title: Dual Citizen of China and the United States Indicted for Filing False Tax Returns and Failing to Report Foreign Bank Accounts

component: USAO - Alabama, Middle

body_text: MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama, has indicted Foster Dai, also known as Fa Dai, a dual citizen of China and the United States, on charges of filing false tax returns and failing to file a report of a foreign bank or financial account. The indictment was handed down on September 10, 2024, but unsealed this week. Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson, Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman with the IRS Criminal Investigation Atlanta Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown with the FBI Mobile, Alabama Field Office made the announcement. According to the indictment, 60-year-old Dai, who previously resided in Auburn, Alabama and was a former professor in the Electrical Engineering Department of Auburn University, is alleged to have been a corporate executive officer of Shenzhen NRT, Co., Ltd., based in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The indictment alleges that Dai used accounts with China Merchants Bank and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China to receive payments from at least five entities in the PRC. The indictment alleges that Dai failed to report that income on his federal tax returns for 2018 through 2020. In addition to the obligation to report foreign income for tax purposes, the indictment notes that United States citizens and residents who have a financial interest in, or signature or other authority over, a bank account in a foreign country with an aggregate value of more than $10,000 at any time during a particular calendar year, are required to file a “Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts” (FBAR) with the United States Treasury. The indictment alleges that Dai failed to file the required FBAR reports for the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China account in 2018, and the China Merchants Bank account in 2020. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Dai faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Agents with IRS Criminal Investigation and FBI investigated the case, with assistance from the United States Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division. Auburn University fully cooperated with law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s office during the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Megan A. Kirkpatrick is prosecuting this case.


title: Mendenhall Man Sentenced to over Eight Years in Prison for  Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon

component: USAO - Mississippi, Southern

body_text: Jackson, Miss. – A Mendenhall man was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to court documents, Koda Tye Williamson, 40, a convicted felon, was found in possession of a firearm by the Simpson County Sheriff’s Department during the execution of a search warrant on his home for narcotics distribution and illegal firearms possession. Federal law prohibits a convicted felon from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Williamson has previous felony convictions for manslaughter and methamphetamine possession. Williamson pled guilty on July 30, 2024. He will not be eligible for parole because there is no parole in the federal system. U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement. The case was investigated by the ATF and the Simpson County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Box Elder man admits sexually abusing child on Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: GREAT FALLS — A Box Elder man today admitted to sexually abusing a child on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. The defendant, Brian Lee Bigbow, 47, pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact. Bigbow faces a maximum of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to life of supervised release. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for May 20. Bigbow was detained pending further proceedings. The government alleged in court documents that in April 2021, the victim, identified as Jane Doe 1, reported to state officials that she was sexually abused by Bigbow. In subsequent interviews, Doe 1 said the sexual abuse occurred when she was in Bigbow’s bedroom and that he had sexually abused her multiple times. Doe 1 was under the age of 12 years old at the time. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI and Rocky Boy’s Criminal Investigators conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Stratford Man Pleads Guilty to Committing Child Abuse in Indian Country

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Western

body_text: OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday, DONAVEN LEE NOTARO , 24, of Stratford, pleaded guilty to committing child abuse, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. On December 27, 2024, Notaro was charged by Superseding Information with child abuse. According to public record, between January 1, 2024, and April 16, 2024, Notaro willfully injured or harmed the health, safety, or welfare of three children for whom he was responsible. Yesterday, Notaro pleaded guilty to the Superseding Information, and admitted he willfully injured or harmed the health, safety, or welfare of the victims. After his plea, Notaro was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals. This case is in federal court because Notaro is a member of the Creek Nation and the crimes took place within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation. At sentencing, Notaro faces up to life in federal prison and a fine of up to $5,000. This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office and the Stratford Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Edgmon is prosecuting the case. Reference is made to public filings for additional information.


title: Minnesota Man Sentenced After Self-Reporting COVID-19 Fraud

component: USAO - Colorado

body_text: DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Jacob Schneider, 42, of Saint Paul, Minnesota, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and $555,292.88 in restitution after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud after self-reporting his own COVID-19 related fraud to authorities. On March 27, 2020, the President of the United States signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, which provided emergency assistance to small business owners suffering adverse economic effects caused by the Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic. The CARES Act created Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), a program administered by the Small Business Administration that provided loans to small businesses to retain workers, maintain payroll, and certain other expenses consistent with PPP rules. According to the plea agreement, in February 2021, Schneider prepared and submitted a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) application for “Piddonkadonk, LLC,” in which he fabricated the entity’s payroll and falsely represented that the PPP funds would be used to pay eligible business expenses, when, in fact, the bulk of the proceeds were used for his personal benefit. Schneider obtained $530,567 in fraudulent PPP funds. “This case is another example of someone who stole benefits intended for struggling taxpayers and used them for personal gain,” said United States Attorney Matt Kirsch. “The difference in this case is that the defendant voluntarily took responsibility, and that action is reflected in his sentence. I encourage others to self-report COVID-19 related fraud.” “We will take all means to safeguard financial relief programs from exploitation,” said Special Agent in Charge Marc DellaSala, U.S. Secret Service, Denver Field Office. Through a whole-of-government approach, we continue working with task force partners to pursue the arrest of those who undermine our nation’s financial security. This sentencing demonstrates yet another example of the unwavering support we receive from prosecutors and the federal court system in this endeavor.” United States District Court Judge Nina Y. Wang presided over the sentencing. The United States Secret Service handled the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Cassidy handled the prosecution. On July 11, 2023, the Attorney General selected the District of Colorado’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of five national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. The Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors, as well as those who committed multiple instances of pandemic relief fraud. The Strike Force uses prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. Additional information regarding the Strike Force may be found at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-results-nationwide-covid-19-fraud-enforcement-action . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form


title: Business owner of Belgrade company admits tax evasion

component: USAO - Montana

body_text: MISSOULA — The owner of a business that operated in Belgrade admitted today to failing to pay federal income taxes, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. The defendant, Guy S. Cook, 59, of Dripping Springs, Texas, pleaded guilty to tax evasion. Cook faces a maximum of five years in prison, a $100,000 fine and three years of supervised release. U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Cook was released pending further proceedings. In court documents, the government alleged that from about January 2014 to Nov. 18, 2021 in Belgrade, Cook willfully attempted to evade paying income taxes for calendar years 2014 and 2015. Cook owned Bacterin International, Inc., a business that developed clinical medical laboratories. In 2014, Cook sold his shares in the company and obtained $2,467,176 in capital gains. Cook reported this income in 2014 and 2015 including taxes due of $604,574 and $39,310 respectively. Cook did not pay these amounts to the IRS, though his tax preparer advised him he was required to do so. Between 2017 and 2021, Cook took steps to avoid paying his taxes, including using business bank accounts and a company credit card to pay more than $300,000 of his personal expenses and debts; using nominee bank accounts to remove more than $380,000 from his business for personal use; and converting more than $600,000 in his salary to stock in his business. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. XXX


title: North Carolina Man Sentenced for Firearms Charge

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Robert Hamlett, 49, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison for the unlawful possession of a firearm. According to court documents and statements made in court, Hamlett was in possession of a stolen firearm during a traffic stop on the interstate in Martinsburg, West Virginia. Hamlett is prohibited from having firearms because of prior felony drug and firearms convictions. Hamlett will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley Crockett prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office investigated. U.S. District Court Judge Gina M. Groh presided.


title: San Diego Man Pleads Guilty to Supplying Fentanyl that Resulted in Deaths of Two in North Park Home

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: SAN DIEGO –Scott Anthony Sargent of San Diego pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he supplied the fentanyl that caused the fatal overdoses of a 40-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man in North Park in 2022. San Diego Police officers, along with investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Overdose Response Team, responded to a 911 call at a home in North Park in the very early hours of November 10, 2022. When law enforcement officials arrived, they found four individuals unresponsive in the home. Two of the individuals were pronounced dead at the scene, while Sargent and another individual were treated with Narcan and transported for medical attention and recovered. According to the plea agreement, Sargent admitted that he distributed the fatal mix of fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl (a common fentanyl analogue) to the two victims, causing their deaths.. Investigators linked Sargent to the overdoses through the fentanyl/para-fluorofentanyl mixture found at the overdose location and in a subsequent law enforcement search of Sargent’s storage locker. Sargent’s backpack was found at the site containing 318 grams of methamphetamine, 26.2 grams of fentanyl/para-fluorofentanyl, and 13 bags of a tan powdery substance weighing 437.9 grams of fentanyl/para-fluorofentanyl. Sargent’s duffel bag, also recovered from the bedroom, contained 30.4 grams of methamphetamine and 11.3 grams of fentanyl/para-fluorofentanyl. Sargent’s storage locker was searched following his arrest. Inside, officers found two 40 mm semi-automatic handguns, 3.2 kilograms of methamphetamine, 5.44 grams of cocaine, and 113.4 grams of fentanyl/para-fluorofentanyl. “This result is another reminder that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is tackling the fentanyl crisis at all levels: from suppliers to traffickers to street-level distributors,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Even dealing personal use amounts of fentanyl can result in a federal conviction.” “A guilty plea cannot undo the lives lost, but it can stand as a stark reminder that those who distribute these drugs will face severe consequences,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian Clark. “Investigating and bringing to justice those who choose to harm our community is exactly what DEA and our partners are committed to doing.” “Our department, along with federal and local partners, proudly brought justice to the victims of this heartbreaking crime,” said San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl. “Let this case be a warning to anyone dealing these dangerous drugs in our communities. We will find and prosecute you, just as we did in this case.” Sargent’s sentencing hearing is set for April 4, 2025, at 9 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Robert Huie. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Gordon and Sarah Goldwasser. Special Agents and Task Force Officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Overdose Response Team led the investigation. This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the San Diego Police Department, the La Mesa Police Department, National Guard Counterdrug Task Force and the California Department of Health Care Services to investigate and prosecute the distribution of dangerous illegal drugs—fentanyl in particular—that result in overdose deaths. The Drug Enforcement Administration created the Overdose Response Team as a response to the increase in overdose deaths in San Diego County. DEFENDANT Case Number 24cr807-RSH Scott Anthony Sargent Age: 63 San Diego, CA SUMMARY OF CHARGES Distribution of Fentanyl 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison INVESTIGATING AGENCIES Drug Enforcement Administration San Diego Police Department Homeland Security Investigations California National Guard Counterdrug Task Force California Department of Health Care Services La Mesa Police Department San Diego County District Attorney’s Office


title: East Bay Arsonist Admits To Attempting To Firebomb Oakland Federal Building And Firebombing University Police Car

component: USAO - California, Northern

body_text: OAKLAND – Casey Robert Goonan, 34, of Oakland and Pleasant Hill, pleaded guilty today to federal arson charges in relation to a series of firebombings and arsons at the Oakland federal building and the University of California, Berkeley in June 2024. According to a plea agreement filed in open court, in the early morning hours of June 11, 2024, Goonan arrived at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland carrying a bag containing three explosive devices commonly known as “Molotov cocktails.” Goonan threw rocks at the building, hoping to break a window in order to throw lit Molotov cocktails inside. That plan was disrupted by protective services officers; upon fleeing from the officers, Goonan placed the Molotov cocktails in a planter on the side of building and lit them on fire. Goonan also admitted to placing a bag containing six Molotov cocktails underneath the fuel tank of a marked University of California Police Department (UCPD) patrol car at UC Berkeley in the early morning hours of June 1, 2024, lighting the bag on fire and fleeing, causing the patrol car to catch on fire, as depicted below: In addition to these two attacks, Goonan admitted to setting other fires on the UC Berkeley campus on June 1, June 13, and June 16, 2024. Goonan admitted that these crimes were designed to influence and affect the conduct of governments by intimidation and coercion and to retaliate against the governments of the United States and the State of California for their conduct. Goonan also agreed that the Court should apply Section 3A1.4 of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, the terrorism enhancement, in determining the appropriate sentence. “In America, we are all free to express our political views and petition the government. But we are not free to do so using violence,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey. “Politically motivated violence undermines our democracy, and we will continue to investigate and prosecute those who engage in it.” “Protecting the public from acts of violence and terrorism is the FBI’s top priority,” said Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Dan Costin. “Acts of arson and violence that seek to intimidate or coerce government institutions undermine democracy and the rule of law. We are grateful to our state and local law enforcement partners for their swift efforts in identifying and bringing Casey Goonan to justice before further harm could be done.” Goonan pleaded guilty to one count of Maliciously Damaging or Destroying Property Used in or Affecting Interstate Commerce by Means of Fire or an Explosive in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(i), which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a minimum sentence of five years in prison. Any sentence will be imposed by the Court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553. Goonan, who has been in custody since being arrested, is scheduled to be sentenced on April 8, 2025, before the Honorable Jeffrey S. White, Senior United States District Judge. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nikhil Bhagat is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Tina Rosenbaum. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, ATF, the California Office of the State Fire Marshal, and UCPD.


title: Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Nearly $400,000 from Maine Couple While They Were on Vacation

body_text: A Texas man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to four counts of wire fraud. According to court records, in October 2022, the FBI began an investigation after a Maine couple reported a loss of nearly $400,000 via unauthorized wire transfers and purchases from their bank account. The couple stated that after returning from a vacation, they unsuccessfully attempted to log into their bank account and called the bank to request their username and password be reset. Once able to view the account, they found multiple wire transfers on the statement. The investigation showed that in August 2022, an unknown person called the bank pretending to be the account holder, requesting the account balance and updating the contact phone number. Shortly after, they also changed the contact email address. Over a two-week period, several transfers were made between the victims’ home equity line of credit account to their savings account. Multiple wire transfers were then made to a Texas bank account held by Kyle Lawless Pollar , 27. The four wire transfers totaled $360,880. $66,000 from one wire transfer was transferred to a jeweler also located in Texas. Pollar withdrew funds from his account in cash and cashier’s checks, and the cashier’s checks were deposited in other Texas bank accounts in his name. Security cameras captured him making deposits and withdrawing funds. Pollar faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 for each of the four counts, to be followed by up to three years of supervised release. He will also be ordered to pay restitution to the victims. The FBI investigated the case. ###


title: New Hampshire Man Sentenced to 3+ Years for Selling Fake Pills Laced with Fentanyl to Undercover Informant, Officer

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: A Portsmouth, New Hampshire man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Portland today for distributing fentanyl. U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Jerome Hovey Leclair , 39, to 38 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Leclair pleaded guilty on July 11, 2024. According to court records, in April 2023, under the direction of the Berwick Police Department, a cooperating source met with Leclair at his Portsmouth residence to discuss a future purchase of counterfeit Oxycodone pills. While in the apartment, the informant noted multiple plastic bags filled with small, blue pills, and Leclair gave the informant one pill as a sample. In June 2023, Leclair agreed to sell the informant 100 pills, offering to add 25 for free so that they could make more money selling them. The phone call was recorded, and investigators established surveillance in advance of the controlled purchase at Leclair’s residence and near the agreed-upon meeting location. An undercover officer drove the informant to the buy. In July 2023, an undercover officer contacted Leclair by text and negotiated the purchase of pills, meeting in Kittery to complete the transaction. The meeting was captured on video and audio. On July 7, 2023, the New Hampshire State Police stopped Leclair’s vehicle in Seabrook, N.H. Investigators recovered 500 blue circular pills from the vehicle along with approximately 30 grams of methamphetamine. In August 2023, the informant again contacted Leclair, negotiating and completing two more buys in New Hampshire. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Berwick Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the New Hampshire State Police. ###


title: Des Moines Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Charges Related to an Armed Robbery

component: USAO - Iowa, Southern

body_text: DES MOINES, Iowa – A Des Moines man was sentenced yesterday to 35 years in federal prison following his convictions for attempted interference with commerce by robbery, attempted possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. According to public court documents and evidence presented at trial, Sam Sando, 27, planned an armed robbery of a quarter pound of marijuana and recruited an accomplice, Salifou Sahr. On January 9, 2022, Sando lured the victims to an apartment complex for a purported drug deal, intending to rob the victims of marijuana. Sando and Sahr surrounded the victim’s car, and each fired three rounds into the car. One victim, Trishay Thompson, was struck and later died. On August 7, 2024, following a two-day trial, a federal jury found Sando guilty of attempted interference with commerce by robbery, attempted possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute it, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. After completing his term of imprisonment, Sando will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. In November 2023, Sahr was convicted of murder in the first degree, two counts of attempted murder, and two counts of robbery in the first degree in the Iowa District Court for Polk County and sentenced to life in prison. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Des Moines Police Department. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN .


title: McAlester Resident Pleads Guilty To Possessing Child Sexual Exploitation Material

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Marcus Edward Lee, age 33, of McAlester, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Possession of Certain Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. The Indictment alleged that on or about May 20, 2024, Lee knowingly possessed visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, which Lee accessed from the internet with intent to view. The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Lee was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Satter represented the United States.


title: LeFlore County Resident Pleads Guilty To Failure To Register As A Sex Offender

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Eastern

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Brian Jene Sullivan, age 66, of Shady Point, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The Indictment alleged that between July 2023 and July 21, 2024, Sullivan knowingly failed to register and update his registration as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. Sullivan is required to register as a sex offender after having received a felony conviction from the State of Oregon in 2007 for Rape in the Third Degree and Sodomy in the Third Degree. The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service, the LeFlore County Sheriff’s Office, and the Winston Police Department of Douglas County, Oregon. The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Assistant U.S. Attorney Morgan Muzljakovich represented the United States.


title: Mexican Man Sentenced to Prison for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm After Illegally Returning to the United States

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A Mexican man who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced today to more than two years in federal prison. Julio Parra-Moralez, age 41, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 15, 2024, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry following a conviction for a felony offense and one count of possession of a firearm by an alien. In a plea agreement, Parra-Moralez admitted he had previously been deported from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government. Parra-Moralez was deported in September 2010. Parra-Moralez had previously been convicted in September 2002 of forgery, a felony. On February 18, 2024, immigration officials learned Parra-Moralez had illegally returned to the United States and found Parra-Moralez at the Black Hawk County Jail following his arrest on state charges. On April 1, 2024, Parra-Moralez was convicted in state court of possession of methamphetamine, third offense, and sentenced to five years on probation. Parra-Moralez also admitted that he unlawfully possessed a firearm in April 2023 while being illegally present in the United States. On April 10, 2023, Parra-Moralez’s vehicle was stopped by a sheriff’s deputy on I-380 in Black Hawk County, Iowa. During the traffic stop, the deputy found a Smith & Wesson 38 Special with an obliterated serial number on the rear passenger floorboard. The firearm was later analyzed, and Parra-Moralez’s DNA was found on the firearm. Parra-Moralez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Parra-Moralez was sentenced to 33 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Parra-Moralez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations. 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. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-CR-2020. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Dubuque Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

body_text: A man who possessed drugs and a gun was sentenced today to 19 years in federal prison. Dylan VanScoyoc, age 29, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 30, 2024 guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance after a prior conviction for a felony drug offense, one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, and one count of possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that, on September 22, 2023, an officer stopped a vehicle that VanScoyoc had been driving. VanScoyoc got out of the vehicle and ran from the officer on foot before he was ultimately taken into custody. In the vehicle, officers located a designer purse that contained a loaded firearm, a digital scale, and multiple baggies containing more than 140 grams of cocaine. VanScoyoc was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. VanScoyoc was sentenced to 228 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a six-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. 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. VanScoyoc is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the East Dubuque Police Department, and the Dubuque Drug Task Force, comprised of the Dubuque Police Department and the Dubuque Sheriff’s Office. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-CR-1013. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Mexican Man Sentenced to Prison for Document Fraud

body_text: A man who used a fraudulent social security card was sentenced today to more than five months in federal prison. Valentin Munoz-Lopez, age 35, a citizen of Mexico residing in Postville, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 1, 2024, guilty plea to one count of unlawful use of an identification document and one count of misuse of a social security number. At the guilty plea, Munoz-Lopez admitted he used a fraudulent Social Security card bearing an alias name to prove his authorization to work in the United States when he completed employment and tax forms in February 2024 at a business in Lime Springs, Iowa. The number on the Social Security card was assigned to the person whose name was on the Social Security card. Social Security cards are documents prescribed by statute or regulation for entry into or as evidence of authorized stay or employment in the United States. As an alien unlawfully in the United States, Munoz-Lopez was not authorized to work in the United States. Munoz-Lopez also used the fraudulent Social Security card when he applied for work at businesses in Limes Springs and Cresco, Iowa, in June 2020, January 2022, April 2022, and May 2022. Munoz-Lopez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Munoz-Lopez was sentenced to 161 days’ imprisonment. He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Munoz-Lopez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transferred to immigration officials. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-CR-2034. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Prior felon going back to prison for 16 years on fentanyl and gun charges

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Walter H. Bennett, 34, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, 10 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue, and 500 grams or more of cocaine, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, was sentenced to serve 192 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey, who handled the case, stated that Bennett, a two-time convicted felon, was a leader of a drug trafficking organization that distributed significant quantities of fentanyl, para-fluorofentanyl (a lethal fentanyl analogue), and cocaine in the Rochester, and Augusta, Maine, areas. Bennett and his co-conspirators operated a drug house on Woodward Street in Rochester, where they sold these drugs. They also stored controlled substances, firearms, magazines, and ammunition, at houses on Argo Park and Clairmount Street. During the investigation, law enforcement recovered approximately 158 grams of fentanyl, 11 grams of para-fluorofentanyl, and 580 grams of cocaine, along with more than $20,000 in drug proceeds, six firearms, including two stolen firearms and a defaced handgun, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and seven magazines. Co-defendants Tyrik Edwards, Ray C. Mack, Jr., and Steven Jackson were previously convicted and were sentenced to serve 160 months, 135 months, and 48 months in prison respectively. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter, and the Rochester Police Department and the Greater Rochester Area Narcotics Enforcement Team, under the direction of Chief David M. Smith. # # # #


title: Multiple Foreign Nationals Accused of Distributing Large Amounts of Narcotics in Utah

body_text: SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Foreign nationals, living in Utah, will appear in court today after they were charged with multiple drug crimes last week for allegedly distributing fentanyl and heroin in the District of Utah. Jose Manuel Perez-Flores, 36, of West Valley City, Utah; Victor Flores Esquivel, 48, of West Valley City; Jaime Hernandez-Ruin, 26, of West Valley City; and Eduardo Hernandez-Ruiz, 28, of Murray, Utah, were initially charged by complaint and taken into custody on December 23, 2024. A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment January 8, 2025. According to court documents, since approximately September 2024, detectives with the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force (UCMC) began investigating a group believed to be distributing large amounts of heroin and fentanyl throughout Salt Lake County. During the investigation, detectives conducted several controlled purchases of heroin. Following the controlled purchases, detectives obtained and executed search warrants on three residences on December 16, 2024. During one of the search warrants in West Valley City, detectives seized 436 grams of fentanyl (approximately 4,360 individual pills), 200 grams of heroin, $1,592 in cash, drug packaging material, and a digital scale. In a separate area of the residence, detectives also seized, 309 grams of fentanyl pills (approximately 3,090 individual pills), 26 grams of heroin, and $1,041 in cash. Multiple electronic money wire transfer receipts, and cellular phones were also seized from the residence. At a second residence in West Valley City, detective seized 39 grams of fentanyl (approximately 390 individual pills), and 82 grams of heroin, as well as cellular phones, drug packaging material, and several electronic wire transfer receipts. At a third West Valley City residence, detectives seized 1,912 grams of fentanyl (approximately 19,012 individual pills), and 269 grams of fentanyl pills (approximately 2,069 individual pills) from a vehicle registered to Eduardo Hernandez-Ruiz. In total, 28,921 individual fentanyl pills, and 308 grams of heroin were seized. Perez-Flores, Flores Esquivel, Jaime Hernandez-Ruiz, and Eduardo Hernandez-Ruiz are charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin, and possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. All four defendants also face additional individual charges. Their initial appearance on the indictment is January 13, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement. The case is being investigated jointly by Utah County Major Crimes Task Force (UCMC) and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Reichman of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN . An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Military Contractor Employee Sentenced to 120 Months in Federal Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor

component: USAO - Guam & Northern Mariana Islands

body_text: Hagatña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announces that, Joseul Sanchez Usana, age 29, from Yigo, Guam, was sentenced to 120-months imprisonment in the U.S. District Court of Guam for Attempted Enticement of a Minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b). The Court also ordered Usana to serve five years of supervised release, comply with sex offender registration requirements, and pay a $100 mandatory assessment fee. In May of 2024, Air Force Office of Special Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations conducted a joint undercover operation to identify and target individuals who were seeking to contact and engage in sexual activity with minor children. Agents created multiple personas on several social networking applications and posted in online forums. On May 30, 2024, Josuel Sanchez Usana, a civilian employee of a military contractor with access to Andersen Air Force Base, contacted the undercover persona. Within the first few messages, the undercover persona said that she was 14 years old and still in school. Despite being told multiple times that the undercover persona was underage, Usana continued to communicate with the undercover persona, including conversations related to sex. Usana indicated that he wanted to have sex with the underage undercover persona, describing his plan in detail. Usana agreed to meet the undercover persona at the Andersen Air Force Base front gate for this purpose. Investigators him at that location upon his arrival. “This case is another reminder of the risks to children in our islands,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “Parents must remain vigilant against the dangers of online activity in their homes. Innocuous messaging can quickly develop into harmful physical contact. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and combat these threats.” The investigation was conducted by Air Force Office of Special Investigation Detachment 602 and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin K. Petersburg prosecuted the case in the District of the Guam. This was a Project Safe Childhood (PSC) case, 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, PSC 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 PSC, please visit Justice.gov/PSC .


title: New Assistant United States Attorney Sworn-in for the District of Rhode Island

component: USAO - Rhode Island

body_text: PROVIDENCE – United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha today announced the appointment and swearing-in of Taylor A. Dean as Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island. Ms. Dean will serve in the Office’s Criminal Division, focusing on a broad array of matters vital to the safety of Rhode Islanders, including fraud, violent crime, narcotics, and complex financial crime. A Rhode Island native, Ms. Dean joins the U.S. Attorney’s Office from the partnership of a Rhode Island law firm. Prior to her work there, Ms. Dean spent over a decade as a litigator with an internationally prominent law firm in New York and London, handling complex white collar and commercial litigation matters, including significant criminal cases brought against high-level corporate executives. Ms. Dean is a graduate of New York University and the Fordham University School of Law. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Dean also worked for several years as a victim advocate in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, offering her a first-hand perspective on the critical ways in which thoughtful and victim-centered prosecution is vital to an effective criminal justice system. “I could not be more delighted to welcome Taylor Dean to the ranks of the United States Attorney’s Office,” remarked U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. “An exceptionally talented lawyer, Taylor combines deep roots in the Ocean State with the type of skill and legal acumen that have enabled this Office to ensure that, no matter the type, size, or complexity of a case, we can and will seek justice for every Rhode Islander.” ###


title: United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson Announces Departure

component: USAO - Indiana, Northern

body_text: HAMMOND –United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson publicly announces today, effective at 11:59 p.m. on January 17, 2025, he will be stepping down as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana. U.S. Attorney Johnson, on December 16, 2024, tendered resignation letters to President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and United States Attorney General Merrick Garland. United States Attorney Johnson said, “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana. I wish to thank President Biden, Attorney General Garland and Senator Young and former Senator Braun for the opportunity to serve the citizens of the United States as this District’s U.S. Attorney. Serving as the Northern District’s U.S. Attorney is the capstone of my career in public service.” U.S. Attorney Johnson was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on July 26, 2021 and unanimously confirmed by the Senate on September 30, 2021 for the Northern District of Indiana United States Attorney position. He previously was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Indiana from 1986 to August 2020. During his tenure with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Indiana, Mr. Johnson held numerous supervisory/management positions, including Chief of the Civil Division from 1997 to 2010 and twice serving as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney from (June 2010 to March 2017 and October 2017 to August 2020). Mr. Johnson, pursuant to the Vacancy Reform Act, served as the District’s Acting U.S. Attorney from March 2017 to October 2017. Before joining the United States Attorney’s Office in January 1986, Mr. Johnson was a Trial Attorney in the Employment Litigation Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C. from August 1980 to December 1985. Mr. Johnson, a Gary, Indiana native, received his J.D. from Valparaiso University Law School in 1980 and his B.A. from Valparaiso University in 1976. Under the Vacancy Reform Act, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Tina L. Nommay, who has been with the Department of Justice for over 30 years, will assume the role of Acting U.S. Attorney following U.S. Attorney Johnson’s departure.


title: Federally Licensed Firearms Dealer And Two Conspirators Plead Guilty To Gun Trafficking

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Matthew L. Stephen Easton (35, Melrose) has pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking. Easton faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 24, 2025. Easton’s co-defendants, Derick Yamir Perez Diaz (22, Orlando) and Ernesto Vasquez (23, Kissimmee), previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic firearms. They each also face a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. Perez Diaz and Vasquez are scheduled to be sentenced on March 25 and April 8, 2025, respectively. According to the plea agreements, Easton, a federally licensed firearms dealer, supplied Perez Diaz with large quantities of firearms, despite knowing that Perez Diaz was dealing in firearms without a license. Perez Diaz, in turn, trafficked those firearms to Vasquez who resold them and smuggled them out of the country. Between October and December 2023, more than 100 Glock pistols and AK-47 rifles were trafficked, including those pictured below: Additionally, Vasquez and Perez Diaz admitted to trafficking machinegun conversion devices: On April 18, 2024, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, executed a Search Warrant at Vazquez’s residence. Inside they found multiple firearms, stockpiles of ammunition, and grenades: This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Noah P. Dorman and Dana E. Hill. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Owner of Construction Companies Sentenced to Prison for Tax and Mail Fraud

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Hopkinton man was sentenced on Jan. 10, 2025 in federal court in Boston for defrauding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Travelers Insurance Company in relation to wages he paid to employees of his two construction companies. Dariusz Pietron, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani to serve 18 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Pietron was also ordered to pay restitution of $1,107,000 to the IRS and $244,000 to the Travelers Insurance Company. In May 2024, Pietron pleaded guilty to three counts of failure to collect and pay over employment taxes to the IRS and one count of mail fraud relating to underpaid workers’ compensation insurance premiums. Between 2012 and October 2018, Pietron owned and operated TJM Construction, Inc. (TJM) and Point Construction, Inc. (Point). Pietron failed to report to the IRS the wages he paid to employees, failed to withhold required income taxes and failed to pay required employment taxes. Pietron also failed to disclose to Travelers Insurance Company the actual wages he paid to employees, which resulted in him paying less in workers’ compensation insurance premiums than he owed. As part of the scheme, Pietron recruited and paid two employees to establish three shell companies – companies that would make it appear as if TJM and Point’s employees were subcontractors to whom Pietron had no tax or workers’ compensation obligations. Pietron thereby failed to pay more than $1.1 million in employment taxes and defrauded Travelers of approximately $244,000. United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Tom Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Katherine Mulligan, Chief of Investigations for the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts made the announcement today. Assistant United States Attorney Victor A. Wild of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.


title: Radiopharmaceutical Company Set to Pay $350,000  to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

component: USAO - Maryland

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – PharmaLogic Holdings Corporation, a radiopharmaceutical company headquartered in the State of Florida, has agreed to pay $350,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act. Nine of the corporation’s subsidiaries are accused of violating the False Claims Act by knowingly filing to receive small-entity status to obtain a reduced U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) annual fee. Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced this settlement with Inspector General Robert J. Feitel, NRC. The NRC, which regulates and licenses civilian use of radioactive materials, charges an annual fee to entities that grant licenses to handle, store, or possess radioactive materials. Entities that qualify as a small entity under 10 C.F.R. § 171.16(c) can obtain a reduced annual fee. The entity obtains the fee reduction by filing an NRC Form 526, Certification of Small Entity Status for the Purposes of Annual Fees Imposed under 10 CFR Part 171. Beginning around March 31, 2015, thru December 31, 2023, nine entities acquired by PharmaLogic Holdings Corporation filed NRC 526 forms. Through these filings, each entity certified its small-entity status entitling them to a reduced NRC annual fee. Under false pretenses, the NRC certified the entities and reduced their annual fees. However, the entities exceeded the size limits to qualify for reduced annual fees. “This settlement exemplifies that the United States Attorney’s Office will hold accountable companies that claim falsely their small entity status to obtain from the government a benefit to which the companies are not entitled,” said Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland. “We will never tire in our efforts to pursue those taking undue advantage of government programs.” “This case demonstrates the OIG’s commitment to anti-fraud initiatives and is consistent with our office’s recent efforts to ramp up investigations on this front,” said NRC Inspector General Robert J. Feitel. “I also wish to express my sincere gratitude to the NRC staff, particularly the staff in the Labor Administration & Fee Billing Branch of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, for their cooperation during the OIG’s investigation.” U.S. Attorney Barron and Inspector General Feitel commended the NRC-OIG and the Special Agents on the OIG’s Anti-Fraud Team for their work in this investigation. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Tarra DeShields, who handled the case. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Erie Resident Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Distribution and Attempted Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 12 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $48,000 to seven identified victims on his conviction of distributing and attempting to distribute material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter imposed the sentence on Michael Paul Ambrose, 44, on January 10, 2025. According to information presented to the Court, in and around November 2022, Ambrose distributed and attempted to distribute images depicting prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. U.S. Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Erie Police Department, and Erie County Detectives Bureau for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Ambrose. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: United States Attorney’s Office Releases 2024 Fourth Quarter Immigration Enforcement Statistics

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: PHOENIX, Ariz. – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office announced its immigration enforcement statistics for October 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the Tucson and Yuma Sectors of the Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies. In the three-month period ending December 31, 2024, the United States brought criminal charges in Arizona against 3,141 individuals who illegally entered or re-entered the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 309 cases against individuals responsible for smuggling undocumented noncitizens to and within the District of Arizona. In this time period, the United States also prosecuted 46 reactive drug cases arising out of immigration ports of entry and checkpoints. Reducing migrant smuggling and mitigating the risk to communities impacted by these offenses continue to be priorities for the Office and its law enforcement partners. Some of these prosecutions are directed against leaders and coordinators of alien smuggling organizations, including from Mexico and from Colombia , and also including those tied to larger transnational criminal organizations . Alien smugglers can also be home-grown, and it is often citizens of the United States who engage in dangerous crimes that hurt or kill economic migrants . Other prosecutions are aimed at deterring young adult drivers, often recruited over social media platforms, from engaging in this dangerous activity. Prosecutions against young drivers include cases brought against two juvenile smugglers during this time period, and the Office has successfully sought justice against those responsible for the online recruitment . Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance. During this time period, federal prosecutors brought charges against two defendants accused of assaulting federal officers. These statistics represent United States Attorney’s Office prosecutions only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process. RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-002_2024 Fourth Quarter Immigration Enforcement Statistics # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Evansville Domestic Abuser Sentenced to Fifteen Years in Federal Prison After Leading Police on a Foot Chase while Illegally Possessing a Firearm

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

body_text: EVANSVILLE— Arties Dushawn Brown., 35, of Evansville, Indiana, has been sentenced to fifteen years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to court documents, on April 2, 2023, Evansville Police officers were called to a residential area in response to a report of shots being fired. The 911 caller claimed that a man wearing a black jacket, white hat, white shoes, and a camouflage jacket was walking down the street and fired a gun into the air. When officers arrived on scene, they found a spent shell casing at the same location the caller claimed the shot was fired from. Officers located Arties Brown wearing the same clothes as the reported shooter and with a black firearm hanging out of his pants pocket. Officers ordered Brown to show his hands. Instead, Brown disregarded the orders and fled through an outdoor apartment hallway. Brown tossed the firearm away, jumped a residential fence, entered a backyard and approached the homeowner while repeating “change of clothes.” The homeowner gave Brown a change of clothes. After a short time, officers located and arrested Brown wearing the new change of clothes. The firearm Brown threw was found lying in a neighbor’s backyard and was still loaded. At the time of this arrest, Brown had sustained multiple felony convictions, including three separate counts of burglary and battery by means of a deadly weapon, as well as a misdemeanor conviction for domestic battery. These convictions prohibit Brown from ever legally possessing a firearm again. “Illegally armed domestic abusers pose a significant danger to everyone close to them, our law enforcement officers, and our communities as a whole,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “That’s why we have prioritized federal prosecution of illegally armed individuals with a history of domestic violence. Our office will continue to partner with the ATF and local task forces in Evansville and all across our district to ensure that the most dangerous armed offenders are taken off our streets.” The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Evansville Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Matthew P. Brookman. U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, who prosecuted this case. This case was brought as part of the LEATH Initiative (Law Enforcement Action to Halt Domestic Violence), named in honor of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Officer Breann Leath, who was killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic disturbance call. A partnership among the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the IMPD, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, the LEATH Initiative focuses federal, state, and local law enforcement resources on domestic violence offenders who illegally possess firearms.


title: U.S. Attorney Will Thompson Announces the HOPE Family Drug Summit to Be Held on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at the University of Charleston

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Will Thompson is joining with numerous partners to hold the HOPE (Healing, Opportunities and Possibilities to Empower) Family Drug Summit on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at the University of Charleston. The daylong summit is free and will focus on West Virginia families impacted by Substance Use Disorder (SUD). The summit will bring SUD survivors, families, and the professionals who support them together to share information, build connections, foster collaboration and strengthen partnerships to provide HOPE to those suffering from SUD as well as their children and families. “Whether it is a child, parent or other family member struggling with addiction or a loved one lost to an overdose, virtually no one in West Virginia has been left unaffected by the drug epidemic,” Thompson said. “This summit is about hope and showing that recovery is real, and that those suffering from the impact of SUD are not alone. This is another way to make our communities safer.” Summit topics include the neurobiology of addiction, evidence-based mentoring for youth in foster and kinship care, and ways to navigate treatment, recovery and support systems. Summit attendees will hear from fellow West Virginians who have lost family members to overdoses and who have seen success on the road to recovery. Summit speakers will also provide overviews of the criminal and civil legal systems and detail the latest data tracking the drug crisis in the state. The University of Charleston is hosting the main portion of the summit at the Geary Student Union Ballroom. Other summit partners are: the Drug Enforcement Administration, Louisville Division; the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia; the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia; Jobs & Hope West Virginia; the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security; the West Virginia Center for Children’s Justice; the West Virginia Fusion Center; West Virginia Public Defender Services; First Choice Services; Legal Aid of West Virginia; and Mission West Virginia. Additional information about the summit, including a portal to register for this in-person event, is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/hope-family-drug-summit . 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. ###


title: Phoenix Man Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Sending Drugs to Federal Inmates

body_text: PHOENIX, Ariz. – Julius Darnell Dixon, 54, of Phoenix, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Steven P. Logan to 51 months in prison, followed by 60 months of supervised release, for providing contraband to federal inmates and for a supervised release violation. On October 21, 2024, Dixon pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The guilty plea also constituted a violation of Dixon’s supervised release for an earlier bank robbery conviction (CR-99-00516-PHX-SPL). Between February 2023 and April 2024, Dixon conspired with federal inmates at various institutions to mail books to them from bookstores in the Phoenix area containing hidden Suboxone strips. Dixon’s method of using unwitting bookstores to mail the books circumvented prison security, as the books appeared to be purchased by the inmates directly from the bookstores. Investigators identified Dixon by locating communications between Dixon and the inmates after two mailings were intercepted by prison staff. The packages were traced to bookstores in the Phoenix area, where Dixon had given his phone number and, for one mailing, his name and email address. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Bureau of Prisons, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick E. Chapman, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution. CASE NUMBER: CR-24-00942-PHX-SPL RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-003_Dixon # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Vanessa R. Waldref to Conclude Her Service as U.S. Attorney

component: USAO - Washington, Eastern

body_text: Spokane, Washington – United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref announced that her service as the chief federal law enforcement officer for Eastern Washington will conclude later this month. Her departure coincides with the transition to a new presidential administration and the traditional appointment of new leaders for federal agencies. U.S. Attorney Waldref was recommended by Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, nominated by President Joseph R. Biden, unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate, and sworn into office on October 7, 2021. U.S. Attorney Waldref is the first woman to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington. “Serving as U.S. Attorney has been the honor of a lifetime,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Every day I witness firsthand the unwavering dedication and extraordinary skill of the federal prosecutors, support staff, and law enforcement partners, who routinely make unseen sacrifices to protect our community. Eastern Washington and our nation are safer and stronger because of their efforts.” Under her historic leadership, U.S. Attorney Waldref transformed the U.S. Attorney’s Office, expanding its footprint by opening a staffed Richland Branch office, hiring a record number of federal prosecutors and staff, modernizing the Office’s electronic discovery practice, and spearheading innovative collaborations with law enforcement and community stakeholders. “When I became the United States Attorney, my vision was building an office responsive to the needs of the community, focused on public health and safety, fighting fraud, protecting civil rights, and addressing the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People,” continued U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Since day one, my goals were to forge strong partnerships with law enforcement and community stakeholders, advocate for resources to better serve all of Eastern Washington and prioritize the most impactful cases to protect our community.” Beyond Eastern Washington, U.S. Attorney Waldref brought her expertise to Washington, DC, and impacted the Department of Justice’s national legal policy on key areas – environmental justice, public safety on Native American reservations, combatting fraud, and addressing the opioid epidemic. On December 6, 2023, U.S. Attorney Waldref testified before the United States Senate on behalf of the Department of Justice about the fentanyl epidemic on Tribal lands and its impact on public safety and the Missing or Murdered Indigenous People crisis. During U.S. Attorney Waldref’s tenure, the Eastern District of Washington achieved significant successes, including groundbreaking criminal and affirmative civil enforcements. Combatting Violent Crime and the Opioid Epidemic In Spring 2024, after a long-term joint federal and state investigation, criminal conspiracy charges were filed against over 40 individuals connected to the La Nuestra Familia prison gang, including several gang leaders who were repeat violent offenders and drug traffickers. The Office also prosecuted the “ Fetty Bros ” drug trafficking organization, which used snapchat and other social media to obtain deadly fentanyl pills in 10,000-pack quantities and distributed those and other drugs into the Spokane community and across the United States. In addition to prosecuting large-scale drug trafficking organizations , U.S. Attorney Waldref launched Operation Engage Spokane, a comprehensive community-level approach for addressing the opioid epidemic through prevention, treatment, and education. Ms. Waldref and her team also collaborated with the Spokane Alliance for Fentanyl Education to educate youth on the dangers of fentanyl and to remove the stigma from seeking life-saving treatment. Protecting the Vulnerable U.S. Attorney Waldref has emphasized the protection of our most vulnerable citizens from sexual predators, forging a strong partnership with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC) to achieve justice for victims of child exploitation. Significant cases included guilty verdicts and 30-year sentences against a defendant who was tried and convicted of attempting to kidnap, rape, and traffic a young Spokane child and against a Kennewick couple who engaged in years-long sexual abuse of a minor victim and recorded images depicting the abuse. Partnership with Tribal Nations Throughout U.S. Attorney Waldref’s service, she has worked closely with Tribal Nations to support Tribal sovereignty, recognize Tribal treaty rights, reduce violent crime on Native American Reservations, and build trust through community and educational events , in order to meet and share resources with victims and their families. U.S. Attorney Waldref has also worked tirelessly to bring awareness to the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). U.S. Attorney Waldref successfully advocated for additional resources to protect Tribal communities, including new attorneys and support staff to serve victims of crime. She hired the District’s first MMIP AUSA, Bree R. Black Horse , who is specifically dedicated to prosecuting MMIP-related cases, expanding outreach to Native American communities, and providing training regarding culturally sensitive practices for helping victims of violent crimes in Indian country. “Native Americans experience some of the highest rates of violence in the country, a situation that is all the more tragic in light of the generations of trauma already suffered by Indigenous people,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “The United States has a special trust relationship with each of the Tribes in Eastern Washington, and my office has focused on enhancing public safety through building relationships with the communities we serve and supporting wrap-around services to ensure victims’ voices are heard and that everyone has access to justice.” Significant prosecutions of individuals who have perpetrated violent crime in Indian country include obtaining guilty verdicts in the trial of James and Donovan Cloud for multiple murders, kidnapping, and carjacking on Yakima Nation’s Treaty Day in 2019. Late last year, her team convicted Zachary Holt and Dezmonique Tenzsley of double murder, attempted murder of a federal officer, as well as of robberies on both the Colville and Nez Perce Reservations. As part of its efforts to address the MMIP crisis, the office also has significantly increased its prosecutions of cases involving intimate partner violence . Environmental Protection & Public Health U.S. Attorney Waldref was selected by Attorney General Merrick Garland as Chair of the DOJ’s Environmental Justice & Environmental Issues Subcommittee . Under her leadership, the Subcommittee played a key role in advising the Department and the 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices on developing environmental justice practices and building task forces to effectively investigate and prosecute environmental crimes. U.S. Attorney Waldref led by example, working with federal, state, Tribal and local partners to launch Eastern Washington’s Environmental Task Force . The Office had several successes in protecting the region’s public health and safety: Indicting several business owners and companies for smuggling and illegally importing tens of millions of dollars in emission defeat devices from Canada into Eastern Washington; Successfully prosecuting a Yakima-area juice manufacturing company and its owner for violating food safety laws and selling contaminated fruit juice to school lunch programs that serve low-income students; Securing injunctive relief under the Safe Drinking Water Act against several Lower Yakima Valley dairies for failing to control nitrate contamination, resulting from their manure practices that endanger the community’s access to safe and clean water; and Hosting the Justice Department’s first regional summit focused on defending and strengthening Tribal homelands, climate adaptation, resilience and environmental justice. Fighting Fraud and Protecting Taxpayers U.S. Attorney Waldref’s leadership also emphasized fighting fraud and public corruption, and her White Collar Section’s work combatting financial fraud and recovering damages continued to set the standard for U.S. Attorney Offices throughout the nation. The Office’s efforts resulted in several of the most significant settlements in Eastern Washington history, highlighted by a significant increase in health care fraud work, the launch of Eastern Washington’s innovative and prolific Covid-19 Fraud Strike Force, and the Ghost Cattle prosecution. The U.S. Attorney’s Office obtained two of the largest health care fraud settlements in Eastern Washington history – against Providence Health & Services and Lincare Holdings, Inc ., who respectively paid out $22.7 million and $29 million to resolve claims under the False Claims Act. These cases prioritized patient care and recovered funds for individuals who were overcharged for medical devices. Since its inception in 2022, Eastern Washington’s COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force has filed 37 indictments and recovered more than $30 million in penalties, fines, seizures, and restitution judgments against dozens of individuals and companies who fraudulently obtained COVID relief funding. The “Ghost Cattle” prosecution of Tri-Cities rancher Cody Easterday for defrauding Tyson Foods and another company out of more than $244 million for approximately 265,000 head of cattle that did not exist. Civil Rights Throughout her service, U.S. Attorney Waldref has taken a comprehensive approach to protecting the civil rights of all who call Eastern Washington home. Examples of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s accomplishments in this area include: Giving United Against Hate presentations with community stakeholders throughout Eastern Washington to encourage the reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents and allow for more effective law enforcement response; Establishing a dedicated Civil Rights Team to process complaints and concerns raised by the community, including holding businesses accountable for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act; Partnering with the Northwest Justice Project to hold landlords accountable for wrongfully claiming federal funds while providing substandard housing; Protecting students and ensuring school districts respond effectively to harassment and discrimination against students based on sex, race, color and national origin. Partnerships with State, and Local Law Enforcement U.S. Attorney Waldref worked tirelessly to build strong relationships between federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement, with a focus on sharing information and resources to solve problems and promote public safety. “One of my goals as U.S. Attorney was to ensure our cases represented all of Eastern Washington,” U.S. Attorney Waldref explained. “I am proud to say that during my tenure, we prosecuted cases from each of the twenty counties east of the Cascade Mountains.” Under U.S. Attorney Waldref’s leadership, the U.S. Attorney’s Office even assisted on cases filed in state court, including the investigation and charging of a 1997 homicide in Stevens County . U.S. Attorney Waldref forged relationships to focus on community-based crime prevention strategies, such as her office’s Safe Homes, Safe Community Initiative in Yakima and Spokane, which brought together local and federal law enforcement, county prosecutors, and domestic violence prevention advocates to stop gun violence and prevent domestic violence homicides. The Office also leveraged resources to appoint Special Assistant United States Attorneys that prosecuted cases focused on sexual exploitation and domestic violence in federal, state, and Tribal courts. Currently, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is recruiting applicants for a SAUSA position with the City of Spokane to focus on drug prosecutions. Transformation of the Eastern District The U.S Attorney’s Office itself has transformed under U.S. Attorney Waldref’s leadership. Opening a Richland Branch office had been considered for nearly 25 years, and U.S. Attorney Waldref successfully implemented a plan for achieving this goal within her first year of service. Additionally, through her dedicated advocacy within the Department, U.S. Attorney Waldref hired a record number of federal prosecutors and staff. She also focused on modernizing the Office’s electronic discovery practices to support sophisticated litigation and the increasing volume of electronic evidence. U.S. Attorney Waldref expanded the office’s community engagement and outreach to better listen to constituents, build trust, and ensure that the public understood the work of the Office and its law enforcement partners. Upon U.S. Attorney Waldref’s announcement that her service would be coming to an end, First Assistant United States Attorney Richard Barker stated, “In a little more than three years, Vanessa has done more than some prosecutors achieve in a lifetime. Her contributions to the U.S. Attorney’s Office will live on for years to come. From the initiatives and programs she established to the incredible attorneys that she hired, U.S. Attorney Waldref has helped make Eastern Washington a safer place to live, work, and raise families. Serving as her First Assistant has been one of the highlights of my career.” Alison Gregoire, the first woman to serve as Criminal Chief for the Eastern District of Washington stated, “It has been my honor to serve alongside Vanessa. Her commitment to justice, to victims, and to the people of Eastern Washington is unparalleled. While we will miss her greatly, the foundation she built will endure.” Senior United States District Judge Edward F. Shea stated, “The expansion of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Richland continues to strengthen the ongoing-Federal-Local law enforcement efforts in Southeastern Washington for the benefit of all who live here. I am certain that the people of the Tri-Cities are grateful that U.S. Attorney Waldref made the Richland Branch Office a reality.” Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, First Assistant United States Attorney Richard Barker will become the Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington after U.S. Attorney Waldref’s departure. * * * * * U.S. Attorney Waldref is a native of Spokane with deep roots in Eastern Washington. She served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington from 2013 to 2020, handling a wide variety of civil and criminal cases. Immediately prior to her appointment as U.S. Attorney, Ms. Waldref served as a Trial Attorney with the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the United States Department of Justice where she litigated cases in federal courts around the country arising under a range of environmental protection statutes. From 2015-2021, Ms. Waldref has taught courses in Environmental Law, Labor & Employment Law, and Conflict of Laws at Gonzaga University School of Law. She previously worked in private practice at two Spokane-based law firms and as a litigation associate at Morrison Foerster in Washington D.C. After graduating as the valedictorian from Gonzaga Preparatory School in Spokane, U.S. Attorney Waldref received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University in 2002, and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University in 2008. Following law school, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable John D. Bates on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.


title: Convicted Child Sexual Abuse Offender Sentenced to Federal Prison After Illegally Reentering the U.S.

body_text: Greenbelt , Maryland – U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby sentenced Erbeth Gomez-Delgado, 48, of Hyattsville, Maryland, to 24 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the country after he was deported. In November 2024, after a three-day trial, a federal jury found Gomez-Delgado, a convicted child sexual abuse offender, guilty of a sole count of Reentry After Deportation. Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Matthew Davies, Acting Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, Baltimore Field Office. According to the evidence presented at trial, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol first encountered the defendant on July 29, 2016, as he crossed the U.S. border through the Rio Grande, in Texas. The defendant entered the country without inspection. Gomez-Delgado was then removed from the U.S. and deported to Guatemala on July 29, 2016. On February 15, 2019, law enforcement became aware that Gomez-Delgado was back in the U.S. after he was arrested and charged with sexually abusing a minor in Prince George’s County. During the reentry trial, the prosecution proved that Gomez-Delgado voluntarily and unlawfully reentered the U.S. prior to February 2019. Gomez-Delgado did not seek or receive permission from the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reenter the U.S. U.S. Attorney Barron acknowledged the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol for their work throughout the investigation and the trial. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney LaShanta Harris and U.S. Department of Justice Trial Attorney Shriram Harid who prosecuted this federal case.


title: Former Atlantic City Housing Authority Coordinator Admits To Fraud In Connection With Covid-19 Relief Funds

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: CAMDEN, N.J. – The former Ross Family Service Coordinator for the Atlantic City Housing Authority and Urban Redevelopment Agency today admitted to fraudulently applying for and obtaining COVID-19 relief funds, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced. Luquay Zahir, 50, of Atlantic City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams to two counts of an information charging him with making false statements to influence the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) and wire fraud. According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court: In 2020 and 2021, Zahir, then the Ross Family Service Coordinator for the Atlantic City Housing Authority and Urban Redevelopment Agency, fraudulently obtained more than $30,000 through a Paycheck Protection Program loan and Economic Injury Disaster Loan advance issued under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The count of making false statements to influence the SBA carries a maximum potential penalty of two years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. The count of wire fraud carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents of the FBI, Newark Division, Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian J. Driscoll; and special agents of SBA Office of Inspector General’s Eastern Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Braithwaite, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric A. Boden, Attorney-in-Charge of the Trenton Branch Office, working in conjunction with the Special Prosecutions Division in Newark. zahir.information.pdf


title: Oconee County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: GREENVILLE, S.C. —Carl Lee Robert Price, 37, of Walhalla, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material. Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that Price sent explicit images of a child to a minor living in Missouri. Price traveled to Missouri to meet the minor and brought the minor to his home in Walhalla, South Carolina. An interstate search by federal and state law enforcement authorities led them to Price’s property where they recovered the minor. Law enforcement seized Price’s s electronic devices and discovered a total of 265 images and 141 videos of child sexual abuse material, including adults sexually abusing children as young as infants and toddlers. United States District Judge Jacquelyn D. Austin sentenced Price to 20 years in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Bill Watkins prosecuted the case. ###


title: The United States And State Of North Carolina File False Claims Act Complaint Against Durable Medical Equipment Supplier

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced today that the United States and the State of North Carolina have filed a complaint against Benson I. Ejindu in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, alleging that Ejindu knowingly submitted or caused to be submitted false claims to North Carolina Medicaid for more expensive medical supplies than were actually provided to the Medicaid recipients, a practice known as upcoding. As alleged in the complaint, from at least May 19, 2017, through August 23, 2019, Ejindu, through a durable medical equipment business that he operated under different names, caused the submission of false claims to North Carolina Medicaid for high-reimbursing, specialized nutritional formula for individuals with rare, inherited metabolic disorders when Ejindu knew the Medicaid recipients actually received lower-reimbursing Ensure, PediaSure, Boost, and Glucerna drinks. “Durable medical equipment providers that cause the government to pay more than it should for medical equipment and supplies waste taxpayers’ dollars and raise the cost of health care for everyone,” said U.S. Attorney King. “Our Office is committed to working with the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office and our law enforcement partners to put a stop to improper billing practices that exploit Medicaid, a taxpayer funded program that many people depend on to cover their health care needs.” “Medical providers are required to comply with the law when billing Medicaid for services,” said Special Agent in Charge Kelly Blackmon of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Together with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG is dedicated to investigating and addressing improper billing practices submitted to federally funded health care programs.” “North Carolinians rely on Medicaid to pay for health care and medical supplies,” said North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “If businesses try to make an unlawful buck off of taxpayer dollars, we’ll hold them accountable. I’m grateful to U.S. Attorney King for working with us to stop health care fraud.” This matter was investigated by the FBI, HHS-OIG, and the North Carolina Attorney General’s Medicaid Investigations Division. This matter is being handled by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew R. Petracca of the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office and Assistant United States Attorney Holly H. Snow of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte. The claims asserted against the defendant are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.


title: Mercer County Man Pleads Guilty To Communicating Threats To Attack Members Of The White Community

body_text: TRENTON, N.J. – A Mercer County, New Jersey, man admitted to transmitting, via the internet, a post containing threats to injure members of the white community by shooting them with a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced today. Joshua Cobb, 24, of Trenton, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: On December 17, 2022, Cobb used a social media application to post a message, stating: “I want to cause mayhem on the white community. The reason i specifically want to target white people is because as a black male, they will NEVER understand my struggles. Same way I will never understand their struggles, but I don't care to. I want to erase them. All of them really, but in this case as many as I possibly can. As of today I have officially began planning my attack. It is going to take place in 2023 in the state of New Jersey, I have not chosen a exact date but I am going to be sure it is close to an important holiday to their race. I have a location in mind already which I have frequented for the past year and I am certain nobody there is armed to be able to stop me from spraying them to the ground. I have already acquired 2 of the 4 firearms I plan to use for my attack, and I also know my entry and exit points already after the mayhem… White people are going to feel my pain in 2023. I will be certain I send as many as I possible can to the deepest pits of hell. I am going to wipe those ugly smiles completely off their faces. I dream of a day of pure evil on them. I plan to allow every evil spirit to work entirely through me and kill as many as i can. Some will get extra rounds through their head. And you guys can think I'm a troll all you want. Just pay close attention the news, you will see my aftermath. And I will be sure I kill myself after I finish my terrorism. White men and women in New Jersey, get ready. You are going to feel my pain very fucking soon. I put that on my life. From here on out I don't want to talk, my rounds are going to, after they exit the back of all your heads. Get ready New Jersey. The devil is coming.” As part of his guilty plea, Cobb admitted to writing the above-described posts, and that he understood that the messages would be threatening towards certain individuals. He had previously provided detailed information to law enforcement on locations he had considered as possible targets for his attack, including a gym and a grocery store in Robbinsville, New Jersey. Cobb also discussed his access to guns and idolization of other mass shooters. Transmitting a threat in interstate commerce carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for May 20, 2025. . Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents of the FBI and task force officers of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian J. Driscoll, with the investigation. He also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, under the direction of U.S. Attorney E. Martin Estrada, agents of the FBI Field Office in Los Angeles, California, under the direction of Acting Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis; the Hamilton Police Department, under the direction of Chief Kenneth R. DeBoskey; the Robbinsville Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael K. Polaski; and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Theresa L. Hilton. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vera Varshavsky of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s National Security Unit, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division. cobb.information.pdf