title: Cumberland Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison in Largest Counterfeit Pill Seizure

body_text: PROVIDENCE – A Cumberland man who admitted to possessing approximately 665,728 methamphetamine-laced counterfeit Adderall® pills, the largest known seizure of its kind in the country, was sentenced today to ten years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. Dylan Rodas, 27, has been detained since his arrest on March 28, 2022, as the result of an expansive Project Safe Neighborhoods Rhode Island and DEA Drug Task Force investigation into the trafficking of methamphetamine in Rhode Island. Rodas was arrested for delivery of methamphetamine to a confidential source which had occurred earlier in the month. At the time of his arrest, Rodas immediately provided DEA agents with information about his drug trafficking activities, including the location where he packaged and stored narcotics and that he was in possession of a number of firearms, assorted ammunition and other illegal substance. Upon searching this location, agents seized approximately 665,728 methamphetamine-laced counterfeit Adderall® pills, weighing a total of approximately 660 pounds; approximately eleven kilograms of methamphetamine powder; fake Oxycodone fentanyl-laced pills; two motorized pill presses; 250 grams of cocaine; $15,000 in cash; and seven handguns, including two “ghost guns. This is believed to be the largest seizure of counterfeit Adderall pills and among the largest single methamphetamine seizures by DEA’s New England Field Division. Rodas pleaded guilty on September 29, 2022, to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., to 120 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of federal supervised release and to pay a $5,000 fine. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey A. Erickson. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. The Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force is comprised of personnel from the DEA; Rhode Island State Police; the East Providence, Cranston, Coventry, Newport, North Kingstown, Pawtucket, Providence, South Kingstown, Warwick, West Warwick, and Woonsocket and Amtrak Police Departments; and Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation. ###


title: Columbus man sentenced to three years in prison, ordered to repay money received through unclaimed funds fraud scheme

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Marcus C. Beatty, 55, of Columbus, has been sentenced to three years in federal prison and repay $486,408.55 in unclaimed funds he stole from the State of Ohio, who was holding the funds in trust for the rightful owners. Court documents outline the significant fraud scheme Beatty ran from at least June 2011 through at least March 2018 to steal from the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Unclaimed Funds. In Ohio, as in many other states, when funds held by a financial institution are inactive for a certain length of time, the funds legally become “unclaimed funds” and are turned over to the state. The Division of Unclaimed Funds returns the money to the rightful owners who claim them. For nearly eight years, Beatty repeatedly filed fraudulent claims for unclaimed funds through an intricate process of identifying Ohio businesses whose registrations had been cancelled, using fraudulent paperwork to reinstate the businesses with the Ohio Secretary of State, changing the names of these companies to the names of companies for which the Division of Unclaimed Funds held money in trust, then filing then fraudulent claims with the Division to obtain the unclaimed funds. Beatty fraudulently obtained unclaimed funds held in trust for five Ohio companies. He also filed several false claims with the unclaimed-funds agencies in Alabama, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Beatty pleaded guilty in October 2022 to one count of mail fraud. In 2006, Beatty had been sentenced in federal court to 33 months in prison in a separate fraud scheme. Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Sherry Maxfield, Director of the Ohio Department of Commerce announced the sentence imposed February 22, 2023 by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorney Peter Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case. # # #


title: 35-Year-Old Man Sentenced to 24 Months for Attempted Firearms Trafficking into Mexico

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: TUCSON, Ariz. – On Wednesday, Luis Carlos Martinez-Chacon, 35, of Chihuahua, Mexico, was sentenced by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 24 months in prison, followed by 12 months of supervised release. Martinez-Chacon pleaded guilty to one count of Smuggling Goods from the United States. On June 29, 2022, Martinez-Chacon attempted to exit the United States and enter the Republic of Mexico at the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona. During a search of his vehicle, Customs and Border Protection officers found a 9mm Berretta pistol, a 9mm Glock 19 pistol, an FN57 rifle with a filed off serial number, a .45 caliber Colt M 1911, a Smith and Wesson 629 Classic .44 Magnum, a Magpul magazine (17 round capacity), two Berretta magazines (15 round capacity each), two FN57 magazines (20 round capacity each), two Colt 1911 magazines (seven round capacity each), 960 rounds of .223 Wolf ammunition, 880 rounds of .223 TUL ammunition, and six rounds of .45 caliber ammunition. The items were hidden inside the dashboard and center console of the vehicle. Martinez-Chacon admitted he expected to be paid in exchange for delivering the firearms, magazines, and ammunition to an individual in Mexico. Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah B. Houston, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution. CASE NUMBER: CR-22-01662-TUC-JCH (DTF) RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-024_Martinez-Chacon # # # 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 Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: U.S. Attorney’s Office Staff Emphasize Value of Word Choice to Local Students

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – Words have the power to uplift or destroy and that was the message staff from the Law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida, recently brought to 7 th graders at Charles R. Drew K-8 Center in Miami. Power of Words focused on the importance of choosing one’s words carefully. The presentation went through real-life scenarios and the impact that using insulting and belittling language can have on people. “It shows how hurtful words can sometimes lead to threats and assaultive behavior,” said Law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section Chief J.D. Smith. “The presentation identifies the common warning signs and how to proactively identify potentially harmful interactions between students.” Law Enforcement Coordination Specialist Mark McKinney conducted the training which involved videos, real cases, and plenty of class participation. “If you’re choosing bad words, you’re going to get bad results,” said McKinney. “Hurtful words often lead to aggressive behavior. It can lead to suicide and what else? Anyone know?” The message is that one never knows how deeply hurtful words cut. “And just because you apologize doesn’t mean the other person will be able to forgive and move on,” said McKinney. Research shows that early childhood experience may play a part in verbal abuse. Someone who witnesses this behavior at an early age may replicate it later—becoming an abuser for fear of becoming a victim. “You have to learn to be comfortable with you,” said Latisha Robinson, a civics teacher at Charles R. Drew K-8 Center. “Life will hit you. Life is hard. But that’s reality. You don’t know what the person next to you is going through and the words you choose can make all the difference.” Kindness was emphasized throughout the training. “Be kind to everybody and be mindful of what is going on around you,” said McKinney. “Be aware of how to speak to someone who may be having a bad day. This will help you avoid negative responses.” The training was valuable to Robinson because it gave her students a different perspective. “This exercise gives our students that third lens to show them that they do use those words,” she said. “The message is to switch up, change, and make a difference.” Law Enforcement Coordination Specialist Mark McKinney goes over a Power of Words presentation with a group of 7 th graders at Charles R. Drew K-8 Center in Miami. The goal was to show students how hurtful words can escalate into violence and ways to identify potentially harmful student interactions. ###


title: Cincinnati man arrested with high-powered firearm while on bond for gun crimes sentenced to 54 months in prison

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

body_text: CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 54 months in prison for illegally possessing a high-powered, high-capacity pistol with a high-capacity magazine while he was on bond after serving two years in state prison for gun crimes. Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Nahya Wimpye, 23, on Christmas Day 2020. He was a passenger in a car pulled over for a brake light violation near Lockland. Officers found a Century Arms, Micro Draco, 7.62x39 millimeter semi-automatic pistol loaded with 18 rounds of 7.62x39 millimeter ammunition in the car. “The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office Crime Lab found the defendant's DNA on the firearm, which is essentially the pistol equivalent of an AK-47,” said Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. “Reducing violent crime effectively sometimes means punishing those who demonstrate that they are repeatedly a threat to community safety.” Court documents indicate that at the time of the Christmas Day arrest, Wimpye was on post-release control after serving two years in state custody for illegally possessing a firearm. While awaiting a hearing on the violations of his post-release control, he was found yet again with another firearm in February 2021. While on bond, he was arrested in Tennessee on felony charges. A federal grand jury indicted Wimpye in October 2021 on one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Wimpye pleaded guilty to the indictment in September 2022. Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey and Lockland Police Chief Chris Bundren announced the sentence imposed on February 22, 2023 by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas R. Cole. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Oakley is representing the United States in this case. # # #


title: Farley Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting 3-Year-Old Victim to Produce, Distribute Child Pornography

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Farley, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to sexually assaulting a 3-year-old victim to produce child pornography and distribute it to others through the Kik application. Andrew J. McCardie, 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to two counts of producing child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography. McCardie remains in federal custody without bond pending his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled. McCardie communicated with individuals through the Kik application beginning in January 2022, using a screen name to indicate he was willing and able to produce child pornography and distribute to other persons. McCardie produced 19 images and videos of child pornography involving a 3-year-old child victim on Feb. 11 and 12, 2022. Most of these were created live, meaning he was recording himself actively sexually abusing the child victim while communicating with other persons over Kik, and sending those images and videos to them during the abuse. On March 5, 2022, McCardie created another live video during his sexual abuse of the child victim. McCardie didn’t know he was communicating with an undercover law enforcement officer through Kik. McCardie told the undercover officer he had been “doing these requests on Kik for a couple years now” and discussed how to sexually abuse a child. During this conversation, McCardie sent the undercover officer a screenshot of a chat he was having with the Kik user he produced the video for, in order to prove he had created the video live. On March 6, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at McCardie’s residence. The entry team attempted to take control of McCardie near the entrance of the residence but he resisted, initially holding a firearm as officers entered. McCardie was brought out into the yard, where he continued to resist before being handcuffed and placed under arrest. McCardie attempted to hide his iPhone in the bedroom closet, but officers found the phone and seized it in order to conduct a forensic investigation. McCardie’s Kik account included 218 images and videos of child pornography. McCardie sent 58 separate videos and images of child pornography to other Kik users, and had received more than 200 images and videos of child pornography from other Kik users between Jan. 2 and March 7, 2022. Under federal statutes, McCardie is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 80 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth W. Borgnino. It was investigated by the FBI. Project Safe Childhood This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."


title: KC Woman Sentenced for Carjacking

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for her role in a carjacking. Kerri J. Seaboldt, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to nine years in federal prison without parole. On April 1, 2022, Seaboldt pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Seaboldt admitted that she aided and abetted two co-defendants to steal a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro at gunpoint on July 14, 2020. In the early morning hours of July 14, 2020, Seaboldt and co-defendants Destiny J. White, 34, of Blue Springs, Mo., and Charles V. Bai, 29, of Independence, Mo., executed a scheme to steal the Camero. The victim of the carjacking, identified in court documents as “K.B.,” drove White in his Camaro to an alleyway in Kansas City, Mo. White told K.B. they were picking up Seaboldt because she was having an argument with her boyfriend. Seaboldt was on the phone with Bai, pretending to have an argument as K.B. and White stood by and waited. Bai then walked into the alleyway, wielding a Glock .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine. Bai pointed the firearm at K.B. and ordered him to get out of the Camaro. Bai then got into the Camaro and drove it away. At approximately 2:20 a.m., law enforcement officers responded to a 911 call regarding the carjacking and contacted K.B. K.B. requested location information for his vehicle using OnStar. Bai later fled from officers in the stolen vehicle, which he ultimately wrecked. Bai was sentenced on April 8, 2022, to 13 years in federal prison without parole. White was sentenced on Nov. 17, 2022, to three years and four months in federal prison without parole. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Operation LeGend Operation LeGend is a federal partnership with local law enforcement to address the increase in homicides and violent crime in Kansas City, Mo., in 2020. The operation honors the memory of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, one of the youngest fatalities during a record-breaking year of homicides and shootings. Additional federal agents were assigned to the operation from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Acting United States Attorney Rivetti Announces Implementation of New Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH - Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania has implemented the new United States Attorney’s Offices’ Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy released yesterday. The policy, which is effective immediately, details the circumstances under which a company will be considered to have made a voluntary self-disclosure (VSD) of misconduct to a United States Attorney’s Office (USAO), and provides transparency and predictability to companies and the defense bar concerning the concrete benefits and potential outcomes in cases where companies voluntarily self-disclose misconduct, fully cooperate and timely and appropriately remediate. The goal of the policy is to standardize how VSDs are defined and credited by USAOs nationwide, and to incentivize companies to maintain effective compliance programs capable of identifying misconduct, to expeditiously and voluntarily disclose and remediate misconduct, and to cooperate fully with the government in corporate criminal investigations. The policy was developed pursuant to the Deputy Attorney General’s September 15, 2022 memorandum, “Further Revisions to Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policies Following Discussions with Corporate Crime Advisory Group” (Monaco Memo), which directed each Department of Justice (DOJ) component that prosecutes corporate crime to review its policies on corporate voluntary self-disclosure and, if there was no formal written policy to incentivize self-disclosure, draft and publicly share such a policy. Under the new VSD policy, a company is considered to have made a VSD if it becomes aware of misconduct by employees or agents before that misconduct is publicly reported or otherwise known to the DOJ, and discloses all relevant facts known to the company about the misconduct to a USAO in a timely fashion prior to an imminent threat of disclosure or government investigation. A company that voluntarily self-discloses as defined in the policy and fully meets the other requirements of the policy, by—in the absence of any aggravating factor—fully cooperating and timely and appropriately remediating the criminal conduct (including agreeing to pay all disgorgement, forfeiture, and restitution resulting from the misconduct), will receive significant benefits, including that the USAO will typically not seek a guilty plea; may choose not to impose any criminal penalty, and in any event will not impose a criminal penalty that is greater than 50% below the low end of the United States Sentencing Guidelines (USSG) fine range; and will not seek the imposition of an independent compliance monitor if the company demonstrates that it has implemented and tested an effective compliance program. The policy identifies three aggravating factors that may warrant a USAO seeking a guilty plea even if the other requirements of the VSD policy are met: (1) if the misconduct poses a grave threat to national security, public health, or the environment; (2) if the misconduct is deeply pervasive throughout the company; or (3) if the misconduct involved current executive management of the company. The presence of an aggravating factor does not necessarily mean that a guilty plea will be required; instead, the USAO will assess the relevant facts and circumstances to determine the appropriate resolution. If a guilty plea is ultimately required, the company will still receive the other benefits under the VSD policy, including that the USAO will recommend a criminal penalty of at least a 50% and up to a 75% reduction off the low end of the USSG fine range, and that the USAO will not require the appointment of a monitor if the company has implemented and tested an effective compliance program. In cases where a company is being jointly prosecuted by a USAO and another DOJ component, or where the misconduct reported by the company falls within the scope of conduct covered by VSD policies administered by other DOJ components, the USAO will coordinate with, or, if necessary, obtain approval from, the DOJ component responsible for the VSD policy specific to the reported misconduct when considering a potential resolution. Consistent with relevant provisions of the Justice Manual and as allowable under alternate VSD policies, the USAO may choose to apply any provision of an alternate VSD policy in addition to, or in place of, any provision of its policy. Voluntary Self Disclosures should be directed to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania Acting Criminal Chief Tonya Goodman at 412-644-3500. The Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC), under the leadership of United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams, requested that the White Collar Fraud Subcommittee of the AGAC, under the leadership of United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace, develop policies in response to the Deputy AG’s memo. The policy announced today was prepared by a Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policy Working Group comprised of U.S. Attorneys from geographically diverse districts, including U.S. Attorney Peace, as well as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut Vanessa Avery, U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Clare Connors, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Stephanie Hinds, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Christopher Kavanaugh, and U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Philip Sellinger. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Riedel, White Collar Crimes Coordinator for the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, also participated in the development of the policy.


title: U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit Announces Implementation of New Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy

component: U.S. Attorneys (USAO)

body_text: BOISE – U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho has implemented the new United States Attorney’s Offices’ Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy released this week. The policy, which is effective immediately, details the circumstances under which a company will be considered to have made a voluntary self-disclosure (VSD) of misconduct to a United States Attorney’s Office (USAO), and provides transparency and predictability to companies and the defense bar concerning the concrete benefits and potential outcomes in cases where companies voluntarily self-disclose misconduct, fully cooperate and timely, and appropriately remediate wrongdoing and misconduct. The policy provides potential benefits only to companies. It does not apply to individuals. The goal of the policy is to standardize how VSDs are defined and credited by USAOs nationwide, and to incentivize companies to maintain effective compliance programs capable of identifying misconduct, to expeditiously and voluntarily disclose and remediate misconduct, and to cooperate fully with the government in corporate criminal investigations. The policy was developed pursuant to the Deputy Attorney General’s September 15, 2022 memorandum, “Further Revisions to Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policies Following Discussions with Corporate Crime Advisory Group” (Monaco Memo), which directed each Department of Justice (DOJ) component that prosecutes corporate crime to review its policies on corporate voluntary self-disclosure and, if there was no formal written policy to incentivize self-disclosure, draft and publicly share such a policy. Under the new VSD policy, a company is considered to have made a VSD if it becomes aware of misconduct by employees or agents before that misconduct is publicly reported or otherwise known to the DOJ, and discloses all relevant facts known to the company about the misconduct to a USAO in a timely fashion prior to an imminent threat of disclosure or government investigation. A company that voluntarily self-discloses as defined in the policy and fully meets the other requirements of the policy, by—in the absence of any aggravating factor—fully cooperating and timely and appropriately remediating the criminal conduct (including agreeing to pay all disgorgement, forfeiture, and restitution resulting from the misconduct), will receive significant benefits, including that the USAO will not seek a guilty plea against the company; may choose not to impose any criminal penalty, and in any event will not impose a criminal penalty against the company that is greater than 50% below the low end of the United States Sentencing Guidelines fine range; and will not seek the imposition of an independent compliance monitor if the company demonstrates that it has implemented and tested an effective compliance program. The policy identifies three aggravating factors that may cause a USAO to seek a guilty plea against a company even if the other requirements of the VSD policy are met: (1) if the misconduct poses a grave threat to national security, public health, or the environment; (2) if the misconduct is deeply pervasive throughout the company; or (3) if the misconduct involved current executive management of the company. The presence of an aggravating factor does not necessarily mean that a guilty plea will be required; instead, the USAO will assess the relevant facts and circumstances of each case to determine the appropriate resolution. If a guilty plea is ultimately required, the company will still receive the other benefits under the VSD policy, including that the USAO will recommend a criminal penalty of at least a 50% and up to a 75% reduction off the low end of the United States Sentencing Guidelines fine range, and that the USAO will not require the appointment of a monitor if the company has implemented and tested an effective compliance program. In cases where a company is being jointly prosecuted by a USAO and another DOJ component, or where the misconduct reported by the company falls within the scope of conduct covered by VSD policies administered by other DOJ components, the USAO will coordinate with, or, if necessary, obtain approval from, the DOJ component responsible for the VSD policy specific to the reported misconduct when considering a potential resolution. Consistent with relevant provisions of the Justice Manual, and as allowable under alternate VSD policies, the USAO may choose to apply any provision of an alternate VSD policy in addition to, or in place of, any provision of its policy. The Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC), under the leadership of United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams, requested that the White Collar Fraud Subcommittee of the AGAC, under the leadership of United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace, develop policies in response to the Deputy AG’s memo. The policy announced today was prepared by a Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policy Working Group comprised of U.S. Attorneys from geographically diverse districts, including U.S. Attorney Peace, as well as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut Vanessa Avery, U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Clare Connors, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Stephanie Hinds, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Christopher Kavanaugh, and U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Philip Sellinger. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Riedel, White Collar Crimes Coordinator for the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, also participated in the development of the policy. ###


title: 26-Year-Old Sentenced to 24 Months for Attempted Firearms Trafficking to Mexico

body_text: TUCSON, Ariz. – Adan Gomez-Lopez, 26, of Nogales, Mexico, was sentenced on Wednesday by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 24 months in prison, followed by 12 months of supervised release. Gomez-Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of Smuggling Goods from the United States. On July 1, 2022, Gomez-Lopez attempted to exit the United States and enter the Republic of Mexico at the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona. During a search of the vehicle, Customs and Border Protection officers found 510 rounds of .223 caliber ammunition, 103 rounds of .556 caliber ammunition, 600 rounds of 6.5mm ammunition, 350 rounds of 9mm pistol ammunition, 100 rounds of .30 caliber ammunition, 20 rounds of .308 caliber ammunition, and 50 rounds of 12-gauge shotgun ammunition. The ammunition was concealed within the vehicle’s quarter panels, speaker box, and non-factory compartments. Gomez-Lopez admitted that he expected payment in exchange for delivering the ammunition to an individual in Mexico. Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Brandon M. Bolling, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution. CASE NUMBER: CR-22-01544-TUC-JCH (BGM) RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-025_Gomez-Lopez # # # 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 Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Kentucky Man Charged with Running Cocaine Distribution Operation

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Northern

body_text: A Hopkinsville, Kentucky, man made an initial appearance in federal court Wednesday after being indicted for drug conspiracy and related charges, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson for the Northern District of Oklahoma. Melvin Dontreele Brown, 30, was arrested Tuesday in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Law enforcement executed search warrants at four different locations there associated with Brown and on multiple bank accounts. Initial items recovered include approximately $100,000 in cash, $164,000 from bank accounts, marijuana, fentanyl, and a firearm. Brown is charged with one count of drug conspiracy; two counts of laundering of monetary instruments ; and 14 counts of use of a communication facility in committing, causing and facilitating the commission of a drug trafficking felony. Brown is accused of conspiring with others to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. According to the indictment, Brown and his coconspirators allegedly distributed bulk quantities of cocaine in the Hopkinsville and Tulsa areas from July 2020 to May 2021 . The cocaine was allegedly imported from Mexico and transported by couriers in vehicles to Oklahoma and to Brown in Kentucky. The conspirators regularly used cellphones and coded phrases to coordinate their drug transactions. Examples of coded language included “ceiling paint” which referenced cocaine and “paper” which referenced currency used as payment for cocaine deliveries. The conspirators received bulk quantities of currency as payment for cocaine deliveries and conducted financial transactions using banks in the Northern District of Oklahoma and elsewhere. Brown is charged in the indictment with making two financial transactions designed to conceal the nature and origin of the illicit proceeds. Brown made an initial appearance in the Western District of Kentucky (Paducah) Wednesday and is scheduled for a detention hearing there Friday at 10 am. The prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas and Louisville Divisions and the Tulsa and Hopkinsville Police Departments are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Tonkin is prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law


title: Iowa City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Child Pornography Charges

component: USAO - Iowa, Southern

body_text: DAVENPORT, IA – An Iowa City man was sentenced on February 21, 2023, to 14 years in prison following his plea to two counts of receiving child pornography. According to court documents, Luke Kenneth Beckner, age 21, utilized his cellphone and social media accounts to meet minor females and solicit pornography from them. Beckner traveled to meet at least two of the minors and engaged in sexual intercourse with them. After receiving pornographic images, Beckner distributed some of the images of two identified minors to another person. Following his prison term, Beckner was ordered to serve an eight-year term of supervised release. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Iowa City Police Department. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Childhood” initiative, which was started in 2006 as a nation-wide effort to combine law enforcement investigations and prosecutions, community action, and public awareness in order to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children. Any persons having knowledge of a child being sexually abused are encouraged to call the Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-284-7821.


title: KC Woman Sentenced for SNAP Benefits Fraud

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for using six stolen identities to fraudulently file 71 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in four states. Bridgette Ford, 62, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to four years and six months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Ford to pay $66,684 in restitution. On July 28, 2022, Ford pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, one count of theft of government money, one count of misuse of a Social Security number, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Ford received SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) from May 2018 through January 2020. During that time, she submitted six fraudulent applications for Missouri SNAP benefits using the names, Social Security numbers, and other identity information stolen from six victims. She listed her own email address and phone number on each fraudulent application, and she claimed the applicants were homeless. She directed all communication from the Department of Social Services regarding the fraudulent applications to be sent to her home address. When state officials required applicant interviews, she either assumed the identity she had stolen and conducted the interview herself, or she instructed one of her acquaintances to do it. The Department of Social Services approved all six fraudulent applications for SNAP benefits. When Ford received the fraudulent EBT cards for the six accounts, she sold them for cash (or gave them to others to sell for cash) to buyers who then used the benefits on the cards. After they used the EBT cards to make purchases, they returned the cards to Ford. Ford filed 71 SNAP benefit applications in four different states. She fraudulently received at least $21,546 in SNAP benefits between July 2018 through November 2020 under her own name in Missouri, Indiana, Iowa, and Illinois. In addition, Ford fraudulently filed multiple applications for SNAP benefits under the names of others in those states and subsequently received $45,138 in additional benefits based on those applications. Ford also concealed a disqualifying prior felony drug conviction in her own Missouri SNAP application and received SNAP benefits to which she was not entitled. Ford’s conduct resulted in a total SNAP benefits loss of $66,684. This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney R. Pratten. It was investigated by the Missouri Department of Social Services and the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General.


title: Farmington Man Sentenced to More Than 13 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

component: USAO - Arkansas, Western

body_text: FAYETTEVILLE – A Farmington man was sentenced today to 162 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville. According to court documents, on February 15, 2022, an officer with the Farmington Police Department was dispatched to a report of a suspicious male carrying a backpack who matched the description of a recent theft suspect. The officer located the male and made contact. The male identified himself as Robert James Poindexter , age 39. When the officer reviewed Poindexter’s record, he showed to have a warrantless search waiver on file as a condition of being on probation. The officer observed that Poindexter appeared to be intoxicated and asked Poindexter if he had anything illegal on him. Poindexter removed a pair of brass knuckles from his pocket and provided them to the officer. A search of Poindexter’s person and backpack resulted in officers locating approximately 248 grams of suspected methamphetamine in three separate baggies, a large bag of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The suspected methamphetamine was sent to the Department of Homeland Security forensic laboratory where it was tested and determined to be methamphetamine. U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement. The Farmington Police Department and the 4 th Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sydney Butler prosecuted the case.


title: Keys Lobster Company Sentenced for Exporting Falsely Labelled Product

body_text: MIAMI – A federal judge in Key West, Florida has sentenced Elite Sky International, Inc. (Elite), a company that operates on Overseas Highway in Marathon, to a quarter million dollar fine and five years of probation for exporting falsely labelled spiny lobster and shark fins from Florida to China. According to court documents, from November 2018 through October 2019, Elite purchased seafood products for export to China. To meet the high demand for spiny lobster, Elite imported lobster from Nicaragua and Belize for reexport to China. Elite reexported approximately 63,000 pounds of lobster and falsely labeled the product in shipping documents as “Live Florida Spiny Lobsters, Product of U.S.A.” In a similar violation, Elite acquired shark fins from a licensed local fisherman in Florida and exported approximately 5,666 pounds of shark fins, falsely labeling he product either as “Live Florida Spiny Lobsters, Product of U.S.A.” or “Frozen Fish.” The court ordered Elite to pay a total of $250,000 and placed it on probation for five years. Additionally, the court ordered, as special conditions of probation, that the company establish a corporate compliance program and retain third-party independent auditors to oversee their future activities. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Director Manny Antonaras of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Southeast Division, acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami, and Major Alberto Maza, Regional Commander of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Division of Law Enforcement, South B Region, announced the sentence imposed by United States District Judge K. Michael Moore. NOAA Office of Law Enforcement, HSI Miami, and FWC Division of Law Enforcement investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-FitzGerald prosecuted the case. If you have any information regarding this investigation, or other wildlife crimes, you may contact the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement Hotline: (800) 853-1964 and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at 1-800-344-9453. Locally, environmental crimes, including wildlife violations and environmental justice matters may be reported to the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 305-961-9001 or USFLS.Environmental@usdoj.gov . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 22-cr-10011. ###


title: Fayetteville Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

body_text: FAYETTEVILLE – A Fayetteville man was sentenced today to 168 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville. According to court documents, on May 25, 2022, detectives with the 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF) received information that Reginald Everette Counts , age 49, was selling methamphetamine in the Northwest Arkansas area. Detectives learned Counts was residing at a hotel in Fayetteville, Arkansas. As part of their investigation, detectives checked Counts through ACIC/NCIC and confirmed he was a probationer with a valid search waiver on file. Detectives then conducted surveillance at the hotel parking lot While conducting surveillance, detectives made contact with Counts in the parking lot as he was getting on his scooter. Detectives identified themselves as law enforcement officers and they searched Counts pursuant to his warrantless search waiver. During the search of Counts, detectives located a pouch hanging around his neck. The pouch contained a bag of methamphetamine weighing approximately 28.5 grams, clear baggies and a digital scale. In Counts' jean pocket, detectives located a glass smoking pipe and $1,570.00 in U.S. currency. A search of Counts hotel room resulted in detectives locating five individually packaged bags of methamphetamine with an approximate weight of 143.3 grams. On May 27, 2022, Counts was released from custody on bond. On May 29, 2022, he was encountered again with a distribution amount of methamphetamine on his person. Counts attempted to flee the arresting officer and during the course of the arrest the officer sustained a torn ACL. The drugs were subsequently sent to the Homeland Security Investigations Crime Laboratory where they tested positive for methamphetamine. U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement. The Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case.


title: Two MS-13 Members Sentenced to Life in Prison for Their Roles in Murders

component: Criminal Division

body_text: Two members of La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) were sentenced to life in prison for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act conspiracy and murder in aid of racketeering. According to court documents, Luis Flores-Reyes, aka Maloso, aka Lobo, 41, of Arlington, Virginia, and Jairo Jacome, aka Abuelo, 40, of Langley Park, Maryland, were members of MS-13, an international criminal organization and one of the largest street gangs in the United States. MS-13 is organized into a series of sub-units or “cliques” that operate in specific geographic locations. Flores-Reyes was a leader within the powerful Sailors Clique, which held territory in Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Texas, and El Salvador. Jacome was the highest-ranking member in a local clique called Langley Park Salvatruchas (LPS). Together, the two MS-13 cliques, including Flores-Reyes and Jacome, ran a protection scheme in and around Langley Park, extorting local businesses by charging them “rent” for the privilege of operating in MS-13 “territory.” The gang also trafficked in illegal drugs, including heroin, marijuana, and cocaine. A large share of the proceeds of the gang’s illegal activities were sent to gang leadership in El Salvador to further promote the gang’s illicit activities, using structured transactions and intermediaries to avoid law enforcement scrutiny. Flores-Reyes and Jacome participated in at least four murders during the period of the conspiracy, mostly of victims they believed to be gang rivals. Among the most important rules of MS-13 is the prohibition against talking to law enforcement, embodied by the maxim ver, oir, y callar – see, hear, and say nothing. The gang enforced this rule by placing a “green light” – an order to kill – on any member of MS-13 who was thought to be informing on the gang. On December 4, 2016, Jacome directed and participated in taking a 14 year-old boy from Langley Park to a wooded area outside Germantown, Maryland, and murdering him by repeated blows with a machete because Jacome suspected that the victim had provided information to the police about the gang. Jacome fled the murder scene in fear of being discovered by police but returned the next morning to bury the body. The victim was a missing person until his skeletal remains were recovered by law enforcement on June 6, 2018. In March 2017, a member of the Sailors Clique, who in an effort to hide from law enforcement was living in the Lynchburg, Virginia-area, had a dispute with a local high school student over marijuana. In response, Flores-Reyes authorized that a squad of MS-13 members drive to Lynchburg and murder the high school student. The gang members kidnapped the student from his front lawn and cut his hand off before killing him. After the murder, Flores-Reyes helped to hide and protect the killers from law enforcement. In September 2022, Flores-Reyes, Jacome, and a third MS-13 member, Brayan Contreras-Avalos, were each convicted of racketeering conspiracy. Flores-Reyes and Jacome were additionally convicted of murder in aid of racketeering and extortion conspiracy, and Flores-Reyes and Contreras-Avalos were convicted of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Contreras-Avalos was sentenced to life in prison on Jan. 13. Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland made the announcement. The FBI Washington Field Office, HSI Baltimore, DEA New York Field Division, DEA Baltimore District Office, Prince George’s County Police Department, Montgomery County Police Department, Virginia State Police, Lynchburg Police Department, Prince William County Police Department, and Bedford County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office also provided valuable assistance. Trial Attorney Alexander Gottfried of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Hagan and Christopher Sarma for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case.


title: New Orleans Man Sentenced for Theft and Sale of Motor Vehicle from Mississippi Car Dealership

component: USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that J ONATHAN BUSH ( “BUSH” ), age 35, was sentenced on February 16, 2023, for conspiring to transport and sell stolen vehicles in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. According to court documents, BUSH and his co-conspirators stole cars from car dealerships and rental car facilities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and George. After the cars were stolen, BUSH and his co-conspirators would retitle the cars under fraudulent Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINS) with the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles. After the cars were retitled and cloned with fraudulent VINS, the defendants would then resell the cars to buyers in the New Orleans metro area at discounted prices. U.S. District Court Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown sentenced BUSH to serve (60) months in prison, to be followed by three (3) years of supervised release and imposed a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. The Court also set a restitution hearing in this matter for April 20, 2023. U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Department of Homeland Security, the Louisiana State Police, the D’Iberville Police Department, and the New Orleans Police Department in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Spiro G. Latsis and Jon Maestri of the General Crimes Unit are in charge of the prosecution.


title: New Jersey Doctor Admits Buying and Selling Oncology Medication for Profit

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey doctor today admitted using his medical license – and allowing other to use his medical license – to purchase prescription oncology medications under false pretenses for the purpose of selling them for profit, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Joel Lerner, 62, of Warren, New Jersey, a board-certified podiatrist and operator of a medical supply group purchasing organization, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to an information charging him with unlawfully selling prescription cancer medication, which had been previously purchased using his medical license and under the representation that such medication was to be used to treat his patients. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: While working in his medical practice’s offices in various locations in New Jersey, Lerner was recruited by an individual who owned a pharmacy and also owned and operated two businesses that were wholesale distributors of prescription drugs. At the request of this individual and others working with him, and in return for commissions and discounts on other medical supplies purchased by Lerner for his group purchasing organization, Lerner used his medical license – and allowed others to use it – to purchase expensive prescription drugs, primarily, cold-chain biologic infusion medications that typically are used to treat cancers, macular degeneration, and autoimmune diseases. By recruiting and using Lerner and his medical license to purchase the drugs, these individuals were able to obtain prescription drugs from the pharmaceutical manufacturers’ authorized distributors that they would not otherwise have been permitted to purchase. They were then able to sell them at a profit through their two businesses. In purchasing the drugs, Lerner and the two individuals made numerous false and misleading representations to the pharmaceutical manufacturers and authorized distributors, including that Lerner purchased the drugs to use to treat his patients, and that the drugs would not be resold or redistributed. In actuality, none of the drugs were administered to Lerner’s patients, but were ultimately sold to customers of the two businesses for a profit. In an effort to obscure the fact that he was illegally buying and selling prescription drugs purchased under his medical license, Lerner sold and transferred the prescription drugs in the name of his group purchasing organization. The scheme ran from December 2014 through November 2018, during which more than $1.2 million in prescription drugs were purchased in Lerner’s name and using his medical license. The sale of prescription drugs purchased by a healthcare entity is punishable by a maximum of three years in prison and a $10,000 fine. In his plea agreement, Lerner also agreed to make restitution for the full amount of any loss resulting from his offense. Sentencing is scheduled for July 18, 2023. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations New York Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Fernando P. McMillan; and special agents of U.S. Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas Mahoney, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diana Vondra Carrig and Sara A. Aliabadi of the U.S Attorney’s Office in Camden.


title: Man Arrested for Cold Case Murder on Military Base in Germany

body_text: A man was arrested today in the Northern District of Florida on criminal charges related to a murder on a U.S. Army base in Germany 21 years ago. According to court documents, Shannon L. Wilkerson, 42, is allegedly responsible for the death of Amanda Gonzales on Nov. 3, 2001. The murder occurred at Fliegerhorst Kaserne, then a U.S. Army base in Hanau, Germany. Wilkerson was a member of the Armed Forces at the time of the alleged offense but was later discharged from the Army. Wilkerson is charged under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which gives the U.S. federal courts jurisdiction over crimes committed outside the United States by, among others, former members of the Armed Forces who are no longer subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Wilkerson is charged with one count of first-degree murder. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jason R. Coody for the Northern District of Florida, Assistant Director in Charge Michael J. Driscoll of the FBI New York Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Lisa Yockel of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Europe Field Office made the announcement. The FBI is investigating the case. The FBI Jacksonville Field Office, the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations, and Army’s Criminal Investigative Division, which originally investigated the case, provided valuable assistance with the arrest. Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Goldberg for the Northern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Three of the Highest-Ranking MS-13 Leaders in the World Arrested on Terrorism and Racketeering Charges

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, a four-count indictment was unsealed charging 13 of the highest-ranking MS-13 leaders in the world with directing the transnational criminal organization’s criminal activities in the United States, El Salvador, Mexico, and elsewhere, over the past two decades. Specifically, the defendants are charged with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to provide or conceal material support to terrorists, and narco-terrorism conspiracy. Four of the defendants are also charged with alien smuggling conspiracy which resulted in death. On February 22, 2023, Vladimir Antonio Arevalo-Chavez, also known as “Vampiro de Monserrat Criminales” (Arevalo-Chavez), Walter Yovani Hernandez-Rivera, also known as “Baxter de Park View” and “Bastard de Park View” (Hernandez-Rivera), and Marlon Antonio Menjivar-Portillo, also known as “Rojo de Park View” (Menjivar-Portillo), were located by Mexican authorities and expelled from Mexico via the United States. When Arevalo-Chavez, Hernandez-Rivera, and Menjivar-Portillo arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, they were placed under arrest by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Earlier this afternoon, the defendants had initial appearances in the Southern District of Texas, pending removal to the Eastern District of New York. Four co-defendants, Jose Wilfredo Ayala-Alcantara, also known as “Indio de Hollywood,” Jorge Alexander De La Cruz, also known as “Cruger de Peatonales,” Juan Antonio Martinez-Abrego, also known as “Mary Jane de Hollywood,” and Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales, also known as “Veterano de Tribus,” remain at large. Members of the public with information concerning their whereabouts are strongly encouraged to contact the FBI’s toll-free MS-13 tip line, 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or HSI’s tip line at (866) 347-2423 or https://www.ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form . Together, FBI and HSI have offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the four fugitives. Six other co-defendants, Edwin Ernesto Cedillos-Rodriguez, also known as “Renuente de Abriles Dangers,” Carlos Tiberio Ramirez-Valladares, also known as “Snayder de Pasadena,” Dany Fredy Ramos-Mejia, also known as “Cisco de Teclas,” Dany Balmore Romero-Garcia, also known as “Big Boy de Normandies,” “Dig Boy de Normandies,” and “D Boy de Normandies,” Ruben Antonio Rosa-Lovo, also known as “Chivo de Centrales,” and Miguel Angel Serrano-Medina, also known as “Cabro de Park View,” are believed to be in custody in El Salvador. The United States will explore options for their extradition with the government of El Salvador. Merrick B. Garland, United States Attorney General; Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY); Christopher A. Wray, Director, FBI; Deputy Director and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Tae D. Johnson, Homeland Security Investigations; and John J. Durham, Director of Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), announced the indictment and arrests. “Today’s action makes clear that there is no hiding place, anywhere in the world, for the leaders of violent gangs that terrorize American communities,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will continue to use the full force of our law enforcement authorities to disrupt and dismantle MS-13 and other transnational criminal organizations and hold their leaders accountable.” “The relentless efforts of our Office and law enforcement partners are systematically dismantling the MS-13 from the bottom to the very top, and we will not stop until this transnational criminal organization and its leaders are held accountable for the extreme violence they have inflicted on our district, the United States, and the countries where this scourge is based,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Geographic borders will not shield violent actors from American justice.” “Today’s indictment demonstrates the Department of Justice’s ongoing commitment to hold MS-13’s highest ranking leaders responsible for the terrorism and violence that they have unleased on communities from Long Island to El Salvador and elsewhere,” said JTFV Director Durham. “Only by combating MS-13’s command and control structure, and bringing the transnational criminal organization’s highest-ranking leaders to justice in the United States will we be able to break the persistent cycles of violence that have plagued our communities.” “The FBI will continue to vigorously investigate and hold transnational organized groups like MS-13 and their leaders accountable for the continued violent and terrorist criminal activities they orchestrate,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Today’s indictment demonstrates the FBI’s reach and commitment to seeking justice against those individuals who jeopardize American lives and liberty. We will never stop working in coordination with our international partners to protect our respective citizens from MS-13 and other gangs wherever they are.” "As a member of Joint Task Force Vulcan, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements’ Homeland Security Investigations is committed to protecting national security and the communities we serve against transnational criminal organizations,” said Deputy Director and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Tae D. Johnson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “With our broad legal authorities and ability to investigate a wide spectrum of crimes, our HSI special agents will continue to maximize global efforts that detect, deter, disrupt, and dismantle criminal syndicates, like MS-13, and those who propagate associated illicit operations." As set forth in court filings, the 13 defendants are part of MS-13’s command and control structure, consisting of the Ranfla Nacional , Ranfla en Las Calles , and Ranfla en Los Penales , and play significant leadership roles in the organization’s operations in El Salvador, Mexico, the United States and throughout the world. In the related case of United States v. Henriquez, et al., a grand jury in the Eastern District of New York previously indicted 14 members of the Ranfla Nacional , who functioned as MS-13’s “Board of Directors.” Formal extradition packages were submitted by the United States for 12 of those defendants, who either are or were in El Salvador custody, and remain pending. The two other defendants, Fredy Ivan Jandres-Parad, also known as “Lucky de Park View” and “Lacky de Park View,” and Cesar Humberto Lopez-Larios, also known as “El Grenas de Stoners” and “Oso de Stoners,” still are fugitives. As further alleged, the defendants have engaged in a litany of violent terrorist activities aimed at influencing the government of El Salvador (GOES). The defendants have used terrorist violence to obtain benefits and concessions from the GOES and to target GOES law enforcement and military officials. They have also used improvised explosive devices and grenades and operated military-style training camps for firearms and explosives. The defendants have actively engaged in public displays of violence to threaten and intimidate civilian populations, to obtain and control territory and to manipulate the electoral process in El Salvador. Several of these defendants have played prominent roles in MS-13’s past and current negotiations with the GOES. Further, these defendants authorized and directed violence in the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere as part of a concerted effort to expand MS-13’s influence and territorial control. As the leaders of the MS-13 transnational criminal organization, these defendants were an integral part of the leadership chain responsible for supervising MS-13 cliques in the United States that engaged in extreme violence, including numerous murders, attempted murders, assaults, and related offenses. For example, this Office’s Long Island Criminal Division has prosecuted hundreds of MS-13 leaders, members, and associates for carrying out more than 65 murders in the Eastern District of New York between 2009 and the present. Several of these defendants, including Arevalo-Chavez, Hernandez-Rivera, and Menjivar-Portillo, coordinated MS-13’s expansion into Mexico (the Mexico Program), at the direction of the Ranfla Nacional , which was a coordinated effort to maintain MS-13’s continuity of operations in response to law enforcement pressure previously exerted by the United States and GOES. Additionally, the Mexico Program included forging alliances with Mexican cartels and engaged in narcotics trafficking, immigrant smuggling and extortion, kidnappings, and weapons trafficking. As alleged in the indictment, the MS-13’s Mexico Program murdered some migrants bound for the United States, including suspected members of the rival 18th Street gang and MS-13 members attempting to flee MS-13 in El Salvador without permission. Finally, drug trafficking was an important part of MS-13’s money-making operation, especially in Mexico, and the defendants used MS-13’s large membership in the United States to generate financial support for MS-13’s terrorist activities in El Salvador. Since its creation in August 2019, JTFV has successfully implemented a whole-of-government approach to combatting MS-13, including increasing coordination and collaboration with foreign law enforcement partners, including El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. JTFV has also identified and targeted for prosecution the MS-13 programs, cliques and individuals that have had the most violent impact in the United States and it has coordinated significant MS-13 indictments in U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including the first use of national security charges against MS-13 leaders. JTFV has been comprised of members from U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including the EDNY; the District of New Jersey; the Northern District of Ohio; the District of Utah; the District of Massachusetts; the Eastern District of Texas; the Southern District of New York; the Eastern District of Virginia; the Southern District of Florida; the Southern District of California; the District of Nevada; the District of Alaska; and the District of Columbia, as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division. In addition, all Department of Justice law enforcement agencies are involved in the effort, including the FBI; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. In addition, HSI also plays a critical role in JTFV. U.S. Attorney Peace expressed his sincere thanks to the FBI’s Salt Lake City, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Newark and Houston Field Offices, with critical support provided by the Criminal Investigative Division’s Safe Streets Gang Unit, and HSI’s National Gangs and Violent Crime Unit, who spearheaded this investigation. Additionally, FBI Legal Attaché in Mexico City, HSI Mexico, and the United States Customs and Border Protection Officers and Area Port Director Shawn Polley at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston provided critical support in connection with the arrests as well as the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas for handling the initial appearance. Further, U.S. Attorney Peace recognized the numerous Department of Justice components that contributed to this indictment, including: the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section; the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Executive Office; the Office of International Affairs; and the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training and Organized Crime and Gangs Section. In addition, the Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, and the United States Agency for International Development, Office of Inspector General have provided critical support for JTFV’s mission. The charges announced today are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of life in prison, and the four defendants charged with alien smuggling conspiracy, which resulted in death, also are eligible for the death penalty. The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Donnelly, Matthew Shepherd and Stewart Young from JTFV, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci and Megan E. Farrell from the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Defendants in U.S. Custody : VLADIMIR ANTONIO AREVALO-CHAVEZ (also known as “Vampiro de Monserrat Criminales”) Age: 47 WALTER YOVANI HERNANDEZ-RIVERA (also known as “Baxter de Park View” and “Bastard de Park View”) Age: 29 MARLON ANTONIO MENJIVAR-PORTILLO (also known as “Rojo de Park View”) Age: 47 Fugitive Defendants: JOSE WILFREDO AYALA-ALCANTARA (also known as “Indio de Hollywood”) Age: 55 JORGE ALEXANDER DE LA CRUZ (also known as “Cruger de Peatonales”) Age: 45 JUAN ANTONIO MARTINEZ-ABREGO (also known as “Mary Jane de Hollywood”) Age: 42 FRANCISCO JAVIER ROMAN-BARDALES (also known as “Veterano de Tribus”) Age: 45 Defendants Believed to be in El Salvador Custody: EDWIN ERNESTO CEDILLOS-RODRIGUEZ (also known as “Renuente de Abriles Dangers”) Age: 35 CARLOS TIBERIO RAMIREZ-VALLADARES (also known as “Snayder de Pasadena”) DANY FREDY RAMOS-MEJIA (also known as “Cisco de Teclas”) Age: 44 DANY BALMORE ROMERO-GARCIA (also known as “Big Boy de Normandies,” “Dig Boy de Normandies,” and “D Boy de Normandies”) Age: 48 RUBEN ANTONIO ROSA-LOVO (also known as “Chivo de Centrales”) Age: 52 MIGUEL ANGEL SERRANO-MEDINA (also known as “Cabro de Park View”) Age: 47 E.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 22-CR-429 (JMA)


title: Man Pleads Guilty to $55M Investment Fraud Scheme

body_text: A Florida man pleaded guilty today to orchestrating an investment fraud scheme that defrauded more than 10,000 victims of over $55 million. According to court documents, Michael Glaspie, 72, of Palm City, marketed an investment opportunity under the name “CoinDeal” or “Coin Deal.” Glaspie claimed that CoinDeal would yield extremely high returns on the premise that one or more technology companies – operated under the banner of “ViRSE” and allegedly owned by Neil Suresh Chandran – was about to be acquired by a consortium of wealthy buyers. To entice investors to put money into CoinDeal, Glaspie falsely promised that in the event the returns from CoinDeal failed to materialize, he would repay investors their money with seven percent annual interest over three years. In fact, Glaspie knew he had no means of making such repayments. “For his brazen and repeated lies that defrauded more than 10,000 victims out of more than $55 million, the defendant now justifiably faces a lengthy prison term,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to rooting out investment fraud and holding wrongdoers accountable to protect the financial security of all Americans.” To support his false repayment promise, Glaspie deceptively claimed that he had an exclusive and lucrative contract with AT&T to distribute government‑funded phones, and that an app that he developed was being distributed by the Better Business Bureau and would yield over $400 million in revenue, when he had no such contract or distribution agreement. Furthermore, when the promised sale of CoinDeal did not close, Glaspie transmitted investor funds to Chandran after falsely representing to CoinDeal investors that he would not do so. Glaspie also falsely claimed that he never paid himself with CoinDeal investor funds, when in truth, he misappropriated nearly $2.5 million of victim investments for personal purposes, including trading cryptocurrency, paying his employees’ salaries, and buying a life insurance policy for a family member. “Michael Glaspie admitted today to his involvement in a widespread scheme to defraud investors for his personal benefit,” said U.S. Attorney Steven A. Russell for the District of Nebraska. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of our law enforcement partners to untangle this fraud, Glaspie will now be held accountable for this serious crime.” “This case identified a fraudulent online investment scheme that defrauded over 10,000 victims,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The subject promised investors high rates of returns then misused investor funds for personal use. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to work diligently to identify and pursue those who seek to deceive and defraud the American public.” “This elaborate investment fraud scheme defrauded more than 10,000 victims of over $55 million,” said Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Investment fraud schemes of any type will not be tolerated. The FBI will continue to do what we have done for over 100 years and investigate those who attempt to defraud unsuspecting Americans of their hard-earned money. I would like to thank our partners at FBI offices across the country and the Department of Justice for their work and collaboration to bring justice on behalf of these victims.” Glaspie pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Separately, on June 14, 2022, a federal grand jury in the District of Nebraska returned an indictment charging Chandran with three counts of wire fraud and two counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property for his role in the scheme. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the wire fraud counts and up to 10 years in prison for each count of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The FBI Washington, Omaha, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles Field Offices are investigating the cases. Assistant Chief William E. Johnston and Trial Attorney Tian Huang of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald J. Kleine for the District of Nebraska are prosecuting the cases. All potential investor victims of this fraud are encouraged to visit the webpage https://www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/united-states-v-chandran to identify themselves and obtain more information on their rights, including the opportunity to submit a victim impact statement.


title: MS-13 Members Sentenced to Life in Prison for Racketeering, Murder, Extortion, and Federal Drug Charges

component: USAO - Maryland

body_text: Greenbelt , Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has sentenced Luis Flores-Reyes, a/k/a “Maloso,” “Lobo,”’ and “Viejo Lovvon,” age 42, of Arlington, Virginia and Jairo Jacome, a/k/a “Abuelo,” age 40, of Langley Park, Maryland, to life in federal prison, for charges related to a racketeering enterprise known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or “MS-13.” Jacome and Flores-Reyes were convicted by a federal jury on September 29, 2022, of a racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, and an extortion conspiracy. The jury also found Flores-Reyes guilty of a drug distribution conspiracy. Flores-Reyes was sentenced yesterday and Jacome was sentenced today. On January 12, 2023, Judge Xinis also sentenced co-defendant Brayan Contreras-Avalos, a/k/a “Anonimo” and “Humilde,” age 28, of Langley Park, Maryland, to life in federal prison for his participation in the same racketeering conspiracy. The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III of the Drug Enforcement Administration – New York Division; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department. MS-13 is a national and international gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador and other central American countries. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County, Maryland. Jacome was the highest-ranking member of the local Langley Park Salvatrucha, or “LPS” clique. Flores-Reyes and Contreras-Avalos were leaders within the Sailors Clique, which held territory in Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Texas, and El Salvador. At all times of this conspiracy, members of MS-13 were expected to protect the name, reputation, and status of the gang and to use any means necessary to force respect from those who showed disrespect, including acts of intimidation and violence. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, often referred to as “ chavalas ,” whenever possible. Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increase the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang, and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position. As detailed during the trial, Flores-Reyes, Jacome, and Contreras-Avalos participated in at least six murders, including two minor victims, during the period of the conspiracy. Most of the victims were purported gang rivals except for one minor victim. For example, in June 2016, members of MS-13, including Contreras-Avalos, stabbed to death two unhoused individuals, who gang members believed to be members of the 18 th Street gang, in Hyattsville, Maryland. The investigation revealed no evidence that the victims were in fact members of any gang. Among the most important rules of MS-13 is the prohibition against talking to law enforcement, embodied by the maxim ver, oir, y callar – see, hear, and say nothing. The gang enforced this rule by placing a “green light” – an order to kill – on any member of MS-13 who was thought to be informing on the gang. In December 2016, Jacome directed and participated in the murder of a 14-year-old member of MS-13 who was suspected of talking to the police. The boy’s remains were discovered more than 18 months later in a wooded area outside of Germantown, Maryland. Additionally, in March 2017, a member of the Sailors Clique, who was hiding from law enforcement in the Lynchburg, Virginia, area, after committing a murder in 2016 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, had a dispute with a local high school student over marijuana. In response, Flores-Reyes aided and abetted a squad of MS-13 members to drive down to Lynchburg and murder this high school student. The gang members kidnapped the student from his front lawn and cut his hand off before killing him. After the murder, Flores-Reyes helped to hide and protect the killers from law enforcement. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the defendants also ran an extortion scheme in and around Langley Park, extorting local businesses by charging them “rent” for the privilege of operating in MS-13 “territory.” Flores-Reyes and Contreras-Avalos also trafficked illegal drugs, including marijuana, and cocaine. A large share of the proceeds of the gang’s illegal activities were sent to gang leadership in El Salvador to further promote the illicit activities of the gang, using structured transactions and intermediaries to avoid law enforcement scrutiny. 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know. You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE. United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. commended the FBI, DEA, HSI, Prince George’s County Police Department, Montgomery County Police Department, Virginia State Police, Lynchburg Police Department, Prince William County Police Department, Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the Bedford County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron and Mr. Polite thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy F. Hagan, Chris M. Sarma, William Moomau, Assistant Director Catherine Dick of the Department of Justice Consumer Protection Division and Trial Attorney Alexander Gottfried of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, who prosecuted this case. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Maryland Law Firm Kandel & Associates, P.A., Agrees to Pay the United States Nearly $40,000 to Settle Claims That It Did Not Reimburse Medicare for Payments Made on Behalf of Firm Clients

body_text: Baltimore, Maryland – Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced today that Kandel & Associates, P.A., a Baltimore-based law firm, and Nelson R. Kandel, Esq., have entered into a settlement agreement with the United States to resolve allegations that they failed to reimburse the United States for certain Medicare payments the Government had previously made to medical providers on behalf of firm clients. The Government’s investigation arose under the Medicare Secondary Payer (“MSP”) provisions of the Social Security Act, which authorizes Medicare, as a secondary payer, to make conditional payments for medical items or services under certain circumstances. When an injured person receives a tort settlement or judgment, Medicare law requires persons or entities who receive the settlement or judgment proceeds, including the injured person’s attorney, to repay Medicare for its conditional payments. If Medicare does not receive timely repayment, these same laws and regulations permit the Government to recover the conditional payments from the injured person’s attorney and others who received the settlement or judgment proceeds. The Government alleges that, over many years, Medicare made conditional payments to healthcare providers to satisfy medical bills for firm clients. During that period, the firm negotiated for and received settlement proceeds for the firm’s clients, but neither the firm nor its clients repaid Medicare for conditional payments it made to medical providers. This settlement resolves the Government’s claims that the firm and Mr. Kandel failed to resolve at least twelve MSP debts. The Government alleges that the firm disbursed settlement proceeds to clients without confirming the existence of an MSP debt. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the firm and Mr. Kandel agreed to pay the United States $39,828.66 to resolve the Government’s claims. The firm and Mr. Kandel also agreed to designate a person at the firm responsible for paying MSP debts; train the designated employee to ensure that the firm pays MSP debts on a timely basis; and periodically review any outstanding MSP debts with the designated employee to ensure compliance. The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations. The settlement is not an admission of liability by the firm or Mr. Kandel, nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded. This settlement should remind attorneys of their obligation to reimburse Medicare for conditional payments after receiving settlement or judgment proceeds for their clients. The attorneys’ obligation to reimburse Medicare for conditional payments exists regardless of whether they disburse settlement proceeds to their clients before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services contacts them about the existence of an MSP debt. When attorneys receive settlement funds in personal injury cases, they have an independent obligation to confirm whether their clients received conditional payments from Medicare. “Plaintiffs’ attorneys cannot simply rely on their clients’ representations about their status as Medicare beneficiaries and ignore their obligations to reimburse Medicare for its conditional payments,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “This is the third matter our office has resolved with attorneys who fail to make good on their obligations to repay Medicare for its conditional payments, and we will continue to investigate these matters, regardless of when settlement distributions are made, and regardless of what clients tell their attorneys regarding their status as Medicare beneficiaries.” U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended Eric Wolfish, Assistant Regional Counsel, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the General Counsel, Region III, for his work in the investigation. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorney Alan C. Lazerow, who handled the case. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Jury Finds Armed Home Invaders Guilty of Federal Crimes

body_text: MIAMI – After a two-week trial, a South Florida federal jury found Kejuan Brandon Campbell, Antonio Charles James Jr., and Dionte Alexander-Wilcox guilty on one count of conspiracy to kidnap, two counts of kidnapping, three counts of bank robbery, and three counts of carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. The evidence at trial revealed that on October 11, 2020, Campbell, James, and Alexander-Wilcox conspired to commit a home invasion against a husband and wife – both of whom were over 60 -- because the couple’s estranged nephew had stolen $20,000 from Campbell earlier that day. Wearing masks and gloves, and carrying firearms, the three defendants forced their way into the couple’s home, assaulted the husband, and forced both victims to lie on the floor by pointing guns at them. The defendants ransacked the couples’ home and took their phones and a wallet. Using the wife’s telephone, the defendants tried using CashApp to transfer $20,000 themselves, but the transactions were declined. Campbell then forced the wife to travel with him to multiple stores to try to cash $20,000 in checks. The other two defendants kept the husband at home, holding him at gunpoint. After the stores declined to process the checks, the defendants stayed overnight at the victims’ home and planned to get the money from the couple’s bank the next morning. During their stay, the defendants cooked, drank alcohol, and smoked marijuana. They kept a gun pointed at the couple inside and did not allow them to speak to one another. At one point, with gun in hand, Alexander-Wilcox forced the wife into a bedroom and raped her. The next morning, Campbell forced the wife to withdraw $20,000 from ATMs. After returning the wife home, the defendants filled a couple of suitcases with the victims’ jewelry, as well as items on which the defendants might have left their DNA. The defendants threatened to kill the victims if they called the police, locked the victims in a bathroom, took their house key, and left with the cash. U.S. District Judge James I. Cohn will sentence the defendants in Fort Lauderdale federal court on April 27, 2023, -- Campbell at 9:30 a.m., James at 10:00 a.m., and Alexander-Wilcox at 10:30 am. They each face between 15 years and life in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, acting Special Agent in Charge Maged Behnam of the FBI Miami Field Office, and interim Chief of Police Jose Vargas of the Miramar Police Department, announced the guilty verdict. FBI Miami and Miramar Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Davie Police Department, Broward Sheriff’s Office, and Lauderhill Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Ajay Alexander and Brooke Latta are prosecuting this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove is handling the asset forfeiture aspect of the case. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 21-cr-60011. ###


title: Ex-Housing Authority Official Ordered to Pay Restitution for Federal Fraud Crime

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Pamela McDaniel, 69, of Charleston, was ordered today to pay $17,543.92 in restitution and sentenced to five years of federal probation, including six months on home detention, for altering a postal money order and embezzling more than $28,000 from the Charleston-Kanawha Housing Authority (CKHA). According to court documents and statements made in court, McDaniel had been employed by CKHA since 2006 and was serving as a housing manager in 2018. As a housing manager, McDaniel’s duties included collecting tenant rental payments and forwarding them to the CKHA accounts clerk. On January 10, 2018, McDaniel received a $235 postal money order from a CKHA tenant intended for rental payment. McDaniel admitted to adding her own name to the postal money order to make it appear as though McDaniel was the intended beneficiary of the payment. McDaniel deposited the postal money order into her personal checking account. McDaniel further admitted that from 2007 to 2018, she used her position as a CKHA housing manager to embezzle $28,523.30. As part of this scheme, McDaniel altered money orders she received from tenants attempting to pay dues that they owed CKHA and deposited the altered money orders into her personal checking account. McDaniel offset some of the money she stole by repaying a portion of the embezzled funds. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General (HUD OIG) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Blackwell prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-157. ###