROS-MINEROS (“Flaco de Francis”) Age: 51 SAUL ANTONIO TURCIOS (“Trece de Teclas”) Age: 46 ARISTIDES DIONISIO UMANZOR (“Sirra de Teclas”) Age: 46 E.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 20-CR-577 (JMA)


title: Two Hudson County Men Admit Gas Station Robberies and Attempted Carjacking

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – Two Hudson County, New Jersey, men admitted their involvement in a string of armed robberies of gas stations, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. Wendell Bradley Jr., 27, of Bayonne, New Jersey pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, one count of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of attempted carjacking, and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Joseph Brown, 26, of Jersey City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on May 9, 2024, before Judge Arleo to an information charging him with one count of attempted Hobbs Act robbery and one count of Hobbs Act robbery. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: From Jan. 3, 2022, to Feb. 4, 2022, Bradley, either alone or with Brown, would drive to a gas station, pull up to a gas pump, ask the gas station attendant to put gas in the car’s tank, and, while the tank was being filled, would pull a gun on the attendant and demand money. On Jan. 20, 2022, in Union, Brown pointed a gun at a gas station attendant, demanded money, and threated to kill him. Bradley then grabbed the attendant from behind, but the attendant was able to break free and escape into the gas station before Brown or Bradley could take any money from him. The spree ended on Feb. 4, 2022, after Bradley and Brown robbed a gas station attendant at gunpoint in Secaucus, New Jersey. After the robbery, Bradley and Brown fled, and officers chased them from Secaucus to Newark, where Bradley crashed his car. The conspiracy, robbery, and attempted robbery charges each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gain or loss from the offenses, whichever is greatest. The carjacking charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gain or loss from the offenses, whichever is greatest. The firearm possession charge carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of seven years and a maximum penalty of life in prison. Sentencing for Bradley is scheduled for Oct. 10, 2024; sentencing for Brown is scheduled for Oct. 3, 2024. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Ross A. Marchetti; the Clifton Police Department, under the direction of Chief Thomas Rinaldi; the Hillside Police Department, under the direction of Chief Vincent P. Ricciardi Jr,; the Jersey City Department of Public Safety, under the direction of Public Safety Director James Shea; the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé; the North Bergan Police Department, under the direction of Chief Peter Fasilis; the Secaucus Police Department, under the direction of Chief Dennis Miller; and the Union Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Chris Donnelly, with the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Webman of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark. bradleybrown.information.pdf


title: Mississippi Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison  for Drug and Firearms Offenses

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: Gulfport, Miss. – A Mississippi man was sentenced to 420 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Mark Anthony Robillia, 55, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Gulfport. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on December 1, 2022, Robillia possessed five firearms and approximately 40 grams of methamphetamine, wrapped in 13 separate baggies, at his residence in Gulfport. Further investigation revealed that Robillia purchased three of the firearms and the remaining two were given to him. Robillia had been previously convicted and incarcerated for aggravated assault, being a felon in the possession of a firearm, and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. The evidence also indicated that Robillia was distributing methamphetamine from the residence. On February 7, 2024, a federal jury convicted Robillia of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was sentenced today to the maximum statutory sentence of 420 months, 240 months for the drug charge and 180 months for the firearms charge. U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Gulfport Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Buckner and Lee Smith prosecuted the case .


title: Fort McCoy Man Pleads Guilty To Unlawful Possession Of Machinegun And Silencers

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Ocala, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Robert Edward Smith (59, Fort McCoy) has pleaded guilty to possession of unregistered National Firearms Act (NFA) weapons—a machinegun and silencers. Smith faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to court documents, special agents searched Smith’s Marion County residence on February 15, 2024, pursuant to a federal search warrant. Inside Smith’s bedroom, agents located a Sten machinegun and two silencers. None of the items were registered to Smith in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required under federal law. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Crockett. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Arizona Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Sexual Assault

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – An Arizona man was sentenced to 20 years in the Bureau of Prisons for the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl on the Navajo Nation reservation. There is no parole in the federal system. Darwin Chee, 53, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, used threats of force and the fear of serious bodily injury to repeatedly sexually assault Jane Doe, a child relative within his care, at a residence located within the exterior boundaries of the Navajo Nation. After completing his term of imprisonment, Chee will be required to serve a lifetime of supervised release and must register as a sex offender. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Mark A. Probasco prosecuted the case. # # #


title: Miami Physical Therapist Assistant Sentenced to Over 3 Years in Prison for $2.6 million in Fraudulent Claims

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – Yesterday, a federal judge in Miami, sentenced Tania Cesar, a local physical therapist assistant (PTA), to 39 months in prison and three years of supervised release after a jury found her guilty of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud, and five counts of healthcare fraud. According to evidence presented during a weeklong trial last February, over a two-year period at Elite Therapy Clinic, Cesar signed over 1,500 physical therapy notes for treatments and services that she never provided to patients. Several patients testified at trial, many of whom were paid cash in exchange for visiting Elite Therapy, that they did not recognize Cesar, despite their medical records reflecting months of treatment that Cesar purportedly provided. Elite Therapy coworkers testified that Cesar only visited Elite once or twice per week for a few hours to fill out fabricated progress notes. The fraudulent treatment notes led to over $2.6 million in claims billed to Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) and other insurance companies. Trial testimony showed that the year before Cesar started committing fraud at Elite Therapy, Cesar fabricated patient therapy notes at Zion Medical Group Inc., a clinic whose owner was separately convicted for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. The sentencing record showed that the year before the Elite Therapy fraud, Cesar was fired from another medical clinic for billing for therapy that she never provided. At sentencing, U.S. District Court Senior Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr. found that Cesar employed sophisticated means at Elite Therapy to execute and conceal her fraud, and that she abused her special skills as a PTA. Judge Scola ordered that upon Cesar’s release from prison, she cannot work in the health care field while on supervised release, and upon request from the appropriate regulatory agency Cesar must relinquish her PTA license. Cesar was also ordered to pay $939,334.05 in restitution. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office made the announcement. This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Egozi and Lindsey Lazopoulos Friedman prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff is handling asset forfeiture. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 23-CR-20259. ###


title: Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Fort Worth-Area Tax Return Preparer

component: Tax Division

body_text: The Justice Department filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas today seeking to bar a Fort Worth, Texas-area tax return preparer from preparing federal income tax returns for others. The complaint alleges that Ruben Gonzalez and his employees prepared over 14,000 federal income tax returns from 2021-2023 through a sole proprietorship named “Sin Barreras Income Tax.” According to the complaint, in a substantial number of these tax returns, Gonzalez and others he employed significantly overstated customers’ tax refunds by fabricating or inflating business losses, falsifying charitable donation deductions and falsely claiming energy credits and coronavirus family sick leave credits to which the customers were not entitled. By repeatedly understating customers’ tax liabilities, the complaint alleges that Gonzalez caused the United States harm of almost $20 million in lost tax revenue from 2021-2023. Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement. Attorneys for the Tax Division are handling the case. Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers 10 tips to avoid tax season fraud and ways to safeguard their personal information. In the past decade, the Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website . An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page . If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details. 1-Gonzalez Complaint.pdf


title: United States Reaches $1.2 Million Civil Settlement with Festus Pain Management Doctor Over Allegations of False Claims to Federal Health Care Programs

body_text: ST. LOUIS – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri announced today that the United States has reached a civil settlement to resolve allegations that Dr. Nehal Modh and Modh’s company knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare and Missouri Medicaid. Dr. Modh is the president and sole owner of Progressive Pain Management in Festus, Missouri. The settlement announced today resolves allegations that Dr. Modh and PPM falsely indicated to both Medicare and Missouri Medicaid that ultrasound guidance was used on certain pain management injections, submitted false claims for payment for facet joint injections that did not meet billing substantiation requirements, and improperly coded claims for payment to receive excess reimbursement. As part of the settlement, Dr. Modh and PPM will repay the United States $1.2 million, consisting of $600,000 in restitution doubled under the False Claims Act (FCA). The settlement resolves allegations brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the FCA by Donna Chronister, a former employee of PPM. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Donna Chronister v. Progressive Pain Management, P.C., et al, case no. 4:19-cv-2245 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Chronister will receive $177,707 of the proceeds from the settlement. “We thank the whistleblower for her courage to bring her concerns forward,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. “This settlement is an example of our important civil enforcement efforts where we work with whistleblowers to protect the public fisc.” "Health care fraud is a serious problem that costs taxpayers millions in wasted dollars while often depriving vulnerable beneficiaries of the care and support they need," said Special Agent in Charge Linda T. Hanley from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). "We will continue to aggressively investigate these cases in an effort to eliminate the corruption in our health care system." This civil settlement was a result of the combined work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, HHS-OIG’s Office of Investigations and Office of Audit, the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the FBI.


title: Sureno Gang Member Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison  for Murder on Yakama Nation Indian Reservation

component: USAO - Washington, Eastern

body_text: Yakima, Washington - Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Jaime Herrera, age 29, of Granger, Washington, was sentenced after pleading guilty to one count of Second-Degree Murder in Indian Country and one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Indian Country. United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke imposed a sentence of 360-month imprisonment to be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Judge Dimke imposed the 360-month sentence to run consecutively to a 240-month sentence for another murder Herrera committed in Yakima County. Herrera will serve a total of 600 months – or 50 years – in prison. According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, on July 19, 2017, around 3:15 a.m., Herrera, who is a Sureno gang member and not affiliated with the Yakama Nation, was driving his SUV and pulled up alongside two men walking on the road between Garfield Elementary School and Garfield Park, in Toppenish, Washington, within the external boundaries of the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation. Herrera accused the pair of being traitors to the gang, pulled out a rifle and killed one of the men – an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation. The second man – who survived the shooting – is an enrolled member of the Nez Perce Tribe. While the investigation into the murder was ongoing, Herrera committed a second, unrelated homicide in the Yakima Valley – arranging an ambush and ultimately shooting the victim. Herrera was arrested shortly after the second murder, pleaded guilty in Washington State Court, and was sentenced to 240 months imprisonment in that case. “The victim in this case was a son, a brother, and a new father – his daughter, a toddler at the time of his death, is growing up without a father because of Mr. Herrera’s senseless act of violence. While even the lengthy sentence in this case cannot substitute for the tragic loss of life, today’s sentence demonstrates that those who victimize members of our community – and in particular persons who enter Tribal communities to commit violence– will be held accountable,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “As a result of today’s sentence, the Eastern District of Washington is safer and more secure. I am grateful for the dedication of the FBI and the Yakama Nation who worked closely with prosecutors in my office to hold a double murderer accountable for his actions.” “Senseless is the only word to describe this crime.” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “The violence Mr. Herrera displayed in this case, and subsequently in a separate case, indicates prison is where he belongs. I applaud the work of our investigators and partners who work so hard to make our state’s reservations safe for the people who live on them.” 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN. This case was investigated by the FBI and the Yakama Nation Tribal Police. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Earl Hicks and Michael Ellis.


title: Seattle man who groped teen on flight from Paris to Seattle sentenced to 8 months in prison

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Seattle – A 36-year 0ld Seattle man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 8 months in prison for abusive sexual contact on a flight from Paris to Seattle, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Milan Edward Jurkovic was convicted following a three-day jury trial in December 2023. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik said, “The flight back should have been nothing less than the end of a joyous trip and instead she is the victim of a crime…. It shouldn’t have happened.” “Trapped in an aircraft cabin, these assaults are particularly traumatic for vulnerable young people who trust the adults around them to behave appropriately,” said U.S. Attorney Gorman. “In this case the defendant groped a teenager traveling with a school group. She bravely spoke up. As I noted a year ago, we have a zero-tolerance policy for these aircraft sexual assaults. Predators will be prosecuted.” According to records filed in the case and testimony at trial, on July 3, 2022, Jurkovic was a passenger on an Air France flight from Paris to Seattle. Also on the flight was a school group from Western Washington. The students were returning from a class trip abroad. The 16-year-0ld victim was seated next to Mr. Jurkovic. About three hours into the flight, Jurkovic reached under the Air France blanket covering the victim and began groping the victim’s thigh. The victim was shocked and frozen with fear. Jurkovic proceeded to rub her thigh for an extended period of time, touching her inner thigh, before the victim was able to pull away and seek assistance from a classmate and then her chaperone. The chaperone traded places with the victim for the duration of the flight. The incident was reported to the flight crew, and Port of Seattle Police met the flight as it arrived at SEA Airport. The victim was interviewed by law enforcement. Jurkovic provided contradictory statements to different audiences. Initially, he told the chaperone he had been rubbing his leg due to bad circulation, suggesting that he inadvertently touched the victim. Later, after being told by a Port of Seattle officer that he was under investigation for allegedly assaulting the passenger seated next to him, Jurkovic said he did not hurt anyone. He later volunteered that he had an itch on his leg. He was indicted by a grand jury on January 4, 2023, and arrested January 30, 2023. In asking for a 16-month prison sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court, “reports of airline sexual assaults are on the rise. While they are not likely a new occurrence, the increase in reports likely reflects an increased societal desire to hold perpetrators of sexual offenses accountable. Airline sexual assaults demand a significant punishment….”. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Port of Seattle Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Yemini and Brian Wynne.


title: District Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Federal Firearms and Drug Trafficking Offenses

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

body_text: WASHINGTON – Clarence Faulkner, 43, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 57 months in prison on federal firearms and drug trafficking charges, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Faulkner pleaded guilty on February 27, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon and one count of unlawful possession with intent to distribute PCP. He was sentenced by the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan. Following his prison term, Faulkner will serve three years of supervised release. According to court documents, on November 4, 2023, MPD officers approached an unoccupied gray Acura in the 300 block of 61st Street Northeast and observed a clear plastic bag filled with suspected marijuana on the rear passenger floorboard. Officers then searched the vehicle and recovered more than two pounds of marijuana, 108 grams of cocaine base, six fluid ounces of liquid PCP, two scales, and over $38,000 in cash. Officers also recovered a loaded Glock semi‑automatic pistol that had been converted into a short-barreled rifle. The firearm was loaded with 28 rounds of ammunition in a 31-capacity feeding device. The Acura was registered to Faulkner and contained Faulkner’s identification and mail. Police stopped and arrested Faulkner, who was standing on a sidewalk nearby. Faulkner has remained in custody since his arrest. Federal law prohibits Faulkner from possessing a firearm because he has multiple prior convictions for crimes punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, including three prior felony firearms convictions. The case was investigated by the ATF’s Washington Field Division and the Metropolitan Police Department as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul V. Courtney and Cameron A. Tepfer and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine M. Toth. 23cr422


title: Hip-hop Artist Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Fraud Scheme

body_text: MIAMI – Today, hip-hop artist and music producer Rodney McClain, a/k/a “Money Rod,” a/k/a “$Rod,” 35, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud in relation to his COVID-19 relief fraud scheme. As part of the plea, McClain, of Fulton County, Georgia, admitted in 2020, he caused a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan application to be submitted for his company, Dreams Come True Records, LLC, a music production company with its principal place of business in North Miami Beach, Florida. The PPP application contained materially false information about Dreams Come True Records, LLC’s number of employees and payroll expenses in 2019 and 2020, including two falsified IRS tax forms submitted with the application. McClain received over $600,000 in PPP loan proceeds as a result of this fraudulent loan application, and he spent more than $100,000 of the fraudulently obtained loan proceeds on personal and other impermissible expenses. McClain, as part of the plea, will have a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of over $113,000 entered against him, and he will forfeit his music rights, master recordings, and music compositions. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 29, before U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami. McClain faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud conviction. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Division announced the plea. IRS-CI, Miami Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily R. Stone is prosecuting this case and handling asset forfeiture. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. The Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors, as well as those who committed multiple instances of pandemic relief fraud. The Strike Force uses prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. Additional information regarding the Strike Force may be found at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-covid-19-fraud-strike-force-teams . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20094. ###


title: Woman who Sent Fentanyl Mixture into Jail  Sentenced to 71 Months in Federal Prison

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A woman who sent controlled substances into a jail was sentenced on June 10, 2024, to 71 months in federal prison. Brookelyn Marie Lindquist, age 42, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 11, 2024 guilty plea to one count of distribution of a controlled substance. Lindquist sent multiple packages to another individual in jail. That individual was in prison pending sentencing for a federal drug trafficking conviction. Inside these packages, Lindquist sent the individual controlled substances that included a mixture of fentanyl and heroin. When the individual used the controlled substances sent by Lindquist, they suffered an overdose. Lindquist was on state parole at the time of her conduct due to another drug trafficking conviction. Lindquist was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Lindquist was sentenced to 71 months’ imprisonment. She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin, and it was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Waterloo Police Department, the Black Hawk County Sherriff’s Office, and the Tri-County Drug Task Force. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 23-CR- 2079. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Sentenced for Role in $2 Million Unemployment Insurance Fraud

component: USAO - Texas, Northern

body_text: A Garland man was sentenced Monday to two years in prison for his role in a $2 million unemployment insurance fraud, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton. Frank Sherman, 60, was indicted in November 2022. He pleaded guilty in October 2023 to theft of government funds and was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge David Godbey, who also ordered him jointly and severally liable for nearly $2.3 million in restitution. According to plea papers, Mr. Sherman admitted that from July 2020 through September 2021, he helped unknown coconspirators he met on social media pass fraudulently-obtained unemployment funds to individuals in Canada. Mr. Sherman agreed to ship preloaded debit cards issued by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training, & Rehabilitation from his home in Garland to unknown individuals in Canada. Over the course of 14 months, he received at least 200 Nevada unemployment insurance debit cards loaded with more than $2 million in unemployment insurance funds. He shipped most of the cards to Canada, but on at least one occasion, kept a debit card and used it for his own benefit. Mr. Sherman also admitted to purloining $3,000 in unemployment funds from the California Employment Development Department, despite never having worked in the state. The U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General and U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marty Basu prosecuted the case.


title: Ohio Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: U.S. Attorneys (USAO)

body_text: BOISE – Gary Hastler, 67, of Delaware, Ohio, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today. According to court records, the investigation began when the teenaged victim disclosed to the Boise Police Department (BPD) that Hastler had sexually abused her on multiple occasions in the summer of 2022. During the investigation, BPD learned that Hastler had sexually abused another child in Ohio. While investigating the abuse in Ohio, the Delaware Police Department located explicit images of the Idaho victim on Hastler’s cellphone. BPD obtained a federal search warrant for the cellphone and confirmed that Hastler had produced sexually explicit images of the Idaho victim while at a hotel in Boise. U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford also sentenced Hastler to a lifetime term of supervised release. Hastler will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of the conviction. “This case demonstrates the national reach of our efforts to bring to justice those who abuse and exploit children,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “The partnerships we have in Idaho are effective at identifying sex offenders, and we will track them down wherever they may be.” U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the cooperative efforts of the Boise Police Department, the Delaware Police Department, and the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force which led to charge. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kassandra McGrady prosecuted 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. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal 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: Chesapeake man sentenced for armed robberies of USPS mail carriers

component: USAO - Virginia, Eastern

body_text: NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Chesapeake man was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to rob U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail carriers at gunpoint for their “arrow keys,” including as a gunman in one of the armed robberies. According to court documents, O’Sirus Charles Landres Ford, 22, was a member of a social media group identified by three key emojis (“Three Keys”), the members of which conspired to steal arrow keys , the master keys used by USPS mail carriers to access blue collection boxes, outdoor parcel lockers, and apartment mailbox panels. Arrow keys are highly valued by criminals who use them to steal mail in lucrative criminal schemes, such as bank and check fraud and identity theft. Group members discussed how to commit the robberies – including selecting targets, using firearms, and techniques to evade law enforcement and mask their identities – and participating in related financial fraud and identity theft schemes. Ford was explicitly cautioned to proceed carefully since the crime was federal with a more severe penalty. On May 8, 2023, co-conspirators rented a car for May 8 and 9 through Turo, a peer-to-peer car-sharing platform that allows users to rent cars from each other, to use to commit arrow key robberies. Ford recruited two other individuals, including a minor, to commit the robbery and conducted reconnaissance in Hampton before shifting the target to Norfolk. After identifying a target mail carrier on Ballentine Boulevard, they turned onto Davis Street, where two of the co-conspirators exited the car and the third drove it further down Davis. One of the conspirators (the minor) brandished a firearm and robbed the carrier of his arrow key and USPS identification card. Ford and the minor then fled back toward Davis Street where the third co-conspirator picked them up. After the robbery, Ford told his two co-conspirators that other co-conspirators did not want arrow keys from Norfolk, but asked them to participate in another robbery the following day in Newport News. The two had other commitments, though, and Ford recruited Jayden Stukes, 21, of Suffolk, to assist him in the robbery. Ford requested that Stukes drive him “across the water.” Stukes agreed and informed Ford he would be with Da’Twan Watson, 24, of Chesapeake, and that Watson was “a lock.” When Ford, Stukes, and Watson met at the rental car that Ford had used the previous day, they were unable to gain entry to the vehicle, so Stukes arranged for another of his friends to drive the group. Ford, Stukes, and Watson were all armed with handguns and wore masks that could cover their faces. After they crossed Hampton Roads, Ford diverted the car from the original destination, the downtown Newport News Post Office, and instead directed the vehicle around a light industrial-commercial area of Hampton. Ford and Watson exited the vehicle to continue hunting down the carrier on foot, and Stukes remained in the car with the driver and relayed details about the carrier’s location. Watson and Ford encountered the carrier on Galax Street in Hampton. Only Ford was armed, but both he and Watson were fully masked as Watson approached from the side. Ford approached the carrier from Galax Street, brandished his firearm, and said, “Give me your keys or I’m gonna shoot you.” He then repeated his demand and began counting down from five. The victim gave Ford his USPS arrow key. Ford and Watson then fled, eventually meeting with Stukes and the driver in an apartment complex nearby, before the driver drove the group back across the water. On Dec. 21, 2023, Ford pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to interfere with commerce by robbery and one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of, a crime of violence. On Dec. 13, 2023, Watson pleaded guilty to interfering with commerce by robbery and aiding and abetting. On April 18 he was sentenced to four years in prison . On Dec. 15, 2023, Stukes pleaded guilty to interfering with commerce by robbery and aiding and abetting. On April 17 he was sentenced to four years in prison . Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ajay Lall, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division; Jimmie Wideman, Chief of Hampton Police; and Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Podlesni and Mack Coleman prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:23-cr-51.


title: Richmond felon pleads guilty after being caught illegally possessing a firearm

body_text: RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man pled guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, on Feb. 13, two Richmond Police officers were approaching the 25th Street Market when they noticed three individuals, one of whom was later identified as Chavelle Lamar Lewis, 35, walking toward the market. Officers saw the men take note of them before entering the store. The officers parked and walked into the store to speak with the clerks. One of the officers noticed that Lewis appeared to have a bulge in his clothing and was walking with a slight limp. Lewis walked out of the store without any items, and without his two friends. As Lewis was walking across the street, one of the officers recognized him from a prior traffic crash. The officer caught up with Lewis and asked how he was doing, if he remembered the officer, and whether his leg was okay, since Lewis was walking with a limp. Lewis stopped walking and engaged in conversation with the officer, saying that his leg was okay. The officer asked Lewis if he had a gun, and Lewis said “no." The officer then asked Lewis if he had a concealed permit for the gun in his pocket, and Lewis again said “no." When the officer asked Lewis what kind of firearm it was, Lewis fled. The officer pursued until Lewis surrendered. As the officers detained Lewis, he admitted that he had a 9mm firearm in his right pocket. The officers removed and secured the firearm. Lewis has prior felony convictions, including a 2009 conviction for robbery and use or display of a firearm in commission of a felony. As a previously convicted felon, Lewis cannot legally possess a firearm or ammunition. Lewis is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 3 and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police; and Colette Wallace McEachin, Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Richmond, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. accepted the plea. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Groover, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven E. Anthony are prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-55.


title: Two Men Admit Involvement in Fatal University City Drug Deal

body_text: ST. LOUIS – Two men have admitted being involved in the fatal shooting of a man in University City, Missouri in 2022 because they thought he bought marijuana with counterfeit money. Nathaniel Brown-Shatto, 21, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of knowingly discharging a firearm in furtherance of the commission of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death. Carlos Albert Castellanos Jr., 22, pleaded guilty June 6 to one count of conspiracy to possess one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Brown-Shatto and Castellanos both admitted involvement in a three-person marijuana conspiracy. Brown-Shatto told the others that the victim had previously purchased marijuana from him using counterfeit currency. On Feb. 19, 2022, they were together in a vehicle, selling marijuana. All were armed. When the victim contacted Brown-Shatto to buy more marijuana, the three drove to his home in the 7800 block of Birchmont Drive. Castellanos was driving, Brown-Shatto was in the passenger seat and the third man was in the rear of the vehicle. When the victim stepped out of his home, Brown-Shatto shot him with a handgun while the third man began shooting him through the vehicle’s sunroof with an AK-style rifle, Brown-Shatto and Castellanos’ plea agreements say. Investigators later recovered a total of 22 spent cartridge casings from both weapons. Both shooters disposed of those weapons, but Castellanos kept his because he didn’t use it, the plea agreements say. Three days later, University City police stopped Castellanos and Brown-Shatto in a vehicle that matched the description of the one used by the shooters. Castellanos and Brown-Shatto were both armed with handguns and officers found about one pound of marijuana in a backpack in the car. The third man, Emanuel Benito Vasquez, 21, is facing a marijuana conspiracy charge as well as charges of discharging a firearm in furtherance of the commission of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death and conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He has not yet been arrested. Charges are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. Castellanos is scheduled to be sentenced in December and Brown-Shatto in November. The case was investigated by the University City Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration.


title: Texas Men Sentenced for Conspiracy to Sell Sanctioned Iranian Petroleum to China

body_text: Two Texas men, both of whom were convicted at trial, were sentenced today to 45 months in prison for attempting to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), conspiracy to violate IEEPA and conspiracy to commit money laundering based on their attempt to transact in sanctioned petroleum and launder the proceeds. According to court documents, Zhenyu “Bill” Wang, 43, a Chinese citizen, and Daniel Ray Lane, 42, of McKinney, Texas, schemed with co-conspirators to evade U.S. economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran) from July 2019 to February 2020 by facilitating the purchase of sanctioned oil from Iran, masking its origins and selling the oil under masked origins to buyers in the People’s Republic of China. To accomplish their goal, the conspirators communicated among themselves and with third parties concerning, among other things, concealing the origin of the oil and the overall illegal transaction, financing the transaction, preparing contracts and other documents needed to effect the sale, shipping the sanctioned Iranian oil, obtaining Antiguan passports to facilitate the transaction and to establish offshore bank accounts to receive funds, distributing proceeds from the intended sale of the sanctioned Iranian oil and concealing and disguising the nature, location, source, ownership and control of the proceeds of the intended transaction. “Today, Mr. Lane and Mr. Wang are held accountable for attempting to broker illicit oil sales between Iran and China, and launder the proceeds, in violation of U.S. sanctions,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The court’s sentence makes clear that those who place personal profit over national security will face serious consequences.” “It’s one thing to be entrepreneurial and take risks, but when your business plan hinges on evading U.S. sanctions, you’re doing it wrong,” said U.S. Attoreny Jacqueline C. Romero for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “Wang, Lane and their co-conspirators’ scheme to make millions also would have enriched Iran, one of our government’s foreign adversaries, in direct contravention of measures meant to protect American interests and national security. Holding accountable those who violate our sanctions laws and export controls is a priority for my office and our partners at the FBI.” “The FBI will use all our lawful authorities to stop those who seek to evade sanctions on Iranian oil,” said Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “Today’s sentencing of Zhenyu Wang and Daniel Ray Lane reflects our commitment to combatting these illegal actions and serves as a warning to others that violating U.S. sanctions impacts our national security and will not be tolerated.” Wang played a critical role in this conspiracy, providing the connection to the Chinese buyers who would purchase the Iranian oil. As part of his efforts, Wang communicated with multiple parties in China, secured a written offer from a Chinese buyer and brokered a contract of sale with this buyer. He also arranged for bribe payments to be made to Chinese officials to facilitate the illegal transaction. Lane agreed to help launder the Iranians’ proceeds from the transaction. He offered to use the mineral rights that he sold through his business, Stack Royalties, to conceal the Iranians’ profits, and even purchased a cash machine to count the millions of dollars of laundered proceeds quickly. Wang and Lane worked with three other conspirators who acted as intermediaries seeking buyers for the sanctioned oil. The conspirators believed that they would profit handsomely from the scheme to evade U.S. sanctions through significant shipments of sanctioned Iranian oil. They planned to start their scheme with a 500,000-barrel shipment of Iranian oil, but intended to increase the shipments to one or two million barrels per month for a year or more. Lane and another co-conspirator understood that the scheme was to be funded by an initial $5 million payment, which would include $4 million provided in cash. And the conspirators believed that they would make significant profits, with Wang stating that he planned to make $1.5 million in profit for each 500,000-barrel shipment. Wang and Lane acted fully aware that the scheme to sell sanctioned Iranian crude oil was in violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran. In fact, both defendants made statements explicitly acknowledging that their conduct was illegal. Wang, for example, acknowledged the profits he stood to make by engaging in illegal transactions, stating that “I love sanction to be honest with you and the sanctions make everybody money.” Similarly, Lane discussed concealing and disguising the proceeds of the transactions in sanctioned Iranian oil, noting that “sanctions can always be massaged . . . you know, there is always a way around it.” In January 2024, Wang and Lane’s co-conspirator, Nicholas Hovan, was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison, and co-conspirators Nicholas Fuchs and Robert Thwaites were each sentenced to 10 months in prison. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick J. Murray and Mary E. Crawley for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania prosecuted the case, with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Beau Barnes of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.


title: Taunton Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Firearm

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Taunton man pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jermaine Rodrigues, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for Oct. 10, 2024. In July 2023, Rodrigues was indicted by a federal grand jury. In June 2022, Rodrigues possessed two Anderson Manufacturing AM-15, .300 blackout firearms – one of which was equipped with a laser sight and optics affixed to the top rail. In addition, Rodrigues possessed almost 100 rounds of .300 blackout ammunition. The charge of being a felon in possession provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Taunton and Fall River Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorneys Luke A Goldworm and Meghan C. Cleary of the Major Crimes Unit are 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 gun violence and other violent crime, 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN .


title: Arizona Man Charged with Selling Guns for Use in Mass Shooting

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: PHOENIX, Ariz. – Mark Adams Prieto, 58, of Prescott, was indicted by a federal grand jury today on Firearms Trafficking, Transfer of a Firearm for Use in a Hate Crime, and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm. The indictment alleges that, between January 2024 and May 2024, Prieto had discussions with two individuals working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to devise a plan to commit a mass shooting of African Americans and other minorities to incite a race war prior to the 2024 United States Presidential Election. Prieto did not know the individuals were working with the government, but instead believed that they shared his racist beliefs and wanted to commit a mass shooting to incite a race war. The targeted event was a concert in Atlanta that was going to be held on May 14 and May 15, 2024. The indictment further alleges that, having discussed specific details about the planned attack, Prieto sold two rifles to one of the individuals, an AK-style rifle on February 25, 2024, and an AR-style rifle on March 24, 2024. During the entire investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation closely monitored Prieto’s movements. On May 14, 2024, Prieto was stopped by law enforcement driving east from Arizona through New Mexico along Interstate 40. Prieto was in possession of seven firearms and was taken into federal custody. Law enforcement then executed a search warrant at his home in Prescott. Law enforcement found more firearms in his residence, including an unregistered short-barreled rifle. Each conviction for Firearms Trafficking and Transfer of Firearm for Use in a Hate Crime carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. A conviction for Possession of an Unregistered Firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The Phoenix Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case, with assistance from the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Albuquerque Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs Office of Inspector General, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, and the Prescott Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution, along with the U.S Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, and the U.S. Department of Justice, National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-074_Prieto # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Bay Area Man Sentenced To 24 Months Of Imprisonment For Breaking And Entering A Mail Truck And Stealing Over 700 Pieces Of Mail

component: USAO - California, Northern

body_text: OAKLAND – Craig Curtis Freeman was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment for breaking and entering a U.S. Postal Service mail truck and mail theft, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Inspector in Charge Rafael Nuñez. The sentence was handed down on May 29, 2024, by the Honorable Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr., U.S. District Judge. Freeman, 35, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty pursuant to a plea agreement on the same day he was sentenced. Court filings describe how on December 30, 2022, a mail carrier, while on his route, heard a gunshot and observed two people – Freeman and a co-defendant – taking mail from his mail truck and then fleeing in a vehicle. In his plea agreement, Freeman admitted that he had been driving a stolen car when he pulled up behind the U.S. Postal Service mail truck and exited his vehicle. Freeman admitted he broke the lock of the truck’s rear cargo door, removed more than 700 pieces of mail, placed it into the stolen car and drove away. Within minutes, law enforcement caught up with Freeman, who was still with the co-defendant, and attempted a traffic stop. The defendants’ vehicle crashed into a truck after which both thieves fled from the scene; Freeman jumped into the truck and his co-defendant continued to flee in the stolen car. Freeman drove the truck at a high rate of speed through the streets of San Leandro before entering I-880 North through the exit off-ramp. Freeman was able to evade police while driving the stolen truck in the wrong direction on the freeway but was later apprehended. The co-defendant, who fled in the stolen car Freeman initially drove, was quickly apprehended after crashing and attempting to flee on foot. A federal grand jury indicted Freeman on March 28, 2023, charging him with breaking and entering into a carrier facility, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2117, and possession of stolen mail and mail theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1708. Freeman pleaded guilty to both counts. This case was charged in 2023 as part of a law enforcement response to an uptick in burglaries, robberies, assaults, and homicides targeting postal workers. The law enforcement surge was announced at a press conference on October 10, 2023, at which U.S. Attorney Ramsey and Postal Inspector in Charge Nuñez discussed the crimes and the federal response to them. Postal Inspector in Charge Nuñez stated, “there is no more important mission for us as federal agents than protecting postal workers from crime and violence …. To any copycats or wannabes out there who might consider robbing a postal worker, I ask you to consider the years you will face in federal prison, the price on your head, and that postal inspectors will not stop hunting you. The proceeds of this crime are not worth your freedom.” U.S. Attorney Ramsey reinforced Postal Inspector in Charge Nuñez’s remarks by explaining that federal laws have been “carefully crafted to protect the sanctity of the mail, including the sensitive information we entrust to the mail system; the safety of the federal employees and contractors who deliver the mail; and the federal property that is used to ensure mail delivery.” Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Johnson prosecuted the case with the assistance of Beth Margen. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oakland Police Department.


title: Oceanside Drug Dealer Sentenced to 78 Months in Fatal Fentanyl Overdose of U.S. Marine

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 11, 2024 SAN DIEGO—Jesse Sanders of Oceanside was sentenced in federal court to 6.5 years in prison for selling the fentanyl powder that resulted in the fatal overdose of a 29-year-old active-duty U.S. Marine. According to the plea agreement, Sanders admitted that she arranged a meeting with the Marine and delivered a small plastic bag of fentanyl to the victim on January 2, 2022. At approximately 3 p.m. that day, military police and emergency medical services responded to an emergency call after the victim’s wife found him unresponsive in his parked vehicle onboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. A small plastic bag with a white, powdery substance was discovered in the front console of the vehicle. According to the government’s sentencing argument, Sanders was addicted to fentanyl, knew how deadly the drug was, and knew the dangers it posed to users; she sold the deadly fentanyl to the victim with a warning to have naloxone on hand – a medicine that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose - because the powder she was selling was strong. Within hours, the victim was found unresponsive and died from fentanyl toxicity. Sanders has a history of narcotics-related criminality resulting from her substance abuse and drug addiction, according to the government’s sentencing memorandum. At the time she sold the deadly fentanyl powder to the victim, she was on summary probation from a San Diego Superior Court conviction and still has an additional pending felony case for robbery. The victim received an Afghanistan Campaign Medal, a NATO International Security Assistance Force Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and multiple Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, certificates of commendation, and letters of appreciation. He was a trained combat marksmanship coach and martial arts instructor. He was described by family as “patient, caring, and hilarious” and “lit up any room he walked into.” Two weeks prior to his death, the victim and his wife celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary. “Fentanyl is so powerful, so toxic, so addictive, that it can snare even the toughest among us,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Today’s outcome cannot bring back this Marine, but it reflects the consequence for peddlers dealing this poison: prison.” “The illicit distribution and use of fentanyl in the United States poses a critical threat to our local communities, our nation’s service members, and ultimately our national security,” said Special Agent in Charge Todd Battaglia of the NCIS Marine West Field Office. “The sentencing of Ms. Sanders for her role in the tragic death of a U.S. Marine should serve as a warning to criminals that NCIS and our partners will continue to work aggressively to bring to justice those who knowingly distribute lethal narcotics to service members.” Special Agents with the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service’s Major Case Response Team led the investigation as part of ongoing efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate and prosecute the distribution of illegal drugs—fentanyl in particular—that result in overdose deaths. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service and military commanders recognize the crucial role that drug use prevention plays in avoiding disastrous consequences for servicemembers and their families. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Wang and Special Asst. U.S. Attorney Arne Bussler. DEFENDANT Case Number: 23-cr-00270-BAS Jesse Sanders Age: 24 San Diego, CA SUMMARY OF CHARGES Distribution of Fentanyl – Title 18, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1) Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison INVESTIGATING AGENCY U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service


title: Defendants Sentenced to Prison for Conspiracy to Sell Sanctioned Iranian Petroleum to China

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Eastern

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Zhenyu (“Bill”) Wang, 43, of Dallas, Texas, and Daniel Ray Lane, 42, of McKinney, Texas, who were convicted at trial in November 2023, were sentenced to prison today by United States District Judge Harvey Bartle III on charges of attempting to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”), conspiracy to violate IEEPA, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, based on their attempt to transact in sanctioned petroleum and launder the proceeds. Wang, a Chinese citizen, and Lane, a U.S. citizen, were each sentenced to 45 months’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. In January 2024, Wang and Lane’s co-conspirator Nicholas Hovan was sentenced to imprisonment for 12 months and a day, and co-conspirators Nicholas Fuchs and Robert Thwaites were each sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment. From July 2019 to February 2020, the defendants schemed to evade United States economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran (“Iran”) by facilitating the purchase of sanctioned oil from Iran, masking its origins, and selling the oil under masked origins to buyers in the People’s Republic of China. To accomplish their goal, the conspirators communicated among themselves and with third parties concerning, among other things, concealing the origin of the oil and the overall illegal transaction, financing the transaction, preparing contracts and other documents needed to effect the sale, shipping the sanctioned Iranian oil, obtaining Antiguan passports to facilitate the transaction and to establish offshore bank accounts to receive funds, distributing proceeds from the intended sale of the sanctioned Iranian oil, and concealing and disguising the nature, the location, the source, the ownership and the control of the proceeds of the intended transaction. Wang played a critical role in this conspiracy, providing the connection to the Chinese buyers who would purchase the Iranian oil. As part of his efforts, Wang communicated with multiple parties in China, secured a written offer from a Chinese buyer, and brokered a contract of sale with this buyer. He also arranged for bribe payments to be made to Chinese officials to facilitate the illegal transaction. Lane agreed to help launder the Iranians’ proceeds from the transaction. He offered to use the mineral rights that he sold through his business, Stack Royalties, to conceal the Iranians’ profits, and even purchased a cash machine to count the millions of dollars of laundered proceeds quickly. Wang and Lane worked with three other conspirators who acted as intermediaries seeking buyers for the sanctioned oil. The conspirators believed that they would profit handsomely from the scheme to evade U.S. sanctions through significant shipments of sanctioned Iranian oil. They planned to start their scheme with a 500,000-barrel shipment of Iranian oil, but intended to increase the shipments to 1 million or 2 million barrels per month for a year or more. Lane and another co-conspirator understood that the scheme was to be funded by an initial $5 million payment, which would include $4 million provided in cash. And the conspirators believed that they would make significant profits, with Wang stating that he planned to make $1.5 million in profit for each 500,000-barrel shipment. Wang and Lane acted fully aware that the scheme to sell sanctioned Iranian crude oil was in violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran. In fact, both defendants made statements explicitly acknowledging that their conduct was illegal. Wang, for example, acknowledged the profits he stood to make by engaging in illegal transactions, stating that “I love sanction to be honest with you and the sanctions make everybody money.” Similarly, Lane discussed concealing and disguising the proceeds of the transactions in sanctioned Iranian oil, noting that “sanctions can always be massaged . . . you know, there is always a way around it.” “It’s one thing to be entrepreneurial and take risks, but when your business plan hinges on evading U.S. sanctions, you’re doing it wrong,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Wang, Lane, and their co-conspirators’ scheme to make millions also would have enriched Iran, one of our government’s foreign adversaries, in direct contravention of measures meant to protect American interests and national security. Holding accountable those who violate our sanctions laws and export controls is a priority for my office and our partners at the FBI.” “In seeking personal profits, these co-conspirators attempted to violate sanctions put in place to protect the United States’ national security,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “Let this sentence serve as a reminder – those who seek to orchestrate such criminal acts will be brought to justice.” The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick J. Murray and Mary E. Crawley.


title: Former Navy Civilian Employee Pleads Guilty to Bribery Involving Government Contracts Worth Hundreds of Millions

body_text: NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 11, 2024 SAN DIEGO – James Soriano of Las Vegas, Nevada, pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to multiple bribery conspiracies, admitting that while he was a public official at Naval Information Warfare Center in San Diego, he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from defense contractors in the form of free meals, tickets to premier sporting events, jobs for family and friends, and other things, in exchange for helping those contractors win and maintain hundreds of millions of dollars in government contracts. Soriano also pleaded guilty to filing a false 2018 tax return in connection with the bribes he accepted. According to Soriano’s plea agreement, the defense contractors – acting through their presidents, officers, and employees – gave various things of value to Soriano, including dinners at Ruth’s Chris, Island Prime, and Providence; tickets to the 2018 MLB All-Star Game, 2018 World Series, and 2019 Superbowl; and jobs for Soriano’s family and friends, including a member of Soriano’s family and Soriano’s family friend, Liberty Gutierrez, who was giving Soriano $2,000 a month from her salary at one of the companies working under a defense contract. In return, Soriano took official action to aid his benefactors, such as allowing defense contractors to draft government documents in competitive and non-competitive procurements, submitting those documents as part of the procurement process, and advocating for their selection as defense contractors. Soriano also willfully failed to disclose the cash payments he received from Ms. Gutierrez on his federal tax returns. According to Soriano’s plea agreement, from approximately March 2016 through at least October 2019, Soriano and a coworker, Dawnell Parker, received bribes from Philip Flores, the President and CEO of Intellipeak Solutions, Inc., a defense contractor headquartered in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Soriano also admitted that from approximately May 2015 through at least October 2019, he and Parker separately received bribes from another defense contractor, with offices in San Diego and Stafford, Virginia, who also gave him things of value, such as expensive meals, a job for his wife, and rounds of golf at private country clubs. Further, according to Soriano’s plea agreement, from approximately June 2014 through at least October 2019, Soriano received bribes from Russell Thurston, the Vice President of Cambridge International Systems, Inc., a defense contractor headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. In return for these bribes, Soriano used various methods to steer contracts to these defense contractors and kept his contracting activities hidden from the Naval Information Warfare Center. “The nation’s robust contracting apparatus relies on honesty and fairness,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “This guilty plea demonstrates a commitment to the integrity of the system by holding accountable a defendant who lined his own pockets at the expense of taxpayers.” “Mr. Soriano betrayed the trust the U.S. Navy placed in him by using his position to wrongfully enrich himself and others, ultimately at the expense of the Department of Defense and the American taxpayer,” said Bryan D. Denny, Special Agent in Charge for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Western Field Office. “His guilty plea should act as a deterrent for others contemplating or attempting to misuse a position of public trust to subvert the integrity of the government’s acquisition process.” “Mr. Soriano decided to put his own interests above U.S. Navy warfighters, trustworthy businesses, and our country’s taxpayers,” said Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the NCIS Economic Crimes Field Office. “Protecting the integrity of the Department of the Navy’s procurement process from individuals abusing their official position to unlawfully seek personal gain remains a core function for NCIS and our partners.” “Exploiting a position of public trust to fraudulently access federal programs for personal gain is unacceptable,” said SBA OIG’s Western Region Special Agent in Charge Weston King. “This guilty plea underscores our relentless efforts to combat corruption, protect taxpayer dollars, and maintain the integrity of SBA programs. I would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication to the pursuing justice in this case.” “Mr. Soriano violated the trust placed in him to responsibly oversee a fair and competitive process in his role as a contracting officer,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher, IRS Criminal Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office. “Instead, Mr. Soriano selfishly exploited that trust for personal benefit, meanwhile undermining a contracting process that ensures warfighters are equipped to fight and win in a complex and ever-changing global security environment. CI is committed to working with our federal law enforcement partners to help protect our servicemembers from this sort of malign activity that diminishes national security.” Soriano is next scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson for sentencing on September 6, 2024. Intellipeak and Flores are charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery in 23-cr-2282-TWR. Thurston is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery in 24-cr-341-TWR. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick C. Swan and Katherine E. A. McGrath (no relation to U.S. Attorney McGrath). DEFENDANT Case Numbers 23-cr-2282-TWR-1 and 24-cr-341-TWR-1 James Soriano Age: 63 Las Vegas, NV SUMMARY OF CHARGES Conspiracy to Commit Bribery - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371 Maximum penalties (per count): Five years in prison; $250,000 fine False Statements in Tax Returns – Title 26, U.S.C., Section 7206(1) Maximum penalties: Three years in prison; $100,000 fine INVESTIGATING AGENCIES Defense Criminal Investigative Service Naval Criminal Investigative Service Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General If you have information regarding fraud, waste, or abuse relating to Department of Defense personnel or operations, please contact the DoD Hotline at 800-424-9098.


title: MARIJUANA TRAFFICKER SENTENCED IN FEDERAL COURT

component: USAO - Virgin Islands

body_text: St. Croix, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Alonso Hernandez-Hernandez, 38, of Costa Rica, was sentenced by District Judge Wilma Lewis to 57 months of incarceration and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to drug conspiracy charges. According to court documents, on November 7, 2022, while patrolling in international waters, the United States Coast Guard Cutter Campbell intercepted a go-fast vessel approximately 65 nautical miles south of Boca Chica, Panama. The go-fast vessel “Agamenon” had no physical flag flown and no registration documents. Onboard the vessel were Hernandez-Hernandez and Luis Orellana-Orellana and Keyran Coto-Lopez, both of Columbia, along with 1,860 kilograms of marijuana. Hernandez-Hernandez claimed Colombian nationality for the vessel. Colombian authorities, however, could neither confirm nor deny nationality. The vessel was therefore treated as one without nationality, subjecting it to the jurisdiction of the United States. On November 8, 2023, Coto-Lopez was sentenced to 46 months of incarceration, and on November 28, 2023, Orellana-Orellana was sentenced to 37 months of incarceration for the roles in the drug smuggling operation. All three face deportation after serving their prison sentences. This case was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard and Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel H. Huston and Melissa Ortiz. 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.


title: Justice Department Secures Agreement with Tennessee School District to Protect Students from Racial Harassment

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – The Justice Department announced today a settlement agreement with Hawkins County Schools in Tennessee to resolve its investigation into reports of race-based discrimination targeting Black students. The department’s investigation focused on several instances of peer harassment, including a mock “slave auction” to sell Black students to their white counterparts, repeated and open use of the N-word, and a “monkey of the month” campaign to ridicule Black students. Although the district took steps to acknowledge the harassment, their response was not sufficient to protect the constitutional rights of Black students. “No student should endure mock slave auctions or racial slurs meant to invoke a shameful period in our country’s history when Black people were treated as subhuman,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Racial harassment undermines a student’s ability to feel safe, eliminates any hope for fostering a supportive educational environment and violates the Constitution’s most basic promise of equal protection. The Justice Department remains committed to protecting the civil rights of all students and will ensure that Hawkins County Schools takes all actions necessary to end racial discrimination in its schools.” “To protect our children and cultivate a successful learning environment, our schools must take complaints of racial harassment and discrimination with the utmost seriousness and address them promptly and effectively,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III for the Eastern District of Tennessee. “The United States Attorney’s Office commends the Hawkins County Board of Education for cooperating in the department’s investigation and working to improve its response to complaints of racial harassment and discrimination by reaching a resolution that enhances protections for both students’ constitutional rights and their dignity,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III. The department opened its investigation in March 2023 under Titles IV and VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The district fully cooperated during the investigation and readily pursued an agreement to address the department’s findings . Under the agreement, Hawkins County Schools will implement significant reforms, including: Hiring an Anti-Harassment Coordinator to oversee the effective handling of race discrimination and harassment complaints; Retaining a consultant to support the school district in implementing the agreement and creating a discrimination-free learning environment for all; Creating a new electronic reporting portal to track and manage complaints and the district’s response to complaints; Updating its racial harassment and school discipline policies to more accurately track and consistently respond to complaints of race-based harassment; Training staff on how to identify, investigate and respond to complaints of racial harassment and discriminatory discipline practices; Informing students and parents of how to report harassment and discrimination; Implementing focus groups, surveys, training, and educational events on identifying and preventing race discrimination, including discriminatory harassment; and Analyzing discipline data and amending policies to ensure non-discriminatory enforcement of discipline policies. Protecting students from harassment and other discrimination is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt , and additional information about the work of the Educational Opportunities Section is available at www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section. Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/ . ###


title: Rapid City Man Sentenced on Drug Charge

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on June 7, 2024. Joseph “Jo Jo” Dowty, 33, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. In May of 2023, a federal grand jury indicted Dowty for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. Dowty pleaded guilty on March 15, 2024. On April 4, 2023, police officers with the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety were actively searching for Dowty due to an arrest warrant Dowty had for absconding from state parole on his 2018 felony manslaughter conviction out of Pennington County, South Dakota. When officers arrested Dowty, he was carrying a Ruger Wrangler .22 caliber revolver and more than 11 grams of methamphetamine, which had been broken down into 49 separate packages. This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case. Dowty was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Wanblee Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Wanblee, South Dakota, man convicted of Discharge of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence. The sentencing took place on June 7, 2024. Francis White Lance, 68, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $100 in restitution and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. White Lance was indicted for Bank Robbery and Discharge of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence by a federal grand jury in November of 2022. He pleaded guilty on March 20, 2024. On November 7, 2022, White Lance entered the Lakota Federal Credit Union in Kyle, South Dakota, armed with a semi-automatic rifle, and robbed the credit union. He discharged the rifle during the robbery, firing a bullet over the head of one of the tellers. White Lance fled Kyle but was quickly identified by law enforcement. All but $100 of the money White Lance stole from the credit union was recovered by the FBI following his apprehension. At the sentencing, U.S. District Judge Schreier denounced the “horrible message” White Lance’s actions sent to the community and the damage he inflicted by robbing the credit union. This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court. This case was investigated by the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case. White Lance was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Metro Train Attacker Sentenced to Serve Seven Years For Stabbing

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Michael Harrington, 43, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced June 7, 2024, by the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan to 84 months in prison for a September 2023 attack, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Michael Anzallo, of the Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD). Harrington pleaded guilty on March 5, 2024, to assault with intent to kill in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Based on evidence of drug and mental health issues, Harrington was permitted to enter pursuant to Alford v. North Carolina , 400 U.S. 25 (1970). Harrington agreed that the government could establish his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, but did not have to admit to or recall the facts constituting the offense. In addition to the prison term, Judge Raffinan ordered Harrington to serve three years of supervised release and pay $100 to the Superior Court’s Crime Victims Compensation Fund. According to the government’s evidence, Harrington attacked the victim on a Metro train on September 3, 2023, without provocation. On that evening, the victim was riding a Metro train approaching the Navy Yard-Ball Park Station when Harrington approached her, repeatedly stabbed her in her head and body, and said he would kill her. Harrington left the victim on the train car, bleeding from stab wounds. Police officers were called and took immediate life-saving steps to stop the bleeding before the victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition. In all, the victim sustained twelve stab wounds to her head, hip, foot, hands, and leg, but survived the assault. Police arrested Harrington later that evening, after he triggered a fire alarm at an apartment building in Arlington, Virginia, and was seen wielding a knife that appeared to have dried blood on the blade and matched the description of the assailant. Harrington also admitted to having had a dispute with someone on the Metro earlier that night. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Anzallo commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metro Transit Police Department, with valuable assistance from the Arlington County Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald Chester.


title: Savannah man involved in City Market shooting sentenced to federal prison for illegal gun possession

body_text: Screen capture from City of Savannah surveillance footage played in U.S. District Court SAVANNAH, GA: A Chatham County man who fired multiple shots that wounded two people in a crowded outdoor Savannah plaza has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison. Joshua Bowser , 29, of Savannah, was sentenced to 125 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Convicted Felon, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker also ordered Bowser to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. “Joshua Bowser demonstrated blatant disregard for the safety of hundreds of residents and visitors to Savannah’s popular City Market, wounding two people while indiscriminately firing multiple shots into a crowd,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “With our Savannah law enforcement partners, we will continue our work to hold accountable those who illegally possess guns and threaten the safety of our communities.” As described in court documents and testimony, Bowser and another man were involved in a brief altercation shortly before 2 a.m. on Nov. 6, 2022, in Savannah’s City Market, near Jefferson and West St. Julian streets, when the other man struck Bowser and then backed away. As the unarmed man turned to walk away from Bowser, Bowser pulled a 9mm semiautomatic firearm from his waistband and fired at least six to eight times as the man fled. Bullets struck the fleeing man and a female bystander, both of whom were transported to a hospital and treated for gunshot wounds. Both victims survived. Savannah police officers later that day located Bowser and arrested him on a state warrant. Bowser pled guilty to the federal charge in February. At sentencing, Chief Judge Baker agreed to the government’s request to enhance Bowser’s sentence on the firearms charge because his conduct constituted attempted murder, and because his actions caused serious bodily injury. “Joshua Bowser is a very violent individual who displays a total lack of concern for the lives of others. This sentence represents the seriousness of his crime,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. “This sentence also ensures that Bowser will not be able to hurt or terrorize anyone else for a very long time.” The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Savannah Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Makeia R. Jonese.