title: Real Estate Promoter Pleads Guilty To Defrauding Investors

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ELIEZER TILSON, a real estate promoter based in Israel, pled guilty to violating the Travel Act in connection with his embezzlement of $650,000 in investor funds. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Investment fraud, like all financial crimes, has the potential to turn lives upside down and breed distrust in vital economic sectors. Eliezer Tilson took advantage of real estate’s integral role in the U.S. economy, admitting today to defrauding innocent victims who believed their investments were secure when, in fact, their money was being used to pay off debts and other victims. This Office will continue to keep a watchful eye on the markets and prosecute those attempting to deceive the investing public.” According to the allegations contained in the Information: In October 2019, TILSON solicited investments from two investors in New York City in an investment fund that focused on multifamily residential real estate projects. The two investors together sent $650,000 to TILSON for investment in the fund. TILSON never transmitted any of the victims' money to the fund. Instead, he used most of the money to pay dividends to other investors in separate, unrelated real estate projects and pay down prior debt incurred by other, unrelated entities. When the victims first asked why their funds had not arrived at the investment fund, TILSON falsely assured them that the fund had their money. He later told the victims that he had arranged to send their money to the fund by wire transfer but that the wire had not yet gone through. He subsequently sent the victims a document purportedly from his bank showing a balance of more than $800,000 in his account when, in fact, that account was overdrawn. The next day, TILSON sent the victims a purported bank document falsely indicating that he had wired the first victim's money back to him and another purported bank document falsely indicating that his account had a balance of more than $400,000 when the account was overdrawn. TILSON admitted to the victims that he had taken their money a few days later to make other payments. * * * TILSON, 37, of Netanya, Israel, pled guilty to one count of violating the Travel Act, which prohibits the use of facilities in interstate and foreign commerce, including wire communications, to carry out unlawful activities such as engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from fraud in the sale of securities. It carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentence will be determined by a judge. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney James McMahon is in charge of the prosecution.


title: U.S. Attorney’s Office Hosts Faith Leaders Forum as Part of Department of Justice’s United Against Hate Initiative

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Eastern

body_text: Philadelphia, PA – On Thursday, December 7, 2023, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania hosted faith leaders from across the region at the National Constitution Center to learn about resources for protecting houses of worship and preventing acts of hate, United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced today. Church, mosque, synagogue, and temple leaders met with members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to learn how federal and state laws are used to prosecute people who harm or threaten places of worship and their congregants, understand how and when to report acts of religious violence and discrimination, and get the resources and build the connections needed to combat and prevent acts of hate. U.S. Attorney Romero hosted the forum as part of the Department of Justice’s United Against Hate initiative. “With religious-based violence and threats of violence on the rise across the country, our partnerships with our faith and other community leaders are essential,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Our ability to prosecute hate crimes to the fullest extent of the law depends on members of the community being willing to report acts of hate to our law enforcement partners for investigation. And one of the best ways to prevent crime fueled by religious bias is to be sure faith-based leaders have the information and resources they need to help protect their places of worship and their congregations, and help them forge connections with their fellow community leaders and law enforcement to help make our communities stronger than hate. That’s what our United Against Hate initiative, and today’s event, are all about.” U.S. Attorney Romero was joined at the event by Kate McGowan, Supervisory Special Agent at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Charles Phillips, Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service, and representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office of Civil Rights. Members of the Pennsylvania State Police, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations were also in attendance and shared remarks. The United Against Hate initiative will continue well into the new year, U.S. Attorney Romero confirmed. “I will continue to meet with groups concerned about hate-motivated attacks and discrimination, and to work with these groups and our law enforcement partners to build the strong, safe, and resilient communities that people of all backgrounds—religious and otherwise—deserve,” she said. If you have information about a possible threat to a place of worship or believe you are a victim of or a witness to a hate crime, contact your local law enforcement agency (911), then the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI. You can also report a hate crime, find resources, and learn more about the Department of Justice’s hate crimes prevention and enforcement work by visiting www.justice.gov/hatecrimes . Additional resources for houses of worship are available at www.cisa.gov .


title: Federal Jury Convicts Buxton Man for Twitter Threat

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: A Buxton man was found guilty today of transmitting a threatening interstate communication. The verdict came after a three-day jury trial in the U.S. District Court in Portland with Chief Judge Jon D. Levy presiding. According to evidence presented during the trial, on September 8, 2021, Brian Dennison , 27, posted on Twitter, “I’m going to kill jews with my ar15 tomorrow.” FBI investigators identified Dennison as the likely author of the threat and executed search warrants at his Buxton residence. Among the items seized were approximately 1,700 rounds of ammunition that could be fired from an AR-15-style rifle. Investigators also found evidence that Dennison had a long-standing animus toward Jewish people. In October 2021, investigators executed another search warrant at the property and found an AR-15-style rifle and ammunition in a case that had been hidden in the woods behind the residence. Dennison faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The FBI and U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case. ###


title: Jury Convicts Akron Man of Meth Conspiracy

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was convicted by a jury on December 6, 2023, after a three-day trial in federal court in Sioux City. Britt Lander, 42, from Akron, Iowa, was convicted of conspiring to distribute more than 50 grams of pure methamphetamine. The verdict was returned after about 1 hour of jury deliberations. In 2012, Lander was previously convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. The evidence at trial showed that Lander, along with others, conspired to receive methamphetamine by mail and vehicle from California and Mexico to distribute in the Sioux City and Akron, Iowa areas. Evidence also showed Lander assisted others in the unloading of 5-10 pound loads of methamphetamine transported to rural properties associated with Lander. Evidence also included an audio/video recording of Lander and another using cutting tools to remove 7 kilograms of methamphetamine from inside a spare tire that was used to transport the methamphetamine from Mexico. Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Lander remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Lander faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $20,000,000 fine, and 10 years up to life of supervised release following any imprisonment. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 22-4071. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Michigan Man Sentenced to More than 10 Years in Prison for Federal Drug Crimes

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Darrell Lamar Holcomb, also known as “Smiley,” 32, of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, was sentenced today to 10 years and one month in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl and aiding and abetting the distribution of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl. According to court documents and statements made in court, beginning approximately in or before 2019, Holcomb began supplying controlled substances including methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana to an individual living in the Oak Hill area of West Virginia. Holcomb or a courier would transport the controlled substances to the individual from the Detroit, Michigan area approximately once or twice per month. Holcomb usually provided the controlled substances on consignment, accepting payment after the individual sold them. Holcomb also provided cell phones to the individual that he was to use only to communicate with Holcomb. In early December 2021, Holcomb negotiated with the individual to sell him approximately 5 pounds of methamphetamine and 4.4 pounds of fentanyl along with approximately 2 pounds of a cutting agent to mix with the fentanyl and increase the sellable amount. The individual was required to pay Holcomb $60,000 from a prior shipment as part of this drug deal. Co-defendant Nicole Christian Ball, 44, of Jackson, Michigan, admitted that she was the courier for the December 2021 transaction. Ball pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the distribution of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl on August 1, 2023, and awaits sentencing. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central West Virginia Task Force. Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-216. ###


title: Three Men Indicted for Environmental Crimes Committed in the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Las Mareas Community of Salinas, Puerto Rico

component: Energy and Natural Resources Division

body_text: A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned two separate indictments yesterday charging three individuals for violations of the Clean Water Act. The charges relate to the illegal construction and deposit of material into the wetlands and waters of the United States in the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Jobos Estuarine Reserve). Various federal agencies are involved in this ongoing investigation into environmental crimes in the Jobos Estuarine Reserve and Las Mareas community as part of the Caribbean Environmental Crimes Task Force, including the Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID), FBI, U.S. Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (Army-CID), U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Inspector General (DOC-OIG), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement (NOAA-OLE) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement (FW‑OLE). According to the first indictment, from June 2018 to December 2023, Rafael Carballo-Díaz and Nathaniel Hernández-Claudio knowingly discharged fill material from excavation and earth moving equipment into the wetlands and waters of the United States in violation of the Clean Water Act. Carballo-Díaz operated a guesthouse business called El Cacique Resort on the property located at the southwest of Camino del Indio in the Las Mareas area of Salinas, Puerto Rico. Hernández-Claudio acted as a host and property manager at El Cacique Resort on the Property. The second indictment charges Awildo Jiménez-Mercado with violations of the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act. Jiménez-Mercado knowingly discharged fill material from excavation and earth moving equipment into the wetlands and built a boat dock without authorization of the Secretary of the Army, in violation of the Rivers and Harbors Act. Jiménez-Mercado also operated a guest house business called “Hidden Paradise” on a separate property. Both El Cacique Resort and Hidden Paradise offered guests a pool, outdoor dining areas and housing units as short-term rentals. The Clean Water Act was enacted by Congress in 1972 to protect and maintain the integrity of the waters of the United States. The Clean Water Act’s main purpose is to ensure the restoration and maintenance of the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation’s waters. It prohibits the discharge of any pollutant and fill material into waters of the United States except when a permit is obtained from the United States. The Rivers and Harbors Act was originally enacted in 1899 and is generally considered the oldest environmental law in the United States. It serves to regulate and protect the navigable waters of the United States and prohibits the unpermitted construction of structures within those waters. Both the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act protect the coastal waters within the Jobos Estuarine Reserve. The Jobos Estuarine Reserve was designated as a National Estuarine Research Reserve by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1981 and is comprised of approximately 2,800 acres of coastal ecosystems in the southern coastal plain of Puerto Rico. The Jobos Estuarine Reserve contains mangrove islands, mangrove forests, tidal wetlands, coral reefs, lagoons, salt flats, dry forest and seagrass beds. It is also home to the endangered brown pelican, peregrine falcon, hawksbill turtle and West Indian manatee. The Jobos Estuarine Reserve is owned and operated by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PR‑DNER). The three defendants were arrested and are scheduled to appear today before Magistrate Judge Marshal D. Morgan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico for their respective initial appearances. If convicted, the defendants are facing up to three years in prison for the Clean Water Act violations, fines and injunctive relief to remove violating structures. Jimenez-Mercado is also facing a maximum penalty of one year in prison for the River and Harbors Act violations. Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico made the announcement. Senior Trial Attorney Patrick M. Duggan of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Environmental Litigation Coordinator and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth A. Erbe for the District of Puerto Rico are prosecuting the case. These indictments are part of an ongoing investigation that includes two indictments returned in May 2023 . If you have any information related to this investigation or environmental crimes in the area, please contact enforcement officials, which may be done anonymously. The EPA can be contacted at (787) 977-5821 or at echo.epa.gov/denuncie-violaciones-ambientales . The FBI can be contacted at (787) 987-6500 or tips.fbi.gov/ . For more information on the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Reserve, please visit www.drna.pr.gov/jbnerr/ or coast.noaa.gov/nerrs/reserves/jobos-bay.html . An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Wheeling woman sentenced to five years for cocaine trafficking

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Rebecca Mae Blake, age 41, of Wheeling, West Virginia, was sentenced today to five years in federal prison for cocaine distribution. According to court documents and statements made in court, Blake sold crack cocaine from her home on Fulton Street in Wheeling. Blake pled guilty to the charge earlier this year in connection to a larger drug operation in Ohio County led by Rocco Pandoli, also of Wheeling. Blake has multiple prior felony drug convictions, to include a conviction in federal court for cocaine distribution in 2005, and three convictions in Ohio County (W.Va.) Circuit Court in 2017, also for cocaine distribution. Pandoli was convicted earlier this year and sentenced to 51 months in prison. The Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. This effort was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Nogay prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.


title: Brooklyn Hospital Dietician Found Guilty of Filing False Tax Returns and Obstructing the IRS

component: Tax Division

body_text: A federal jury convicted a New York woman today of filing and aiding in the filing of false tax returns, obstructing the IRS and willfully failing to file tax returns. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Ehrenfriede Kauapirura worked at a Brooklyn hospital as a dietician. Kauapirura filed a false amended 2015 tax return and a false original 2016 tax return. On both returns, Kauapirura reported hundreds of thousands of dollars in fictitious tax withholdings that she used to claim refunds of approximately $250,000 for each year, which the IRS paid her. The evidence at trial proved that after determining that Kauapirura’s claims were fraudulent, the IRS began collection activity to recoup the funds it paid her. To thwart the IRS’s collection efforts, Kauapirura transferred money from her personal bank account to a bank account that she controlled held in the name of a purported trust. Kauapirura also submitted a bogus $1 million dollar check drawn on a non-existent bank as payment of her tax obligations. In addition, Kauapirura did not file individual tax returns with the IRS for the years 2017 through 2020, despite earning substantial income from her job at the hospital. Kauapirura is scheduled to be sentenced on March 7, 2024, and faces a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison for each false return and obstruction count and one year in prison for each count of willful failure to file a tax return. The defendant also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Kenneth C. Vert and Michael C. Vasiliadis of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.


title: Burlington County Man Admits Possessing Child Pornography

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: CAMDEN, N.J. – A Burlington County, New Jersey, man today admitted possessing images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Al-Fahim Medina, 24, of Willingboro, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler to an information charging him with possession of child pornography. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: From Jan. 31, 2020, through June 12, 2020, Medina possessed mobile phones and a tablet, which contained multiple images of child sexual abuse, including children under age 12 and sadistic and masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence or sexual abuse or exploitation involving an infant or toddler. The count of possession of child pornography carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for April 10, 2024. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen M. Harberg of the Camden Office. medina.information.pdf


title: Standing Pine Woman Pleads Guilty to Possession With Intent to Distribute Over 50 Grams of Methamphetamine

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: Jackson, MS – A Standing Pine woman pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine. According to court documents, on September 9, 2022, Shannen Marie Chapala, 31, distributed over 50 grams of methamphetamine in the Pearl River Community of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Chapala was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2023. Chapala is scheduled to be sentenced on March 8, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Todd Gee, Special Agent in Charge Brad Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Regional Agent in Charge Whitney Woodruff of the Bureau of Indian Affairs made the announcement. The case was investigated by the Choctaw Police Department, the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin J. Payne and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian K. Burns prosecuted the case.


title: Rush City Woman Sentenced to Prison for Role in $1.8 Million Scheme Involving Romance Fraud and Federal Pandemic Programs

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – A Rush City woman has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay $1.7 million in restitution for her role in multiple schemes that defrauded individuals throughout the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to court documents, from 2017 through April 2022, Gayle Joyce Ferngren, 70, and others participated in a scheme to launder proceeds that were fraudulently obtained from victims throughout the United States, including the proceeds of romance fraud scams and schemes to defraud Federal Pandemic Assistance Programs. In total, Ferngren laundered at least $1.8 million in fraud proceeds. According to her guilty plea, from approximately June 2020 through December 2020, Ferngren acknowledges that she received at least 68 debit cards containing approximately $1.3 million in fraudulent unemployment benefits from California and Nevada to which she was not entitled. After receiving the fraudulent proceeds, Ferngren kept a portion for herself and transmitted most of the funds to other scheme participants, including to individuals located overseas. In addition, Ferngren participated in a “romance scam,” which is a type of fraud that targets persons looking for romantic partners or friendship on dating websites or other social media platforms. According to court documents, romance scammers create profiles using fictitious or fake names, locations, images, and personas, allowing the scammers to cultivate relationships with prospective scam victims. According to her guilty plea, Ferngren received funds from romance fraud victims under false and fraudulent pretenses after other scheme participants induced the victims to send money to Ferngren. Ferngren was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before Judge John R. Tunheim. On May 22, 2023, she pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Department of Labor–Office of Inspector General, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew S. Ebert prosecuted the case.


title: Brooklyn Park Felon Indicted for Fentanyl Distribution and Firearms Violations Following Deadly Vehicle Crash

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – Derrick John Thompson has been federally indicted for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and illegal possession of a firearm following a deadly vehicle crash that killed five victims, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. “These federal charges underscore the seriousness of Mr. Thompson’s criminal actions. We will continue to take an aggressive stance against individuals who engage in armed fentanyl dealing and present grave danger to our community,” said U. S. Attorney Andrew Luger. According to court documents, on June 16, 2023, a trooper with the Minnesota State Patrol observed a black Cadillac SUV speeding north on I-35W, traveling at 95 miles per hour in a 55 miles per hour speed zone. The trooper observed Thompson abruptly cut across four lanes of traffic to exit the freeway at the Lake Street exit. The trooper began following the SUV but did not initiate the emergency lights or attempt to make a traffic stop because the trooper did not want to cause the driver, later identified as Thompson, 28, to continue to drive recklessly on city streets. At the intersection of 2nd Avenue South and East Lake Street, Thompson sped through a red light at the intersection without stopping or slowing. The SUV struck at full speed the driver’s side of a Honda Civic that was traveling lawfully through the intersection. All five occupants of the Honda Civic, four adult females and one juvenile female, were killed. When law enforcement responded to the scene of the crash, witnesses told officers that Thompson had fled on foot through a nearby alley. Officers found Thompson sitting on the curb outside of a nearby restaurant. Officers detained Thompson, who was later transported to Hennepin County Medical Center for evaluation. According to court documents, an officer found at the scene a Hertz rental record for the Cadillac SUV indicating that Thompson rented the vehicle from a Hertz located at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport approximately 30 minutes before the crash. After obtaining a warrant to search the SUV, officers found a black leather bag on the front passenger side floor that contained a loaded Glock pistol with an extended magazine, as well as three baggies containing more than 2,000 blue “M-Box 30” fentanyl pills, a baggie containing an additional 14 grams of powder fentanyl, a baggie containing 13 MDMA pills, a baggie containing 35 grams of cocaine, and a digital scale. Because Thompson has multiple prior felony convictions, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. The indictment charges Thompson with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm as a felon, and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. He will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court before a Magistrate Judge at a later date. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Minnesota State Patrol, and the Minneapolis–St. Paul Airport Police Department, in coordination with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Calhoun-Lopez and Ruth S. Shnider are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: New Orleans Man Sentenced to 227 Months in Prison for Armed Carjacking

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

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LA – United States District Judge Lance M. Africk sentenced FURRELL JOHNSON , age 33, of New Orleans, to 227 months in prison for armed carjacking, announced United States Attorney Duane A. Evans. JOHNSON pleaded guilty to two counts related to the carjacking of a Honda CRV on October 13, 2022, including carjacking and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. According to court records, JOHNSON approached the victim as the victim was returning to his vehicle and snatched a key from the victim’s hand. When the victim turned toward JOHNSON , JOHNSON pulled a black semi-automatic handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the victim. JOHNSON and a still unidentified accomplice then fled in the vehicle. Judge Africk sentenced JOHNSON to 71 months on the carjacking count, to be followed by three years of supervised release. On the brandishing a firearm count, Judge Africk sentenced JOHNSON to 156 months to be served consecutively to the 71 months on the carjacking count, for a total sentence of 227 months. Judge Africk imposed five years of supervised release on the firearm count. JOHNSON was also ordered to pay a mandatory $100 special assessment feeper count. 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. U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department in investigating this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Haller of the Violent Crime Unit.


title: Lead Defendant Pleads Guilty to International Human Smuggling and Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty today to his role in a scheme to illegally smuggle Honduran nationals into the United States and distribute cocaine in the United States. According to court documents, Carl Allison, 47, of Pittsburgh, conspired with at least seven others to bring Honduran nationals and cocaine from Honduras to the United States. In February 2022, Allison and others attempted to illegally bring 23 Honduran migrants and at least 24 kilograms of cocaine from Utila, Honduras, to Cocodrie, Louisiana, aboard the M/V Pop, a vessel co-owned by Allison. The migrants each paid up to $20,000 to Allison or his co-conspirators to be smuggled into the United States. At some point during a voyage in February 2022, the M/V Pop had engine trouble in the Gulf of Mexico. Allison and others chartered a boat to bring fuel to the disabled vessel so that it could complete its journey to the United States. Before the chartered boat reached the disabled vessel, the U.S. Coast Guard interdicted the vessel approximately 95 miles off the coast of Grand Isle, Louisiana, and towed it to shore. For approximately three years, Allison participated in the scheme to bring Honduran migrants from Honduras to the United States via vessels such as the M/V Pop. Allison and his co-conspirators smuggled at least 15 migrants into the United States on each voyage. Once the migrants reached the United States, Allison and his co-conspirators placed them in factories and other businesses knowing that the migrants lacked authorization to enter, remain, or work in the United States. Allison pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully bring aliens to the United States for financial gain and conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine hydrochloride. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 28, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Three co-conspirators, all Honduran nationals, pleaded guilty earlier this year for their roles in the scheme. Darrel Martinez, 41, and Josue Flores-Villeda, 36, pleaded guilty to the same charges as Allison. Lenord Cooper, 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to aid and assist aliens to enter the United States unlawfully and attempting to bring aliens to the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain. Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and Special Agent in Charge David Denton of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans Field Office made the announcement. HSI Houma, Louisiana, investigated the case, with assistance from HSI Pittsburgh, HSI Atlanta, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation. The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations, Louisiana State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, North Huntington Township Police, and Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office also provided valuable assistance. The investigation is being conducted under Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). Attorney General Merrick B. Garland created JTFA in June 2021 in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security to strengthen the Justice Department’s efforts to combat the rise in prolific and dangerous smuggling emanating from Central America and impacting our border communities. JTFA is comprised of detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border. Dedicated support is also provided by numerous components of the Criminal Division that are part of JTFA, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training; Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section; Office of Enforcement Operations; Office of International Affairs; and Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in over 260 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of human smuggling; over 170 convictions; significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets. The investigation is also supported by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. The ECT program is a partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI, and focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence, and prosecutorial resources. ECT also coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities. Deputy Chief Rami Badawy and Trial Attorney Kate Wagner of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carter Guice and Ben Myers for the Eastern District of Louisiana are prosecuting the case.


title: La Crosse Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Firearm Violations

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Western

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jerel D. Jenkins, 29, La Crosse, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to seven years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jenkins pleaded guilty to this charge on September 1, 2023. On April 27, 2022, Jenkins was driving a car in La Crosse with a passenger. An officer saw Jenkins’ car was not displaying proper license plates and attempted a traffic stop. Jenkins sped down an alleyway and jumped from the car, which crashed head-on into a detached garage with the passenger still in it. Jenkins fled and was not apprehended that evening. While responding to the scene, officers found a .380 caliber handgun, with a magazine inserted and loaded, on the ground near the driver-side door of the car. DNA from the trigger guard of the handgun matched Jenkins. On October 12, 2022, Jenkins was charged federally with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Local law enforcement attempted to arrest Jenkins on several occasions, but he eluded capture, in one instance by driving his car through a detached garage and hitting an occupied squad car. On February 16, 2023, officers from multiple local and federal law enforcement agencies coordinated efforts to arrest Jenkins. Officers saw Jenkins leave an apartment and get into an SUV parked in an alleyway. The officers activated their lights and sirens and attempted to box Jenkins’ SUV in the alleyway. Jenkins responded by accelerating toward one end of the alleyway. He hit a dumpster and then a vehicle driven by a Deputy U.S. Marshal. Jenkins hit the vehicle with such force that its airbags deployed and the Deputy U.S. Marshal was injured. Jenkins was extracted from the SUV and arrested. Two shotguns and ammunition were found in the SUV. Based on the events surrounding his arrest, Jenkins was charged with illegally possessing the two shotguns and with assaulting a federal officer and causing injury. Jenkins ultimately pleaded guilty to possessing the two shotguns and agreed for the purposes of sentencing that he injured the Deputy U.S. Marshal and possessed the loaded .380 caliber handgun in April 2022. At sentencing, Judge Peterson concluded that 84 months in prison was necessary to protect the public from Jenkins’ reckless behavior. Judge Peterson noted that Jenkins suffered from substance abuse and mental health issues, but emphasized that Jenkins had an obligation to manage those issues so not to present a danger to the public. Judge Peterson credited Jenkins’ good behavior while he was detained pretrial to encourage him to pursue sobriety and prosocial behavior. The charges against Jenkins were the result of an investigation conducted by the La Crosse Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anita Marie Boor and Corey Stephan prosecuted this case. This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.


title: New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Gun Control Act

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DERRICK JOHNSON , age 26, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty today before Chief United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to violating the Federal Gun Control Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. According to court records, JOHNSON was arrested on a state warrant at a New Orleans motel. After the arresting officers saw two guns in the room, they called the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for assistance. JOHNSON told the ATF agent who arrived that anything found in the room belonged to him. A female who rented the room consented to a search by the ATF agent. After searching, the agent found two handguns, a .380 pistol and a 9-millimeter pistol. JOHNSON admitted the guns were his. At the time, he had numerous prior felony convictions that prevented him from possessing a firearm. Subsequently, JOHNSON pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms, namely the two pistol founds during the search of the motel room. At his April 11, 2024 sentencing, JOHNSON faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. 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. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller of the Violent Crime Unit.


title: Federal Jury Convicts Former IBEW Local 98 Business Manager John Dougherty and Former Local 98 President Brian Burrows of Conspiracy, Embezzlement of Union Funds, and Tax Fraud

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that John Dougherty, 63, of Philadelphia, PA and Brian Burrows, 63, of Mount Laurel, NJ, were convicted today by a federal jury of numerous charges related to their embezzlement of funds belonging to Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (“Local 98”). John Dougherty previously served as the Business Manager of Local 98, and Brian Burrows served as the president of Local 98. In January 2019, a federal grand jury indicted Dougherty, Burrows, and four other union employees with multiple federal offenses connected to their illegal use of Local 98 funds for personal and other unauthorized expenses, contrary to the provisions of IBEW’s constitution, the by-laws of Local 98, and the beneficial interests of Local 98’s members. The Indictment also charged Dougherty and Burrows with concealing the embezzlement of Local 98’s funds by filing false labor management reports with the U.S. Department of Labor, and with tax fraud by failing to report their personal use of the funds on their tax returns. Today, the federal jury convicted Dougherty of one count of conspiracy to embezzle the funds of Local 98, 33 counts of embezzlement of funds from Local 98, 24 counts of wire fraud by participating in a scheme to defraud Local 98 of its money, four counts of signing and submitting false labor management forms that concealed the embezzlement of Local 98 funds, and three counts of filing false federal income tax returns. The jury convicted Burrows of 13 counts of embezzlement of funds from Local 98, four counts of signing and submitting false labor management forms that concealed the embezzlement of Local 98 funds, and three counts of filing false federal income tax returns. In December 2022, four other employees of Local 98 pleaded guilty to charges related to the embezzlement of Local 98’s funds. Michael Neill, former Training Director of Local 98’s Apprentice Training Fund, Niko Rodriguez, an employee of the Apprentice Training Fund, and Brian Fiocca, an office employee with Local 98, pleaded guilty to embezzlement of Local 98’s funds. Marita Crawford, who previously served as Local 98’s Political Director, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, the object of which was to obtain money from Local 98 through false and fraudulent representations. The four former employees are currently scheduled to be sentenced later this month. The same Indictment also charged John Dougherty with multiple crimes involving honest services fraud bribery, which the Court earlier ordered severed from the embezzlement charges and tried first. The Indictment charged that Dougherty and co-defendant Robert Henon defrauded the City of Philadelphia and its citizens of the right to Henon’s honest services as a member of City Council. In November 2021, a federal jury convicted Dougherty of one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and seven counts of honest services wire fraud. “The members of Local 98 trusted Dougherty and Burrows to faithfully manage and protect the union’s funds; the defendants did exactly the opposite – they stole from their own members, and violated that trust.” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Today’s verdict demonstrates the consequences of such dishonesty and theft, which involved egregious and repeated violations of trust and misuse of funds for personal benefit. I want to thank our federal and state law enforcement partners for their tireless cooperation in bringing this case to trial.” “After decades at the top, John Dougherty grew to believe he was Local 98 — and completely entitled to misuse its money as his own,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “In doing so, Dougherty repeatedly betrayed the electrical union’s members, those thousands of workers who trusted him to act on their behalf and for their benefit. Local 98’s rank and file are clear victims of his greed and these crimes. If you think about it, though, after his convictions at both trials, there aren’t many folks around here who aren’t John Dougherty’s victims. His corrupt acts harmed this city, he cheated taxpayers, and he stole from his own hard-working electricians. Justice means finally holding him accountable for the damage done.” “The consequences to those who betray the public trust is evident by today’s convictions,” said Yury Kruty, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation. “IRS-Criminal Investigation is proud to have provided its financial expertise in this investigation, and we, along with our law enforcement partners and the Department of Justice, will continue to aggressively investigate individuals who engage in money laundering, tax fraud, or other types of white-collar crimes.” “Today’s verdict sends an important message to all those entrusted with protecting benefit plan assets. Regardless of title or position, the U.S. Department of Labor will hold fiduciaries to the highest standards of accountability to protect the employee benefits of America’s workers, ” said Cristina O’Brien, Philadelphia Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration. “By any measure, the crimes John Dougherty and Brian Burrows committed are extraordinarily serious offenses. Labor leaders have a fiduciary responsibility to the members they represent. Dougherty and Burrows violated that responsibility and turned Local 98 and its members – whose interests they were supposed to protect – into victims, when they treated the union and its assets as their own personal piggy banks – harming the union and its members. The Office of Labor-Management Standards will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to protect unions and their members by bringing to justice, and seeking restitution from, any official who chooses to use union funds for their own benefit,” said OLMS District Director Kevin Smallwood. Burrows faces up to 83 years in prison. Dougherty, in combination with the 2021 conviction, faces up to 901 years in prison. Sentencing for Dougherty has been scheduled for March 20, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. and for Burrows on March 21, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Labor Management Standards, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and the Pennsylvania State Police, with assistance from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Frank Costello, Chief of the Corruption & Civil Rights Unit; Bea Witzleben, Co-Chief of Trials; Jason Grenell; and Anthony Carissimi.


title: Monmouth County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Making Threatening Communications and Calling in False Bomb Threats

body_text: TRENTON, N.J. – A Monmouth County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 240 months in prison for making threatening telephone and email communications to New Jersey state officials, judges, law enforcement officers, and attorneys, and phoning in false bomb threats to local and state government offices, a police department, two law firms and a commercial establishment, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Eric G. Hafner, 32, formerly of Monmouth County, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp on May 17, 2022, to one count of making threating communications in interstate or foreign commerce with intent to extort, one count of making threatening communications in interstate or foreign commerce, and one count of conveying false information concerning the use of an explosive device. U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court. “This defendant repeatedly targeted public servants—elected representatives, judges, and law enforcement officials—and private citizens with threats and attempts at extortion. He further victimized these public officials, private citizens, and the public generally by calling in numerous false bomb threats to a courthouse, a police department, law firms, businesses, and an elected official’s office. These types of threating communications are unacceptable. They cause serious harm to victims, and will be met with a swift response by this Office. This defendant has now faced justice for these serious crimes.” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Between July 2016 and May 2018, while residing outside the United States, Hafner communicated threats to numerous individuals located in and around Monmouth County and elsewhere. The victims were elected officials, judges, police officers, attorneys, and their families. Hafner sought to extort $350,000 from some of his victims. Hafner also made false bomb threats to an elected official’s office, a county courthouse, a police department, two law firms, and a commercial establishment. In addition to the prison term, Judge Quraishi sentenced Hafner to three years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, Newark Division, Red Bank Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked detectives of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office; officers of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office; New Jersey State Police; the Bradley Beach Police Department; Fairhaven Police Department; Aberdeen Police Department; the Hazlet Police Department; Shrewsbury Police Department; the Red Bank Police Department; the Freehold Township Police Department; the Middletown Police Department; the Neptune Township Police Department; the Oceanport Police Department; the Deal Police Department; and the Manasquan Police Department for their assistance in the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ian D. Brater of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton and R. Joseph Gribko, Deputy Chief of the Civil Rights Division.


title: Defendants Sentenced to Federal Prison for Fire Bombings of Police Vehicles

component: USAO - Arkansas, Eastern

body_text: LITTLE ROCK—All five members of a group responsible for the fire bombings of multiple police vehicles will spend time in prison for their crimes. On Thursday, Chief United States District Court Judge D.P. Marshall Jr. sentenced the final four defendants in a case dating back to August and September 2020, when the group, by its own words, resolved to “attack [] the institution of the American police structure” and destroyed property at five different police stations, which escalated to the use of incendiary weapons. The leader of the group, Mujera Benjamin Lung’aho, received a 5 ½-year sentence for his conduct, which involved the use of Molotov cocktails to burn police cars. The five defendants include: Defendant Age Hometown Sentence Mujera Benjamin Lung’aho 33 North Little Rock, AR 66 months’ incarceration, $86,099.37 restitution Brittany Dawn Jeffrey 34 Little Rock, AR 17 months’ incarceration, $529.30 restitution Emily Nowlin 30 Little Rock, AR 18 months’ incarceration, $35,956.31 restitution Aline A. Espinosa-Villegas 27 Little Rock, AR 18 months’ incarceration, $34,356.31 restitution Renea Goddard 25 Little Rock, AR 18 months incarceration, $35,956.31 restitution Jeffrey had previously been sentenced, while the other four were sentenced Thursday. In addition to the prison sentences, all defendants received terms of supervised release: Lung’aho 36 months; Nowlin, Espinosa-Villegas, and Goddard 24 months; and Jeffrey 18 months. There is no parole in the federal system. The case is a result of numerous incidents of violence and vandalism that occurred in late August and early September 2020 and involved Lung’aho, Jeffrey, Nowlin, Goddard, and Espinosa. The investigation revealed that on August 25 and into August 26, 2020, Lung’aho, Jeffrey, and others traveled to the Little Rock Police Department (LRPD) Northwest Substation with Molotov cocktails and parked nearby; however, once the group noticed several officers in the area, they left the scene. Later, the group went to Shannon Hills, Arkansas, where a marked police car was parked. Several members of the group broke a window of the car, cut a tire, and stole a toolbox from the vehicle. The group then traveled to LRPD’s 12th Street Substation. As some of the individuals broke patrol vehicle windows and slashed tires, Lung’aho and another individual threw Molotov cocktails at the LRPD patrol vehicles. According to surveillance video, a Molotov cocktail was lit but burned out as it was thrown over the fence. Two Molotov cocktails used that night were made at Jeffrey’s residence with gasoline, liquor bottles, and bed sheets. On the same day, the group went to the North Little Rock Police Department’s (NLRPD) Levy Substation and damaged several police cars’ tires. In the early morning hours of August 28, 2020, Lung’aho, Goddard, Nowlin, and Espinosa traveled to the Arkansas State Police (ASP) Headquarters with Molotov cocktails. Lung’aho cut a section of a chain-link fence, and he and the others entered the property through the hole in the fence and vandalized multiple ASP vehicles, slashing 33 tires. Espinosa threw a Molotov cocktail, but it did not explode. Lung’aho threw a Molotov cocktail at a 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe patrol unit, and the device exploded. The explosion caused the vehicle to catch fire, resulting in the complete destruction of the vehicle. On September 3, 2020, Lung’aho and others traveled to the Rose City Police Station in North Little Rock and threw a Molotov cocktail at a NLRPD police vehicle, destroying the vehicle. The Molotov cocktail was made from a liquor bottle and bed sheets, the same materials used in the attempted destruction of a patrol car on August 26, 2020. The fire was observed by officers at 3:20 a.m. and Lung’aho’s phone contained an image of the fire taken at approximately 3:10 a.m. “There is no justification for violent acts targeting our law enforcement community. The use of Molotov cocktails to destroy law enforcement property is not a form of legitimate protest; rather, it is a troubling escalation of gratuitous violence that seeks to stoke embers of anarchy in our community, and it will not be tolerated in the Eastern District of Arkansas,” said United States Attorney Jonathan D. Ross. “The Constitution protects our rights to peacefully assemble. But make no mistake, when you use violence to advance your agenda, the Department of Justice will make every effort to put you in prison. Anyone engaging in such criminal activity will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” Lung’aho was originally charged in a complaint on September 14, 2020, and then indicted on October 6, 2020, on charges alleging conspiracy to commit arson and arson. On Feb. 3, 2021, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment adding the other four defendants, and adding numerous charges including conspiracy to commit arson, arson, and possession of unregistered destructive devices. Lung’aho pleaded guilty on August 23, 2023, to arson, related to the firebombing of the NLRPD police car on September 3, 2020. On May 18, 2022, Jeffrey pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging her with conspiracy to possess an unregistered destructive device, a Molotov cocktail, and she was sentenced on December 12, 2022. On September 23, 2021, Espinosa-Villegas pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered destructive device, a Molotov cocktail. Nowlin pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered destructive device, a Molotov cocktail, on September 26, 2022. Goddard pleaded guilty on September 26, 2022, to a superseding information charging her with conspiracy to possess an unregistered destructive device, a Molotov cocktail. “This investigation is an example of ATF working with law enforcement partners and the community to hold persons accountable that choose to engage in violent crime that threatens the safety of our shared community,” said ATF New Orleans Field Division Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “ATF will remain engaged with the law enforcement team and the public to best serve and protect our communities.” The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, North Little Rock Police Department, Little Rock Police Department, Arkansas State Police, and Shannon Hills Police Department. # # # This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available on-line at http://www.justice.gov/edar Twitter: @EDARNEWS


title: Bend Man Sentenced for Theft from Tribal Organization

component: USAO - Oregon

body_text: PORTLAND, Ore.—A Bend, Oregon man was sentenced in federal court today for stealing tools from Warm Springs Composite Products, a wood products manufacturing business owned by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Kevin Neal Strampher, Jr., 40, was sentenced to time served and one year of supervised release. Strampher was also ordered to pay $2,378 in restitution to the tribe. According to court documents, on January 28, 2023, Strampher entered the Warm Springs Composite Products mill and stole more than $2,000 in power and hand tools. Using surveillance footage obtained by the mill manager and other evidence collected, Warm Springs Tribal Police officers identified Strampher as the individual who burglarized the business. On March 21, 2023, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Strampher with theft from an Indian tribal organization. On September 14, 2023, Strampher pleaded guilty to the single charge. This case was investigated by the Warm Springs Tribal Police Department with assistance from the FBI. It was prosecuted by Pamela Paaso, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.


title: New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Weapons Charges

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on December 6, 2023, GREGORY WILLIAMS , age 30, a resident of Orleans Parish, pled guilty to four counts of a seven-count superseding indictment for drug and weapons violations. Sentencing is set for April 3, 2024. In Count 4, WILLIAMS is charged with possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(d). For this charge, WILLIAMS faces up to 5 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and at least 2 years of supervised release. In Count 5, WILLIAMS is charged with possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). For this charge, WILLIAMS faces a mandatory minimum sentence 5 years imprisonment up to life, which must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and up to 5 years of supervised release. In Count 6, WILLIAMS is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). For this charge, WILLIAMS faces up to 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and up to 3 years supervised release. Finally, in Count 7, WILLIAMS is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). As to this charge, WILLIAMS faces up to 15 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and up to 3 years of supervised release. As to each charged count, WILLIAMS faces payment of a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. According to court documents, on February 10, 2022, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office (“JPSO”) conducted a narcotics investigation in the Metairie Heights Apartment complex in Metairie, LA. Based on their observations, officers stopped a vehicle in the parking lot. During that stop, several individuals located in the parking lot fled from law enforcement. One of those individuals was later identified as WILLIAMS . Investigators identified WILLIAMS as the front-seat passenger of a Dodge Charger that was also located in the parking lot of the apartment complex. Officers obtained a search warrant for the vehicle and during the subsequent search, located a firearm and narcotics, as well as documentation linked to WILLIAMS . Additionally, on October 1, 2022, officers observed WILLIAMS in possession of two firearms outside of a residence in the 3600 block of Clio Street in New Orleans. 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. U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the New Orleans Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit.


title: Readout of Justice Department Participation in the 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and other senior Justice Department officials today participated in the 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit. The summit reiterated the importance of Nation-to-Nation relationships and provided an opportunity for members of the administration to discuss key issues that the Tribal Nations face. Attorney General Garland provided updates on the Department’s work over the past year on issues unique to Tribal communities and how the Department’s broader work is taking into account Tribal interests. In his remarks , he announced that the U.S. Marshals Service has developed a legislative proposal to formalize its role in enforcing Tribal violent felony arrest warrants, which would expand the practice that the Marshals Service has piloted over the last year to serve Tribal warrants at the request of, and in close coordination with, Tribal law enforcement and the Department’s Office of Tribal Justice. He highlighted how the Department has expanded the Tribal Access Program, supporting 132 Tribes and over 450 Tribal government agencies, and has significantly increased the number of Assistant U.S. Attorneys dedicated to Indian Country prosecutions. He also discussed the Department’s efforts to combat the fentanyl crisis in close coordination with Tribal law enforcement partners. In addition, Attorney General Garland provided an update on the Justice Department’s lawsuit against the owners and operators of a hotel and bar in South Dakota for violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964. And he reaffirmed the Department’s commitment to working alongside Native American communities to fulfill the promise of equal protection under the law. Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta participated in a Nation-to-Nation Talk with Tribal leaders, along with Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, Director Tracy Toulou of the Office of Tribal Justice, and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brent Cohen of the Office of Justice Programs. These officials discussed a number of public-safety and justice issues with Tribal leaders, including special Tribal criminal jurisdiction , the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons crisis , law enforcement partnerships, and accessing funding and resources . Deputy Attorney General Monaco underscored the Justice Department’s commitment to working in partnership with Tribal law enforcement, including through the Tribal Special Assistant United States Attorney initiative and funding opportunities through the Office of Violence Against Women to support special Tribal criminal jurisdiction. Associate Attorney General Gupta announced that the Environment and Natural Resources Division has established a dedicated email inbox for Tribal leaders to contact the Justice Department with litigation-related inquiries. She also described ongoing efforts to streamline the grantmaking process for Tribes and to explore the possibility of enhancing public safety in Tribal communities through Tribal compacting. Associate Attorney General Gupta also spoke at a panel entitled “Substance Use and Mental Health in Tribal Communities,” alongside Tribal leaders and other senior administration officials. She emphasized the Justice Department’s commitment to supporting Tribal solutions for Tribal problems, and described how her meetings with Tribal leaders, including in Minnesota and Alaska earlier this year, have highlighted the importance of supporting Healing-to-Wellness Courts and other comprehensive services to address substance abuse and addiction in Tribal communities. Associate Attorney General Gupta outlined ongoing efforts by the Justice Department’s grantmaking offices to make grants more readily accessible to Tribal communities, including through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation , which will be open in December 2023, and the Department’s Directory of Tribal Grants . She concluded by reaffirming the Justice Department’s commitment to supporting Tribes’ efforts not only in enforcement but also in prevention, support, recovery, and healing. Yesterday, Director Rosie Hidalgo of the Office on Violence Against Women joined U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell for the District of South Dakota and Executive Assistant Director Timothy Langan Jr. of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch on a panel entitled “Next Steps to Address the Crisis of MMIP.” Director Hidalgo highlighted OVW’s commitment to addressing the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons. Additionally, she announced that OVW released its first Notice of Reimbursement under the new Tribal Reimbursement Program , established in VAWA 2022, for expenses incurred in exercising special Tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians who commit certain covered crimes in Indian country.


title: Wounded Knee Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison

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 Wounded Knee, South Dakota, man convicted of Aiding and Abetting Second Degree Murder. The sentencing took place on December 1, 2023. Spencer High Hawk, 27, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He was found guilty of Aiding and Abetting Second Degree Murder on September 8, 2023, following a four-day federal jury trial in Rapid City, South Dakota. The conviction stems from High Hawk beating another man to death near Wounded Knee in June of 2022. 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 Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: California Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Custody for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced an Arvin, California, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl, Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, and Use of a Communication Facility in the Commission of a Drug Trafficking Crime. The sentencing took place on December 4, 2023. Victor Leon-Pacheco, 33, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The federal sentence runs consecutive to his remaining sentence in Oklahoma. Leon-Pacheco was indicted for the charges by a federal grand jury in June of 2022. He was found guilty after a three-day federal jury trial concluding on September 7, 2023. Leon-Pacheco is formerly from California. In 2016 he was convicted of trafficking methamphetamine in Oklahoma and sentenced to 18 years custody. While in a locked facility, he gained access to a contraband cell phone which he utilized to conduct drug trafficking activities. He arranged drug sales to people in several states, including South Dakota. Leon-Pacheco then recruited others in California, including co-defendant Eduardo Acosta, to accept payments for drug proceeds that were wired through money exchange services. This occurred multiple times between September of 2021 and January of 2022. Acosta also sent packages containing controlled substances to South Dakota at the direction of Leon-Pacheco. Law enforcement was able to introduce an undercover agent to whom Leon-Pacheco organized three shipments of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Leon-Pacheco’s co-defendant, Eduardo Acosta, was sentenced to 37 months in custody on August 11, 2023. “This trial conviction and resulting sentence should send a clear message to out-of-state drug traffickers who think they can get away with distributing lethal drugs in South Dakota,” said Alison J. Ramsdell, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota. “I am grateful to the many investigative agencies who participated in this case through the local Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team and worked collaboratively to ensure Victor Leon-Pacheco remains in custody for another thirty years.” This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, which is a local drug task force comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard, as well as the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case. Leon-Pacheco was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: McLaughlin Man Sentenced for Assault of an Intimate Partner

body_text: ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann sentenced a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault of an Intimate Partner Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on December 4, 2023. Elias Glen Sims, age 19, was sentenced to two years and 10 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Sims was indicted by a federal grand jury in January of 2023. A Superseding Information was filed, and the defendant pleaded guilty on September 11, 2023. The defendant was convicted of physically abusing his pregnant girlfriend in McLaughlin. On May 10, 2023, the defendant became angry and struck the victim about the body, strangled her, and punched her in the stomach. The defendant was 24 weeks pregnant at the time of the assault. This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services, Standing Rock Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case. Sims was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Two Russian Nationals Working With Russia’s Federal Security Service Charged With Global Computer Intrusion Campaign

component: USAO - California, Northern

body_text: SAN FRANCISCO – A federal grand jury in San Francisco returned an indictment on Tuesday charging two individuals with a campaign to hack into computer networks in the United States, the United Kingdom, other North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries and Ukraine, all on behalf of the Russian government. According to court documents, Ruslan Aleksandrovich Peretyatko (Перетятько Руслан Александрович), an officer in Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) Center 18, Andrey Stanislavovich Korinets (Коринец Андрей Станиславович) and other unindicted conspirators employed a sophisticated spear phishing campaign to gain unauthorized, persistent access (i.e., “hack”) into victims’ computers and email accounts. “The Russian government continues to target the critical networks of the United States and our partners, as highlighted by the indictment unsealed today,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Through this malign influence activity directed at the democratic processes of the United Kingdom, Russia again demonstrates its commitment to using weaponized campaigns of cyber espionage against such networks in unacceptable ways. The Department of Justice will respond to such behavior with an even more determined commitment to disrupt those activities and to hold accountable the individuals responsible.” “Today’s indictment is part of a coordinated international response to send a message to the conspirators that the whole of the United States government stands together and with our partners internationally to identify and disrupt cyber espionage actors, particularly those seeking to obtain government information and attempting to create chaos in democratic processes,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California. “We are grateful to all of our partners for their assistance in addressing these threats posed by the FSB’s action in the Northern District of California, across the United States and around the world.” “The FBI will not stand idly by as Russia continues to perpetuate this type of targeted malicious activity,” said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “Russian interference through malign foreign influence campaigns is deplorable, and we will not tolerate it in the United States or directed against our foreign partners. The FBI is dedicated to combating this pervasive threat and will tirelessly seek to prevent and disrupt these criminal acts carried out by Russia.” “Countering the persistent threat to critical infrastructure posed by state-sponsored Russian cybercriminals remains a top priority for the FBI,” said FBI San Francisco Division Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp. “Today’s charging announcement underscores the FBI’s commitment to collaborate with our U.S. and international partners to disrupt these activities. We will identify those responsible and hold them accountable.” The indictment, which was unsealed today, alleges the conspiracy targeted current and former employees of the U.S. Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, Department of State, defense contractors, and Department of Energy facilities between at least October 2016 and October 2022. In addition, the indictment alleges the conspirators – known publicly by the name “Callisto Group” – targeted military and government officials, think tank researchers and staff, and journalists in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, and that information from certain of these targeted accounts was leaked to the press in Russia and the United Kingdom in advance of U.K. elections in 2019. As a common example, the conspirators used “spoofed” email accounts designed to look like personal and work-related email accounts of the group’s targets. The conspirators allegedly also sent sophisticated looking emails that appeared to be from email providers suggesting users had violated terms of service. These messages were designed to trick victims into providing their email account credentials to false login prompts. Once the conspirators fraudulently obtained the victim’s credentials, they were able to use those credentials to access the victims’ email accounts at will. In addition to the indictment, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that it has sanctioned both Peretyatko and Korinets for their roles in malicious cyber-enabled activity. Moreover, the United Kingdom has issued sanctions of its own, and the U.S. Department of State announced rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of Peretyatko and Korinets , as well as their conspirators. In addition to the name “Callisto Group,” FSB Center 18 is known by cybersecurity investigators as “Dancing Salome” by Kaspersky Labs, “STAR BLIZZARD” by Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center and “COLDRIVER” by Google’s Threat Analysis Group. The defendants are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, namely, computer fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison for PERETYATKO, and up to 10 years for KORINETS. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants will be determined by the assigned judge. The investigation was conducted jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, the National Security Cyber Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and the FBI San Francisco Field Office. The FBI’s Cyber Division, Cyber Assistant Legal Attachés, and Legal Attachés in countries around the world provided essential support. Numerous victims cooperated and provided valuable assistance in the investigation. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. indictment.pdf


title: Grand Jury Returns Indictment Charging Robert Hunter Biden with Three Felony Tax Offenses and Six Misdemeanor Tax Offenses

component: Office of Special Counsel

body_text: A federal grand jury returned a nine-count indictment today charging Robert Hunter Biden (Hunter Biden) with three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses. According to the indictment, Hunter Biden engaged in a four-year scheme in which he chose not to pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019 and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns. As alleged in the indictment, to further this scheme, Hunter Biden: subverted the payroll and tax withholding process of his own company by withdrawing millions outside of the payroll and tax withholding process; spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills; in 2018, stopped paying his outstanding and overdue taxes for tax year 2015; willfully failed to pay his 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 taxes on time, despite having access to funds to pay some or all of these taxes; willfully failed to file his 2017 and 2018 tax returns, on time; and when he did finally file his 2018 returns, included false business deductions in order to reduce the very substantial tax liability he faced as of February 2020. The indictment charges Hunter Biden with the following offenses: COUNT STATUTE OFFENSE TAX YEAR AND FILING 1 26 U.S.C. § 7203 failure to pay 2016 Form 1040 for Hunter Biden 2 26 U.S.C. § 7203 failure to pay 2017 Form 1040 for Hunter Biden 3 26 U.S.C. § 7203 failure to file 2017 Form 1040 for Hunter Biden 4 26 U.S.C. § 7203 failure to pay 2018 Form 1040 for Hunter Biden 5 26 U.S.C. § 7203 failure to file 2018 Form 1040 for Hunter Biden 6 26 U.S.C. § 7201 tax evasion (felony) 2018 Form 1040 for Hunter Biden 7 26 U.S.C. § 7206 filing a false return (felony) 2018 Form 1040 for Hunter Biden 8 26 U.S.C. § 7206 filing a false return (felony) 2018 Form 1120 for Hunter Biden’s company, Owasco, PC 9 26 U.S.C. § 7203 failure to pay 2019 Form 1040 for Hunter Biden If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 17 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 taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The investigation is ongoing. David C. Weiss, Special Counsel, made the announcement. Court documents and information for this case is located on the website of the District Court for the Central District of California or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-00599. An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court. Indictment


title: Former Elementary School Principal Sentenced to 30 Years for the Attempted Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Mississippi, Northern

body_text: OXFORD, MS – A former school principal will spend 30 years in prison after he secretly videotaped and photographed students in the bathroom and locker room of the school where he was the principal. Norman Keith Aycock, 56, was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for the attempted production of child sexual abuse material. U.S. District Court Judge Michael P. Mills sentenced Aycock to 360 months in federal prison for the offense to be followed by five years of supervised release. Aycock was also ordered to pay restitution to victims and will be required to register as a sex offender. The investigation began in January of 2022, after a student discovered a hidden camera in the bathroom of the girls’ locker room at Bayou Academy, located in Cleveland, Mississippi. Law enforcement determined Aycock placed the camera along with others throughout the school, including the office where he met with students. At the time, Aycock was employed as the principal of the Academy’s elementary school. Ultimately, investigators discovered that Aycock’s hidden camera footage in the school spanned over six years. On August 10, 2023, Aycock pled guilty to two counts of attempted production of child sexual exploitative material. Aycock is also under state indictment in the Circuit Court of Bolivar County, Mississippi, where the charges remain pending. “I can think of few things more despicable than a school official betraying the trust of parents, children and the community in the most profound way possible – the sexual exploitation of students in his care,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “The sentence imposed by Judge Mills in this case will mean that this defendant will spend the rest of his life in prison and should serve as a stern warning to anyone entrusted with the care and protection of our kids who would ever consider violating that trust. I appreciate the investigative work of our partners at the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Mississippi and the Bolivar County Sheriff’s Office in helping to bring this abhorrent conduct into the light.” "Safeguarding our children from predators is one of my top priorities," said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. "I am proud of my team's efforts investigating this case with the Bolivar County Sheriff's Department, and I grateful for the work of the U.S. Attorney's Office to secure this federal sentence. While we cannot undo the harm that has been done to these victims, we can work together to ensure justice is served." The Mississippi Attorney General’s Cyber Crime Division investigated the case, with assistance from the Bolivar County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Addison prosecuted the case.


title: Former Gretna Postal Carrier Sentenced for Desertion of Mail

component: USAO - Nebraska

body_text: Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Kevin Radik, 38, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced December 7, 2023, in federal court in Omaha for desertion of mail. United States Magistrate Judge Michael Nelson sentenced Radik to one year of probation. Radik had been employed as a rural mail carrier for the United States Postal Service in Gretna, Nebraska, since 2009. In 2023, the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General began investigating after receiving reports of Radik not delivering the weekly ads and newspapers to an apartment complex along his route. Investigators observed Radik on video removing a postal bin from a postal vehicle and placing it in the back of his personal vehicle. Radik was found with twenty pieces of mail in his personal vehicle. Radik admitted that since December 2022 or January 2023, he had not been delivering bulk business mail to the apartment complex and would instead throw the mail away in a dumpster. Radik indicated that he had intended to throw away the mail found in his vehicle at his home. Radik advised that not delivering the bulk mail saved him five minutes on his route. This case was investigated by the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General.


title: York Man Sentenced for Receipt, Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography

body_text: Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Jerry W. Lackey, 36, of York, Nebraska, was sentenced December 7, 2023, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for receipt, distribution and possession of child pornography. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Lackey to a total of 64 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Lackey’s release from prison, he will begin a 7-year term of supervised release. In December of 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported a CyberTip to the Nebraska State Patrol that an individual was sending child pornography to others. The report included the email address, username, and IP address associated with the offending account, as well as several offending videos. Investigators obtained subpoenas and were able to identify the subscriber as Lackey. A search warrant for the residence was obtained and executed. In executing the warrant, officers made contact with Lackey at the residence. In an interview with investigators, Lackey admitted to downloading and viewing the child pornography. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol.


title: U.S. Attorney Leary Joins Local, State and Federal Law Enforcement Leaders to Announce Project Safe Neighborhoods Efforts in 2023

body_text: VALDOSTA, Ga. – The U.S Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia joined with local, state and federal law enforcement leaders at the Historic Lowndes County Courthouse this afternoon to discuss Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) cases targeting convicted felons caught reoffending while armed and crime prevention efforts. There are currently 129 active cases involving firearms and violent crime offenses in the Middle District of Georgia. This calendar year to date, 29 PSN cases have been indicted in the Valdosta Division, which encompasses Berrien, Brooks, Clinch, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Thomas and Tift counties. These law enforcement actions have removed firearms from the streets—including machine guns and firearm conversion devices known as “switches” that can turn handguns and semi-automatic weapons into a machine gun, allowing it to fire without repeatedly pulling the trigger. “Reducing violent crime in Valdosta and across the District is the top goal of every law enforcement agency and community stakeholder involved with Project Safe Neighborhoods,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “These cases involve repeat reoffenders who are illegally armed. It’s a dangerous task our law enforcement partners take up every day, and we are thankful to them for their unyielding commitment to making our communities safer.” “The FBI is actively working with our law enforcement partners to get violent repeat offenders off the streets,” said FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Rich Bilson. “To the repeat convicted felons, drug dealers and others out there hurting our neighbors: Be warned, we are a team, we are prepared for this fight, and you will lose your battle to run our streets, spreading your violence and deadly drugs in our community.” “Law enforcement at every level is united in the singular goal to make our communities safer and reduce violent crime,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. “Under Project Safe Neighborhoods, ATF stands together with all of our partner agencies and the communities we serve with a laser-sharp focus on the most urgent violent crime problems.” “The GBI is proud to continue to work with our local and federal partners to keep our communities safe and seek justice for these crime victims,” said Special Agent in Charge Jamy Steinberg of GBI Region 9 – Thomasville Field Office. “We have enjoyed long standing relationships with the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, the Valdosta Police Department and our other law enforcement partners across the District. We expect these long-established relationships to last well into the future to continue to combat crime in the South Georgia area.” “Project Safe Neighborhoods has allowed our office to make progress in adjudicating cases charging convicted felons with illegal possession of firearms,” said Southern Judicial Circuit District Attorney Brad Shealy. “This year, 31 defendants from the Southern Judicial Circuit have been sentenced federally under PSN, receiving lengthy sentences without parole. Every month, the Valdosta PSN Task Force looks at approximately 20 cases to bring to PSN. Together, we can bring to justice our most violent, repeat offenders.” “We are thankful for the relationships we maintain with federal, state and local law enforcement under Project Safe Neighborhoods to help get violent, repeat criminals off the streets,” said Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk. “It has been a fantastic collaboration in Lowndes County.” “We are grateful for the partnership that we have with the U.S Attorney’s Office and the FBI with Project Safe Neighborhoods,” said Valdosta Police Chief Leslie Manahan. “Because of the efforts of everyone working together, numerous firearms and dangerous convicted felons have been removed from our community. “ Violent crime prevention efforts are a critical component of Project Safe Neighborhoods. PSN community outreach efforts this calendar year include regular PSN Task Force meetings in Valdosta and cities across the District; grant support and implementation of the Credible Messengers program in the Middle District of Georgia which provides mentors for young people in the Georgia Juvenile Justice system; educational training for law enforcement and community members on relevant safety and policing topics, including upcoming PSN Firearms and Narcotics trainings for law enforcement in Valdosta, Albany, Columbus, Warner Robins and Athens; and participation in Night to Unite and similar community building activities across the District. For more information on PSN, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psn . PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. This evidence-based program has proven to be effective at reducing violent crime by engaging a broad spectrum of stakeholders working together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in communities and developing comprehensive solutions that reduce crime. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses on prevention and intervention efforts through community engagement and problem-solving partnerships, strategic enforcement of the most violent offenders and locally based reentry programs to reduce recidivism.


title: Houstonian admits to $935,000 international money laundering scheme

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – A 31-year-old local man has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. From July 2018 to November 2018, Baudelaire Tchouala laundered money into several bank accounts and withdrew the money to send to others. He used a business account to conceal the fraudulent activity. Victims believed they paid for goods and services from legitimate individuals and companies but were tricked into sending the money to Tchouala’s accounts. On July 23, 2018, a victim wired $64,000 from their bank account to Tchouala’s account based on instructions they received via email. The victim sent the money, believing it was for the purchase of a house. On Oct. 29, 2018, another victim directed $198,955 into Tchouala’s account for a down payment on a condominium. The receiving account was just opened Oct. 12, 2018. In addition, several companies also fell victim to the scheme. One had communicated via email with someone pretending to be from another company. On Oct. 4, 2018, that person sent an email requesting that payment be sent to an updated bank account. Based on that email, the victim company sent approximately $645,711 to Tchouala’s bank account. The victims reside in various countries including the United States, South Korea and Japan. Tchouala withdrew most of the money via cash, card purchases, checks and transfers. Tchouala’s fraudulent financial activity totaled approximately $935,000. U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett accepted the plea and set sentencing for March 7, 2024. At that time, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $500,000 maximum fine. Tchouala was permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing. FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rodolfo Ramirez and Shirin Hakimzadeh is prosecuting the case.


title: Ontario county man going to prison for bilking investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Thomas Corsaro, 60, of Bloomfield, NY, who was convicted of wire fraud, was sentenced to serve 48 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. Corsaro was also ordered to pay $1,447,809.19 restitution. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard A. Resnick, who handled the case, stated that between November 2020, and November 2022, Corsaro, acting as an investment adviser, executed a scheme to defraud eight individual investors who invested funds with him. Rather than invest the funds, as he represented he would do, Corsaro used the funds for his own personal use, depositing the funds into personal and business bank accounts. In total, Corsaro received $1,712,469.32 from the eight investors. He repaid $265,642.83 prior to the criminal investigation. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia. # # # #