title: Two Defendants Arrested During 2023 Joint Enforcement Operation in Carlsbad Plead Guilty to Conspiracy Charges

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Towanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration El Paso Division, announced today that Brian Kain Purdy and Sabino Alfonso Maldonado, two of the 12 defendants arrested during a joint enforcement operation last year in Carlsbad, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States and conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States. Purdy, 42, of Carlsbad, will remain on conditions of release pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. Maldonado, 32, of Carlsbad, will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. In their plea agreements, Purdy and Maldonado admitted that on March 8, 2023, they picked up six firearms in Carlsbad at the direction of a co-conspirator and, together with another individual, wrapped them in towels and loaded them into a Jeep, hiding them underneath other items in the Jeep. Purdy and Maldonado then turned the Jeep over to another individual, who had traveled to Carlsbad from Mexico in order to pick up the firearms and transport them back to Mexico. As the individual from Mexico began to drive back to Mexico with the firearms, he was stopped by law enforcement officer, and the firearms were seized. The seized firearms are all controlled on the Commerce Control List, and neither Purdy nor Maldonado had obtained a license and written authorization to export the firearms. Purdy and Maldonado admitted that they knew that the attempted exportation of the firearms was in violation of the law. At sentencing, Purdy and Maldonado both face up to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of mandatory supervised release. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force led the investigation, with enforcement assistance from the United States Marshal Service, Carlsbad Police Department, Eddy County Sheriff’ Department, Roswell Police Department, Chaves County Drug Task Force, DEA Airwing and Customs and Border Patrol. The New Mexico Air National Guard’s Air Unit, Artesia Police Department and Customs and Border Patrol’s Air Unit provided support during the operation on August 1, 2023. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Renee L. Camacho and Devon Aragon-Martinez are prosecuting the case. This investigation was conducted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. 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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. View Purdy's Plea Agreement View Maldonado's Plea Agreement ### 24-31


title: Orlando Man Sentenced To 9 Years In Federal Prison On Cocaine And Ecstasy Charges

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Eric Joen Brenes-Colon (34, Orlando) to 9 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and MDMA (Ecstasy). Brenes-Colon had pleaded guilty on October 26, 2023. According to court documents, Brenes-Colon was the source of supply of kilograms of cocaine for a drug-trafficking operation that operated in Central Florida and Tampa in 2020 and 2021. Brenes-Colon coordinated shipments of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Florida and delivered cocaine to Georgi Milenov Solakov (31, Tampa) up until March 2021, when Solakov was arrested. Some of the cocaine was sent from Puerto Rico to Solakov’s residence near downtown Tampa in parcels with Styrofoam coolers of cocaine inside. Solakov was convicted of federal drug trafficking and firearms offenses on September 17, 2021, and he is currently serving time in federal prison. Brenes-Colon also distributed MDMA tablets and marijuana, and several firearms, including a shotgun, a semi-automatic pistol, and an assault rifle, were seized in connection with the investigation. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J. Del Mastro and E. Jackson Boggs Jr.


title: Tuscaloosa Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison on Drug Charge

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

body_text: TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A Tuscaloosa man was sentenced on a drug charge, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson. U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler sentenced Jimmy Lee Spencer, 37, to 48 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana. Spencer was convicted of this charge in August 2023. According to evidence presented at trial, Spencer had large amounts of cocaine and marijuana inside his home in Tuscaloosa. He also had multiple firearms, digital scales, a money counter, a vacuum sealer, and packaging material that he used to package and sell narcotics in the community. The ATF investigated the case along with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany T. Byrd and M. Blake Milner prosecuted the case.


title: Man Who Shared Child Pornography, Fled St. Louis Sentenced to 188 Months in Prison

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ST. LOUIS –A man who possessed and shared child pornography and then fled from St. Louis while on house arrest was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years and eight months in prison. U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Tuesday also ordered Daniel Bert, 38, to be placed on supervised release for life after he gets out of prison. Bert, of St. Louis, Missouri, possessed child sexual abuse material on multiple electronic devices, including laptops, phones and hard drives. After receiving two tips about Bert, the FBI discovered he was discussing his sexual interest in young children on Kik Messenger. An undercover FBI special agent began communicating with Bert on another app, Wickr. Bert sent a picture of his genitals to the agent, told the agent that he had a hard drive full of child pornography and asked the agent to join him in an online video chat during which Bert played videos containing child pornography. After his indictment, Bert removed his GPS monitoring device while on house arrest and fled St. Louis. He was arrested in Florida on May 11. Bert pleaded guilty in August to a felony charge of transportation of child pornography. The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Guatemalan Man Sentenced for Illegal Reentry

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Guatemalan man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for illegally reentering the United States after deportation. Marcelino De Leon Yoc, a/k/a “Eric Pineda Hernandez,” 32, was sentenced by U. S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to time served (approximately five months) and one year of supervised release. In October 2023, Yoc pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. According to the charging documents, De Leon Yoc was removed from the United States on May 12, 2018. De Leon Yoc unlawfully reentered the United States sometime after his May 2018 removal. On Aug. 24, 2023, De Leon Yoc was arrested by immigration authorities in Lynn, Mass. According to court filings, De Leon Yoc is also facing charges in Suffolk County Superior Court for aggravated rape of a child, indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 and trafficking of a person for sexual servitude. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Todd M. Lyons, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Reynolds III of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.


title: NE Georgia Resident Sentenced in Prison-Directed Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: MACON, Ga. – A Commerce, Georgia, resident convicted for his role in a larger inmate-directed armed drug conspiracy operating in the Athens, Georgia, area was sentenced to serve 19 years in prison for his crimes today. Brendan R. Gates, 37, of Commerce, Georgia, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal to serve 228 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. This federal prison term will be served consecutively to any term of imprisonment imposed in a pending Gwinnett County, Georgia, Superior Court case. Gates was found guilty by a federal jury on Sept. 21, 2022, of one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Gates’ co-defendant at trial, Cindy Stamey, 51, of Danielsville, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison on Sept. 18, 2023, after she was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. “Armed criminal networks create chaos and sow destruction in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Law enforcement at every level is working together and tirelessly to dismantle these types of criminal networks in a collective effort to make our towns and cities safer.” “Drug dealing breeds violence and traffickers who engage in this dangerous lifestyle often protect their drug stash with firearms,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Consequently, these defendants will spend well-deserved time in prison. DEA and its law enforcement partners are committed to making communities safer by removing such criminals from the streets.” The following co-defendants have been sentenced: Adonias Sales Temaj aka “Alacran,” 28, of Norcross, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on July 14, 2022, and was sentenced to 260 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release; Malcody Dinges aka Cody aka “Yes, Sir Cody,” 43, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Dec. 16, 2021, and was sentenced to 240 months in prison (to run consecutive to any state-imposed sentence) to be followed by three years of supervised release; Ervin Sales Temaj aka “Milton Aguilar,” 34, of Norcross, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on April 13, 2022, and was sentenced to 121 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release; Carrie Kasper, 31, of Athens, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on July 15, 2021, and was sentenced to 120 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release; Christopher Wilson, 41, of Hull, Georgia, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on April 13, 2022, and was sentenced to 55 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release; Justin Maddox, 44, of Athens, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Aug. 3, 2021, and was sentenced to 30 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release; and Katlyn Lackey, 21, of Commerce, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on May 12, 2022, and was sentenced to 20 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. The defendants are not eligible for parole. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, federal agents learned in 2018 that co-defendant Dinges was conducting drug deals using contraband cell phones while in custody at the Wheeler Correctional Facility. During the course of the investigation, agents learned that Dinges was communicating with Gates and other co-defendants located in the Athens area about distributing controlled substances; these individuals would travel to locations in Atlanta as directed by Dinges to receive methamphetamine and return to Athens to distribute the drugs. Dinges received a fee for brokering the deals. When federal agents executed a search warrant at Gates’ residence, they seized a handgun and methamphetamine. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . The case was investigated by DEA, the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, the Athens-Clarke Police Department, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office and the Madison County Sheriff Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Jarrett is prosecuting the case.


title: Federal Grand Jury Indicts Louisville Man for Carjacking and Firearms Offenses

component: USAO - Kentucky, Western

body_text: Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, returned an indictment on November 7, 2023, charging a local man with carjacking, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Nashville, Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office, and Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement. According to the indictment, Octavius Long, 46, was charged with carjacking, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, all of which occurred on May 8, 2023. Long was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses. On February 16, 2016, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Long was convicted of possession of a controlled substance, second offense. On May 22, 2014, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Long was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree, less than 4 grams of cocaine, and possession of a controlled substance in the first degree, cocaine. On August 29, 2003, in Grant Circuit Court, Long was convicted of assault in the third degree, corrections officer. On November 2, 2000, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Long was convicted of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, and possession of a controlled substance, cocaine. On June 16, 1999, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Long was convicted of escape in the second degree. On January 24, 2024, Long made an initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. He remains in federal custody pending trial. If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 7 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system. This case is being investigated by the LMPD, HSI, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua R. Porter is prosecuting this 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: Peshtigo Man Charged with Sexual Exploitation of Minors

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Eastern

body_text: Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on January 23, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment alleging that Zachary A. Zastawniak (age: 23) of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, sexually exploited or attempted to sexually exploit two minors, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2251(a) and 2251(e). According to the indictment, on or about July 7, 2023, and again on August 23, 2023, Zastawniak knowingly employed, used, persuaded, induced, and coerced two minors to “engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction … of [the victims] engaged in the lascivious exhibition of [the victims’] genitals.” Zastawniak faces a mandatory 15 years’ imprisonment and up to 30 years’ imprisonment if convicted of either count. He may also be fined up to $250,000 on each count. This case was investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, the North Fond du Lac Police Department, Oconto Falls Police Department, Oconto Police Department, Oconto County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kingsford, Michigan, Department of Public Safety. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. # # # For Additional Information Contact: Public Information Officer Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov 414-297-1700 Follow us on Twitter


title: Corinna Counselor Ordered to Pay MaineCare $13,087.62 for Submitting Bogus Treatment Records

body_text: BANGOR, Maine: A Corinna woman was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor today for false statements involving a health care benefit program. U.S. District Judge John A Woodcock, Jr. ordered April McKinney, known professionally as April Taylor , 47, to pay $13,087.62 in restitution to the Maine Department of Health & Human Services (ME/DHHS). ME/DHHS administers the MaineCare program. McKinney was also sentenced to three years of probation and fined $2,500. She pleaded guilty on August 15, 2023. According to court records, between April and December 2020, McKinney falsified appointment details and session notes in therapy service records. She used the falsified records to bill and receive funds from MaineCare. MaineCare is funded primarily by the federal government, which pays approximately two-thirds of all reimbursed claims. McKinney’s submission of falsified information led to the misuse of taxpayer dollars through reimbursements higher than warranted by any actual patient care given. She surrendered her counseling license on January 22, 2024, through a consent agreement. The FBI investigated the case. ###


title: Tampa Man Sentenced On Drug Conspiracy Charges Involving Nearly Five Kilograms Of Methamphetamine And Over 8,000 Fentanyl Pills

body_text: Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber today sentenced Victor Yoel Perez Cremades (52, Tampa) to 15 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl and possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl. The court also ordered Cremades to forfeit $4,820, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense. A federal jury had found Cremades guilty on May 9, 2023. According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on September 8, 2021, the FBI served a search warrant on Cremades’ residence in Tampa. In Cremades’s bedroom, agents located a bag containing more than 800 grams of pills pressed to look like oxycodone tablets and over 3,000 grams of methamphetamine. The bag was in the same closet as Cremades’s passport, ID card, and Social Security card. An additional 145 grams of methamphetamine was located in the dining area. On the same day, agents intercepted a suspicious package in the mail that was destined to a fictitious person at Cremades’s address. The package contained more than 1,700 grams of methamphetamine and over 1,200 fentanyl pills pressed to look like oxycodone tablets. During the search, agents located financial receipts showing Cremades had sent money to the same city the suspicious package was mailed from. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Samantha Beckman and Brooke Padgett.


title: Federal Jury Convicts San Felipe Man of Sexual Abuse

component: USAO - New Mexico

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced today that on Jan. 23, 2024, a federal jury returned two guilty verdicts against Kyle Aguilar, 41, of San Felipe and an enrolled member of the San Felipe Pueblo, after four hours of deliberation. The jury convicted Aguilar of two counts of abusive sexual contact. Judge James O. Browning presided. A federal grand jury issued a superseding indictment against Aguilar on Oct. 4, 2023. According to evidence presented at trial and other publicly available court records, between Aug. 13, 2016, and Feb. 13, 2017, when Aguilar was drunk, he touched Jane Doe’s genitalia and breasts over her clothing. Jane Doe locked herself in a room to watch a movie. Aguilar unlocked the door and came into the room. He started to massage Jane Doe's back, before he touched her breasts and genitals over the clothes. Jane Doe stated she froze when this happened as it had never happened before. She then claimed she heard her sister calling for her and left the room. Jane Doe was between the ages of 12 and 16 when this happened. The incidents came to light during a visit to the doctor in February of 2017, when Jane Doe told her doctor that Aguilar had inappropriately touched her on more than one occasion when he was drunk. Aguilar will remain on conditions of release pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. At sentencing, Aguilar faces up to four years in prison. The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicholas J. Marshall and Mia Ulibarri-Rubin are prosecuting the case. # # # 24-32


title: Gun Possession and High-Speed Chase  Results in Decade Long Prison Sentence

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A man who had domestic abuse convictions and was found on three occasions with different firearms in Cedar Rapids was sentenced January 23, 2024, to ten years in federal prison. Colby Lakeith Shannon, Jr., age 26, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 10, 2023, guilty plea to three counts of possession a firearm by a person with a prior domestic abuse conviction. In a plea agreement, Shannon admitted that, on July 15, 2022, he was at a gathering where firearms were discharged. When Cedar Rapids police officers responded, they recovered a stolen .45 caliber handgun from a vehicle that was linked to Shannon by DNA testing. This firearm had previously been reported stolen. The next day, July 16, 2022, Shannon fled from the police in a high-speed chase through a Cedar Rapids residential neighborhood. When officers found Shannon’s abandoned vehicle, they found a firearm with an obliterated serial number and marijuana. On October 30, 2022, Cedar Rapids police officers responded to an alarm at a business in downtown Cedar Rapids. They found Shannon passed out in a running vehicle behind the business. When they removed him from the vehicle, they found another stolen firearm in the vehicle. Shannon was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Shannon was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. Shannon is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Reinert and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Safe Streets Task Force. The task force is composed of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cedar Rapids Police Department’s Police Community Action Team. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 23-CR-00012. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Corpus man on supervision for firearms charge imprisoned for drug stash found at home

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 36-year-old man has been sentenced for possession with intent to distribute meth, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Phil Cuellar III aka Tex pleaded guilty Aug. 7, 2023. U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now sentenced him to 168 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Cuellar had been on supervised release for a previous felon in possession of a firearm charge at the time of his drug arrest. As such, the court ordered him to serve an additional 20 months in federal prison, 10 months to be served concurrently and 10 months to be served consecutively for a total 178-month-term of imprisonment. During the hearing, the court heard additional evidence regarding Cuellar’s criminal history including Cuellar’s gang membership in Tango Blast, two prior felony drug possession convictions involving intent to deliver, evading arrest in a vehicle and felon in possession of a firearm. The investigation began after Cuellar attempted to sell narcotics after reaching out to someone on social media. On May 24, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Cuellar’s residence. During the search, they found 389 grams of meth, over 27 grams of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, THC cartridges, almost $20,000 in cash and a loaded firearm that had been reported stolen. Cuellar will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI, Corpus Christi Police Department’s Gang Unit and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barbara J. De Pena and Brittany Jensen prosecuted the case.


title: Chicago Man Indicted for Possessing an Illegal Machinegun

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today, a federal grand jury in Brooklyn returned a two-count indictment charging Isaiah Dukes, also known as “Lil Zay Osama,” with possession of a machinegun and possession of an unregistered firearm. Dukes is presently in state custody in Illinois on unrelated charges and will be arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn at a later date. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Tommy Kalogiros, Special Agent-in-Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Office (ATF), and Edward A. Caban, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the indictment. “As alleged, Dukes brought a machinegun into our District, and then dangerously left it in the back of a rideshare,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to work diligently to protect our communities from such dangerous weapons.” “Machineguns have been highly regulated in the United States since the 1930s and have been banned since 1986. Machineguns have no place on the streets of our communities. They are weapons intended to kill and injure with maximum effect, with the shooter often firing uncontrollably and indiscriminately. They pose a significant danger to both the public and law enforcement. Today’s indictment serves as an important reminder that machinegun conversion devices, such as switches, violate federal law, and that possession will not be tolerated. The men and women of ATF will continue to work with our partners to reduce the proliferation of these devices on our streets. Thanks to ATF NY’s Joint Firearms Task Force, ATF Chicago, NYPD & EDNY,” stated ATF Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Kalogiros. “Today’s indictment is a stark reminder that loaded, illegal firearms – sometimes modified to maximize their deadly potential, as alleged in this case – continue to be brought into and carried throughout New York City,” stated NYPD Commissioner Caban. “Let me be clear: This behavior will not be tolerated here, and the NYPD vows to keep our streets safe from guns and anyone who unlawfully possesses them. I commend and thank the rideshare driver who observed this weapon for doing what we always ask of all New Yorkers: He saw something and he said something, and he possibly saved lives in the process.” As alleged in public filings, on September 29, 2022, Dukes carried a loaded Glock pistol affixed with a switch — a device that when attached to the back of a handgun like a Glock converts the firearm into a fully automatic weapon. Law enforcement subsequently determined that the firearm can automatically fire more than one round with a single function of the trigger, rendering it a machinegun. Dukes was arrested after leaving the firearm in a rideshare vehicle that brought him from a luxury hotel in Manhattan to a recording studio in Queens. The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of all counts, the defendant faces a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment. Assistant United States Attorneys Gilbert M. Rein and Rebecca M. Schuman are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Rachel Friedman. The Defendant : ISAIAH DUKES Age: 26 Calumet City, Illinois E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-28 (NRM)


title: Meth, fentanyl trafficking send Great Falls man to prison for 13 years

body_text: GREAT FALLS — A Great Falls man who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl after his drug distribution led to the near-death of a toddler who ingested a fentanyl pill was sentenced today to 13 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. Shacotta Keenan St. Onge, 31, pleaded guilty in June 2023 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. In court documents, the government alleged that the Russell Country Drug Task Force received information in the fall of 2022, that St. Onge was distributing drugs in the Great Falls area. Law Enforcement obtained meth and fentanyl pills from St. Onge in controlled buys and in February 2023, officers executed a search warrant on St. Onge’s residence and recovered fentanyl pills and meth. In April 2023, St. Onge sold fentanyl to the mother of a two-year-old girl. The pills were scattered about the mother’s residence, and the child ingested a pill, leading to her hospitalization and near death. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara J. Elliott prosecuted the case. Homeland Security Investigations, the Russell Country Drug Task Force, the Great Falls Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. 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. XXX


title: Member of Violent New Haven Gang Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Charge

body_text: JAEDYN RIVERA, also known as “Jae Honcho,” 23, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to a racketeering offense stemming from his role in a violent New Haven street gang. Today’s announcement was made by Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; John P. Doyle, Jr., State’s Attorney for the New Haven Judicial District; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England; and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson. According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address violence in New Haven, including murders and attempted murders, the ATF, FBI, DEA and New Haven Police Department, working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, have been investigating an ongoing gang war between members and associates of the Exit 8 street gang and rival gangs in the Hill section and other areas of the city. The Exit 8 gang is named after the geographic area accessed by exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven. Recently, younger members of Exit 8 are identifying themselves with the word “Honcho,” which is derived from the street name of an Exit 8 member who was murdered on Quinnipiac Avenue in February 2020. The investigation revealed that Rivera and other members of the Exit 8 gang engaged in drug trafficking, used and shared firearms, and, since June 2018, have committed at least three murders and 16 attempted murders. Exit 8 members and associates also stole vehicles, at times from outside of the state, and used those stolen vehicles when committing acts of violence. Gang members also promoted, coordinated, facilitated, and celebrated their narcotics distribution and acts of violence through text messaging and the use of social media applications and websites including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. Rivera admitted today that he took part in four shootings of rival gang members in May 2021. Three individuals were injured during those shootings. On May 14, 2021, one victim was shot in the leg and torso, and on May 20, 2021, one victim was shot in the leg and another victim was shot in the back. Rivera pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. A sentencing date is not scheduled. Rivera has been detained since May 21, 2021. This investigation is being conducted by ATF, the FBI, the DEA, the New Haven Police Department, and the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens, Rahul Kale and Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis. This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs. PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities. Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .


title: FBI’s ‘Most Wanted Fugitive’ Sentenced for Illegal Firearm

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm. Cory T. Brown, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 10 years in federal prison without parole, the statutory maximum penalty. On March 30, 2023, Brown was convicted at trial of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Brown was in possession of a Glock 10mm semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine on Oct. 14, 2021. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Brown has prior felony convictions for carrying a concealed weapon and resisting a lawful stop. Brown, who was on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fugitive List, was at the residence of co-defendant Myron A. McMillian, 32, of Independence, Mo., on Oct. 14, 2021. Brown had been indicted in a drug-trafficking conspiracy and was a fugitive for two years. (He was later acquitted of the conspiracy charge at trial.) FBI agents were conducting surveillance of the apartment complex, and several tactical teams approached the apartment building that evening. Before officers could announce their presence, McMillian and two other people ran from the rear door of the apartment. Brown, wearing a red balaclava pulled over his face with only his eyes visible, was arrested near the back door of the apartment. Brown had $11,072 in cash in his pocket and identity documents with his photo but another person’s name. Officers later searched the silver 2021 Mercedes they had seen Brown driving and found a black Louis Vuitton backpack that contained $5,000 in cash. Officers executed a search warrant at McMillian’s apartment, where they found eight firearms, approximately 3.5 kilograms of marijuana, and $3,188 in cash. On the kitchen counter, officers found a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Glock 10mm semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine, a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol, and marijuana. Officers also found an Anderson Arms AM-15 .556-caliber firearm and a Romarm Cugir Draco 7.62x39mm pistol in the kitchen area. DNA evidence indicated the Glock pistol had been in Brown’s possession. In McMillian’s bedroom, officers found a backpack that contained marijuana and approximately $800 in cash. Officers also found a duffel bag that contained approximately 2.5 kilograms of marijuana. Under the mattress of the bed, they found a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol. On the dresser, investigators found marijuana and approximately $1,580 in cash. In a dresser drawer, they found marijuana and approximately $800 in cash. Officers found a New Frontier Armory .223-caliber rifle in the main living room area, on the floor near the fireplace, an FNH 5.7mm semi-automatic pistol on the arm of the couch, and a Glock .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol on a shelf. McMillian pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute and was sentenced on Sept. 8, 2023, to 14 months in federal prison without parole. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashleigh A. Ragner and Robert M. Smith. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and the Independence, Mo., Police Department. Project Safe Neighborhoods This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Billings bank robbery sends Lame Deer man to prison for more than five years

body_text: BILLINGS — A Lame Deer man who admitted to robbing a Billing bank while armed with a knife and attempting to flee on a city bus was sentenced today to five years and three months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. Elmer Brady, 68, pleaded guilty in August 2023 to bank robbery. U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The government alleged that on March 23, Brady entered Stockman Bank in downtown Billings, approached a teller and told her, “I already took care of your security guard.” Brady then wrote on a deposit slip, “This is a …” with the last word being unreadable. Brady slid the note to the teller and demanded $9,000 or else he would kill her. The teller told law enforcement that Brady said he was armed with a weapon and would use it if she didn’t give him the money. Fearing that Brady was going to kill her and others in the bank, the teller gave Brady all the money in her cash drawer, and he left the bank. Brady attempted to leave the area on a City of Billings bus, but a bank guard alerted the bus driver, who ordered Brady to get off. Brady complied and police officers arrested him a short time later as he was walking toward the Billings Public Library. In a search of Brady, officers found a large knife in his jacket pocket and determined he was on state probation. Law enforcement searched Brady’s bag and recovered $6,361 in U.S. currency, a pair of binoculars, rubber gloves and a metal pipe. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin M. Rubich prosecuted the case. The FBI and Billings Police Department conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Fentanyl dealer operating in Medina and Rochester going to prison for 10 years

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Ebony Shine, 37, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Marangola, who handled the case, stated that Shine was arrested on November 15, 2022, after investigators executed federal search warrants at her residence on Post Avenue in Rochester and several other locations. During the search of Shine’s residence, approximately $4,506.00 in U.S. currency, drug paraphernalia, three firearms, and over 100 rounds of ammunition, were recovered. On 12 occasions between October 2021, and November 15, 2022, at locations in Medina and Rochester, Shine sold over 440 grams of fentanyl, 119 grams of cocaine, and a 9mm pistol to an individual working with law enforcement. Shine supervised the distribution of quantities of fentanyl by her sons and co-conspirators, Emmanual Taylor, and Nasir Shine. Taylor and Nasir Shine were previously convicted and are awaiting sentencing. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force, under the direction of the Orleans County District Attorney’s Office and District Attorney Joseph Cardone, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino, the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division, the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Christopher Bourke, the Medina Police Department, under the direction of Chief Todd Draper, the Niagara County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti, and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith. # # # #


title: Law Enforcement Arrests Four on Indictment Alleging San Fernando Valley Crew Trafficked Cocaine, Methamphetamine and Fentanyl

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – Four alleged members of a San Fernando Valley-based drug trafficking crew were arrested today on a 15-count federal grand jury indictment charging them with running an operation that sold cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. The following four defendants were arrested this morning are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles: Giselle Buraye, 23, a.k.a. “Giselle Haidy Dykhouse,” “Bandida,” “bandida.loka,” of Van Nuys; Efren Meraz, Jr., 35, a.k.a. “Jr.,” “Junior,” of Sylmar; Max Roman-Betancourt, 41, of Sunland; and Esteban Armas, 36, of Panorama City. Of the remaining three defendants, Oscar Alejandro Melendez, 50, a.k.a. “Ozzy,” “Oz,” of Van Nuys, and Robert Carlton Lavilette, 68, of Ventura, are expected to be arraigned in the coming days. Sarkis Kyurkchian, 40, a.k.a. “Z,” aka “Sam,” of North Hollywood, is a fugitive and being sought by law enforcement. All seven defendants have been charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances. Buraye is also charged with possession and intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession and intent to distribute fentanyl, and distribution of fentanyl. As part of this investigation, law enforcement seized 19 kilograms (42 pounds) of methamphetamine, 58 kilograms (128 pounds) of cocaine, 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) of fentanyl powder, and two firearms. Law enforcement estimates that the value of the drugs seized exceeds $1 million. Throughout this case, more than $150,000 in U.S. currency has been seized. During search warrants executed today at five locations in the San Fernando Valley, law enforcement seized more than 14 firearms, 2 pounds of methamphetamine, $153,000 in U.S. currency and various narcotics. “Powerfully addictive drugs such as fentanyl and methamphetamine devastate families and communities,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “With these charges we have dismantled a drug trafficking organization that put profits over people’s lives. We will continue to do everything in our power to make sure every resident has an opportunity to live in safety.” “Reducing violent crime in our community and throughout our country is the priority of ATF,” said ATF Los Angeles Field Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher Bombardiere. “This case illustrates the importance of genuine relationships between law enforcement agencies to keep our communities safe. Stopping the illegal and highly dangerous flow of narcotics by this ring will make the Valley safer tonight.” “The culmination of this investigation is an example of the strong partnerships built between federal and local law enforcement agencies focused on combatting drug and gun trafficking,” said DEA Ventura Resident Office, Resident Agent in Charge Ryan Olson. “Members of this criminal organization were involved in the distribution of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs that are poisoning our communities. DEA is committed to making our communities safer by removing violent offenders and dangerous drugs from the streets. We will continue to push forward and utilize all necessary resources to dismantle the largest criminal organizations negatively impacting our communities.” According to the indictment returned on Tuesday, Buraye, Melendez, and Meraz spearheaded the operation by obtaining the fentanyl pills, methamphetamine, and cocaine. The trio, along with Kyurkchian, allegedly provided the drugs to Lavilette and Bentancourt, who then sold the drugs in the streets. Armas allegedly stored the narcotics and Buraye and Melendez allegedly sold the drugs to customers. On April 14, 2021, Buraye and Mendez allegedly sold approximately 1,000 fentanyl pills, and were charged with aiding and abetting, and distribution of fentanyl. In March 2022, Buraye allegedly sold more than 700 fentanyl pills. A search warrant executed in May 2022 at Armas’s residence resulted in the seizure of 2,504 grams (approximately 5.5 pounds) of fentanyl powder, 57 kilograms (approximately 125 pounds) of cocaine, 10.92 kilograms (approximately 24 pounds) of methamphetamine and $152,602 in drug proceeds, according to court documents. An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court. If convicted of all charges, each defendant would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Los Angeles Police Department are investigating this matter. The Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force (L.A. IMPACT), IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office assisted in this investigation. This case is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, ATF, DEA, and IRS. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. OCDETF uses an intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Assistant United States Attorney MiRi Song of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section is prosecuting this case.


title: Owner of Vashon Island landscaping company convicted of human trafficking, labor trafficking, and money laundering felonies

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Seattle –A 45-year-old Vashon Island, Washington resident was convicted in U.S. District Court in Seattle of 21 federal felonies related to human trafficking and forced labor, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Jesus Ruiz-Hernandez, aka Christo Jesus Escobar Solares, was found guilty following a 13-day jury trial. Jurors deliberated one and a half days before returning the guilty verdicts on multiple counts of forced labor, transporting and harboring people without status in the U.S., and money laundering. U.S. District Judge James L. Robart set sentencing for April 30, 2024 at 9:30am. Records filed in the case and testimony at trial revealed that Ruiz-Hernandez lured victims from his hometown of Vista Hermosa, Michoacan, with the promise of a better life for their families. In exchange, Ruiz-Hernandez required victims to put up collateral, including the temporary relinquishment of parental rights and interest in family properties. Ruiz-Hernandez, using smugglers he hired, brought the undocumented victims to the U.S. and then forced them to work for his company, Brothers Landscaping, on Vashon Island. He then charged the victims exorbitant fees for rent, food, and other expenses, housed them both in his home and worker properties and held ever increasing debts over their heads. In the spring of 2017, Ruiz-Hernandez used smugglers to bring an adult victim to the United States and then used force, threats of force, and physical violence to force the victim to work for him without pay. The jury found Ruiz-Hernandez committed aggravated sexual abuse against the victim. From 2018 until August 2021, Ruiz-Hernandez forced a second victim he had brought to the U.S. to work for him by threatening him with harm. The victim was also transported and harbored for financial gain. In all, Ruiz-Hernandez was convicted of exploiting the labor of seven people not legally in the U.S. As prosecutors said in closing arguments, “For years Ruiz-Hernandez ensured a steady pipeline of workers for his landscaping business… He used their undocumented status and inability to speak English to prey on them.” Ruiz-Hernandez presented himself as an upstanding and hardworking businessman on Vashon Island. He conned many unsuspecting homeowners and businessowners into hiring his company, consisting of the victims and others, many who were thousands of miles from home, did not speak, read, or write the English language and were dependent on him. It was because of this ongoing work Ruiz-Hernandez was able to continue his exploitive scheme, fueling his lavish lifestyle that benefited himself and his family for years. Ruiz-Hernandez was also convicted of six counts of money laundering. Testimony revealed that Ruiz-Hernandez and his brothers had deposited over $1.5 million in checks from customers to their bank account between 2017 and 2022. Much of those funds were payment for the work done by the victims and others the defendant illegally brought to the U.S., trafficked, harbored, and exploited. Ruiz-Hernandez took steps to keep his name off corporate documents, financial records, numerous transactions, and hundreds of thousands of dollars of international wires to Mexico. Ruiz-Hernandez and his co-conspirators used some of that laundered proceeds to purchase two pieces of property on the island. Some of the money laundering counts relate to Ruiz-Hernandez sending money, and directing employees to send money, to Mexico to pay fees to coyotes for transport of his victims across the border. Following the trial on the human and labor trafficking counts, the jury determined that the properties on Vashon were purchased with laundered proceeds of his illegal scheme and ordered that the properties should be forfeited to the government. Forced labor is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and up to life imprisonment if the jury determines that the offense involved aggravated sexual abuse. Transporting an undocumented person for financial gain and harboring an undocumented person for financial gain are each punishable by up to ten years in prison. Bringing an undocumented person to the United States for financial gain is punishable by a mandatory minimum three years in prison and up to ten years in prison. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Task Force Officer Megan Bruneau Zentner. Detective Zentner is with the Seattle Police Department, assigned to the HSI Task Force. Detective Zentner’s position is federally funded by the Department of Justice’s Enhanced Collaborative Model with a focus on investigating labor trafficking of foreign-born victims. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kate Crisham, Jocelyn Cooney, and Jehiel Baer. Ms. Crisham is the Western District of Washington coordinator of efforts to stop human trafficking.


title: Two Men Convicted in Federal Court of Kidnapping an FBI Employee at Gunpoint

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal jury has convicted Juan Francisco Alvarez-Sorto, age 25, of El Salvador, and Deyvin Morales, age 29, of Guatemala, of the following offenses: Kidnapping; Carjacking; Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person; and Unlawful Reentry after Deportation. The jury returned its verdict on each count following a 6-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on January 23, 2024. According to evidence presented at trial, on May 5, 2022, Alvarez, Morales, and Lopez traveled from Greeley, Colorado, into southwestern South Dakota for the purpose of trafficking and distributing controlled substances, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin. During their trip, the defendants encountered law enforcement and engaged in a high-speed chase. The defendants eluded law enforcement at that time and hid in a remote area near Red Shirt, South Dakota. Alvarez, Morales, and Lopez then decided to carjack the next vehicle to come along the area at which the defendants stopped on BIA Highway 41. At approximately 2:00am on May 6, 2022, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Victim Specialist left an unrelated crime scene investigation near Oglala, South Dakota, and began traveling back towards his duty station in Rapid City. The FBI employee was driving his assigned FBI vehicle. As the employee was heading North on BIA 41 near the Badlands overlook on Cuny Table, he passed a vehicle that was parked in the approach near the overlook. As he passed the parked vehicle, the parked vehicle’s lights turned on and the vehicle pulled out behind the employee. The employee, believing he was being pulled over by law enforcement, pulled his vehicle to the side of the road. After the employee pulled his vehicle over, he next realized there was a male at his window pointing a rifle at him and ordering him to get out of the vehicle. The employee realized that the male, identified as Alvarez, was not a law enforcement officer and also that the vehicle had blocked his own vehicle, preventing him from driving away. Morales and Alvarez ordered the FBI employee out of the vehicle at gun point. The employee was ordered to get on the ground behind his vehicle while Alvarez was holding the rifle at the back of his head. The employee was ordered to keep his head down while on the ground. The group then robbed him of his wallet, money, credit cards, car keys, watch, and personal and work mobile phones. The FBI employee was then ordered to get up and placed in the middle-rear seat of his government-issued vehicle, as the passenger side seat was blocked with items. While holding the rifle, Alvarez was seated in the front passenger seat of the employee’s vehicle and Morales, while armed with two handguns in his waistband, was seated in the rear driver’s side seat next to the employee. Lopez got into the driver’s seat of the employee’s vehicle. At this point, the defendants took control of the vehicle and took the employee hostage. As the group traveled North on BIA 41, they told the employee to cooperate and he would be safe, but if he did not, the group would come after his family and that they knew where he lived. The group traveled to Hermosa, South Dakota, stopping at a gas station at the intersection of State Highway 40 and Highway 79. Once the group arrived at the gas station, Lopez went inside to purchase gas. As she got out of the vehicle to go inside the gas station, Alvarez locked the doors to the employee’s vehicle, and the doors remained locked while Lopez was out of the vehicle. Lopez then came back to the vehicle holding a gas can and zip ties. She entered the vehicle and conducted a U-turn and then went to a gas pump. The FBI employee noticed that after Lopez came back to the vehicle, Alvarez, who was brandishing the firearm, had the zip ties in his possession and was getting them out. As Lopez got out to pump gas, the doors to the vehicle were momentarily unlocked. Seizing the opportunity, the employee opened the rear driver’s side door, fought his way out of the vehicle, slipping out of his jacket to escape Morales' attempts to detain him, and sprinted inside the front doors of the gas station to escape. The three defendants then fled from the gas station and drove to Rapid City, where they abandoned the FBI vehicle and switched to another vehicle. Alvarez and Morales were able to make it back to Greeley, Colorado, where they were ultimately arrested for their roles in the kidnapping and carjacking. During a search of the residence where Alvarez and Morales were arrested, law enforcement located firearms, including the rifle used during the kidnapping and carjacking, and controlled substances. “Every day, men and women in the Department of Justice respond to incidents of violent crime in South Dakota,” said U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell. “This dedication to improving community safety often comes with great personal sacrifice, and as this case unfortunately demonstrates, on occasion, an extreme risk to personal safety. We are grateful to our partners at the FBI for their dogged commitment to this difficult work, and we hope these convictions send a clear message about the lengths the U.S. Attorney’s Office is willing to go to vindicate the rights of victims, no matter who they are.” “The FBI will not tolerate violence and threats to harm its personnel,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “Thank you to our law enforcement partners and the USAO-SD for their hard work and unwavering dedication. This verdict stands as a testament to our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of every member of the FBI. Justice will be relentlessly pursued against those who seek to harm or intimidate any of our workforce.” This case was investigated by the FBI, Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the South Dakota DCI, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Greeley, Colorado, Police Department, and the Custer and Pennington County Sheriff’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy R. Jehangiri and Paige Petersen prosecuted the case. Alvarez, Morales, and co-defendant Karla Alejandra Lopez-Gutierrez were indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2022 and Alvarez and Morales were indicted again in December of 2023. The charge of kidnapping carries any term of years up to life in custody and/or a $250,000 fine and 5 years of supervised release. The charge of carjacking carries 15 years of custody and/or a $250,000 fine and 3 years of supervised release. The use, carry, and brandish a firearm charge carries a mandatory minimum of 7 years and up to life in custody and/or a $250,000 fine and 5 years of supervised release. The unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person charge carries 10 years of custody and/or a $250,000 fine and 3 years of supervised release. The unlawful reentry after deportation charge carries 2 years of custody and/or a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release. A $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund applies to each count, totaling $500. A sentencing date has not yet been set. The defendants were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. ###


title: Former Physician is Sentenced to 30 Months after Conviction for Diverting Prescription Opioids

component: USAO - Texas, Western

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – A former San Antonio doctor was sentenced in federal court yesterday to 30 months in prison for conspiring with others to dispense controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose. According to court documents, Paul Silva, 48, admitted that he unlawfully and fraudulently issued more than 500 prescriptions for more than 40,000 dosage units of controlled substances, primarily opioids, in the names of living and deceased family members, former patients and others, after his medical license expired and then was suspended. Co-conspirators picked up the prescription medications and distributed them to unknown individuals and not to legitimate patients of the doctor. Silva’s co-defendants Denton Thomas, 38, and Nicholas Klumpp, 32, both of San Antonio, pleaded guilty earlier. Thomas pleaded guilty to one count of dispensing and possession with intent to dispense a controlled substance without lawful medical purpose and aiding and abetting. He is scheduled for sentencing in April 2024. Klumpp pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to dispense and to possess with intent to dispense and distribute controlled substances without lawful medical purpose and one count of dispensing and possession with intent to dispense a controlled substance without lawful medical purpose and aiding and abetting. On September 25, 2023, Klumpp was sentenced to 27 months on both counts to run concurrently. “The nonmedical use of opioids and opioid addiction has become a nationwide epidemic. Overdose deaths in this country have eclipsed automobile deaths as the leading cause of death. By dispensing opioids and other controlled substances that were meant for legitimate medical treatment and working to have them distributed on the streets for profit, Silva has contributed to this epidemic and endangered many lives,” said. United States Attorney Jaime Esparza. “My office will continue to work closely with the Drug Enforcement Administration and other law enforcement agencies to attempt to slow this epidemic by going after physicians and others who divert prescription drugs from their legitimate medical purpose to the streets.” “Despite losing his medical privileges in the State of Texas, Silva continued to prescribe hundreds of highly addictive prescription pills to himself and fictitious patients, further fueling the opioid problem facing our country," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Houston Division. “Our collaborative efforts will continue to hold those who hurt our communities by defrauding the system accountable.” DEA investigated the case. ###


title: United States Files False Claims Act Complaint Against Department of Energy Prime Contractor Alleging Millions of Dollars in Fraudulent Overcharging

component: USAO - Washington, Eastern

body_text: Richland, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that the United States filed a Complaint in federal district court against Hanford Mission Integration Solutions, LLC (HMIS), alleging fraudulent labor overcharging at the Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Nuclear Site. DOE’s Hanford Nuclear Site, a 580-square-mile in southeast Washington, was established in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project, and was used to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons, including those used in the Trinity Test and the “Fat Man” bomb detonated over Nagasaki during the final days of World War II. Since the late 1980s, DOE has been engaged in an extensive environmental cleanup and decommissioning operation, involving remediation and treatment of large quantities of radioactive and hazardous waste. HMIS is owned by three large government contracting companies: Leidos Integrated Technology, headquartered in Reston, Virginia; Centerra Group, LLC, headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; and Parsons Government Services, headquartered in Centreville, Virginia. Since January 2021, HMIS has held the multi-billion-dollar Hanford Mission Essential Services Contract. Part of the HMIS contract requires it to provide fire protection and fire systems management services for the Hanford Site, in order to protect the public, the environment, and Hanford Site workers from fire hazards as well as from potential radiological or other hazards that could arise from natural or human-created fire activity. The HMIS contract is a cost-type contract, meaning that HMIS is reimbursed for its reasonable, allowable, and allocable costs of performing work on the contract, and can earn profit, or fee, based on achieving various performance incentives. Costs include labor costs, such as the cost associated with labor hours performed by fire protection and fire systems management personnel employed by HMIS at the Hanford Site, who perform critical tasks such as testing and maintaining sprinklers, pipes, and electronic fire systems. The Complaint alleges that, between January 2021 and October 2023, HMIS engaged in a systemic and fraudulent overcharging of DOE for fire protection work at Hanford. Specifically, the Complaint alleges that HMIS fire protection personnel regularly experienced extensive and unreasonable idle time on a daily or near-daily basis, due to HMIS’ failure to schedule and carry out work for them to perform. The Complaint further alleges that, during this extensive idle time, HMIS fire protection personnel took naps, watched movies and television, and engaged in other personal activity not related to performing work. The Complaint alleges that HMIS supervisors and management were fully aware of this extensive and unreasonable idle time for its personnel, but, rather than take steps to address it, they encouraged and directed HMIS fire protection personnel to falsely and fraudulently charge this idle time to work codes associated with HMIS’ contract, passing on the costs associated with this extensive and unreasonable idle time to DOE by fraudulently and falsely representing that work had been performed. For example, the Complaint alleges that when a fire systems manager was asked via email how to charge a day in which a worker had no work to perform for the entire 10-hour day, the manager responded, via email: “[i]f they DID NOT have a job assignment for the day – that means you are on standby and would use the 600318.” According to the Complaint, 600318 was the cost code associated with training. The Complaint alleges, as an example, that a fire protection worker who did not have any work to perform for an entire 10-hour day, and spent a portion of that day watching the film “There’s Something About Mary” at his desk, then charged the entire 10-hour day to the 600318 training code, which HMIS management approved and submitted to DOE for reimbursement. The Complaint also alleges that notwithstanding the extensive and unreasonable idle time during the regular, 10-hour Monday through Thursday Hanford workday, HMIS nonetheless scheduled substantial overtime for fire protection workers on Friday and weekends, and that these unnecessary overtime shifts themselves involved extensive and unreasonable idle time, causing DOE to be fraudulently billed for such shifts at premium pay rates. The Complaint alleges that this systemic and pervasive practice of falsely and fraudulently billing DOE for extensive and unreasonable downtime was not only known to HMIS management, but encouraged by them. For example, the Complaint alleges that in July 2022, Michael Winkel, HMIS’s Director of Fire Systems Maintenance, instructed a pipefitter via email to use CACN 600320, a cost code associated with performing “preventative maintenance” on the fire system, for “downtime the remainder of the day.” According to the Complaint, HMIS’s systemic and pervasive overcharging and fraudulent billing resulted in millions of dollars in overcharges to DOE, and jeopardized the critical fire protection systems at Hanford because this extensive and unreasonable idle time occurred when there was, in fact, important fire protection work that could and should have been performed to safeguard the public, workers, and the environment from fire dangers, including during dangerous wildfire seasons. “Fire safety at Hanford is critical to the health of the public, workers, and the environment,” said United States Attorney Waldref. “It is inexcusable to think that a well-paid contractor entrusted with this critical task to protect our community would fraudulently bill DOE for idle time spent watching movies and literally sleeping on the job, all while putting the public at risk when critical work went uncompleted. We will continue to work hand-in-glove with our law enforcement partners to end fraud and corruption at Hanford and support environmental remediation.” This case was originally brought by Bradley Keever, a sprinkler fitter in the fire protection group at HMIS. Under the False Claims Act, whistleblowers may file an action under seal in federal court. The United States investigates the allegations and determines whether to intervene in the action. Under the False Claims Act, the United States may recover up to three times the damages caused by the Defendant, plus additional penalties for each false claim or statement. If the United States obtains a recovery, the whistleblower is generally able to share in a portion of the recovery. Over the past decade, False Claims Act recoveries in the Eastern District of Washington have exceeded $400 million. The complaint can be found here. Assistant United States Attorneys Frieda Zimmerman, Molly Smith, and Dan Fruchter are prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States. The investigation was conducted by the Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General. The claims articulated in the Complaint are allegations only; at this time there has been no determination of liability. Case No. 4:21-cv-05156-SAB


title: District Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison For Sexually Abusing Four Middle-School Aged Children

body_text: WASHINGTON – Luis Quevedo, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 12 years in prison term for sexually abusing four middle school aged girls over an eight month period, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced. On August 21, 2023, the defendant pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of first degree child sexual abuse and three counts of second degree child sexual abuse – one count related to each of the defendant’s four victims. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon prison term of seven and half to 15 years in prison. The Honorable Maribeth Raffinan accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant to a 12-year prison term. The court also ordered the defendant to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life and to complete five years of supervised release. According to the government’s evidence, between August 2022 and April 2023, the defendant engaged in a pattern of behavior wherein he contacted middle school aged girls—strangers to him—via social media with the intention of luring them to his house to engage in sexual intercourse. During that period of time, the defendant, who was 18 to 19 years old, had sexual intercourse with at least four such girls, each between 12 and 13 years of age. The defendant was arrested on April 6, 2023, and has been in custody ever since. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates Maria Garcia-Sanchez, Forensic Interviewer Tracy Owusu, Paralegal Specialist Brenda Williams, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Platt and Sarah Roessler, who investigated and prosecuted the case.


title: Arapahoe man sentenced for assault resulting in serious bodily injury and theft from an Indian organization

body_text: Logan Savage, 43, of Arapahoe, Wyoming, was sentenced to 36 months in prison for assault resulting in serious bodily injury and, in a separate crime, 24 months in prison for theft from an Indian organization. These sentences will be served concurrently. The defendant was also ordered to pay $81,922.37 in restitution. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on Jan. 23. Savage pled guilty to the assault crime in Oct. 2023. According to court documents, Savage admitted to entering the residence of the victim on Feb. 11, 2023, and then beating and kicking the victim and hitting the victim with a pistol. Savage pled guilty to the theft of an Indian organization charge in Nov. 2023. According to court documents, the defendant was employed as the Finance Director of Wind River Family and Community Healthcare (WRFCH) in Riverton from July 2022 through May 2023. WRFCH issued the defendant a credit card to use for business expenses. Company policy explicitly prohibited using the credit card for personal expenses. From about Oct. 1, 2022, through Mar. 31, 2023, Savage willfully misused the company credit card to make personal purchases including firearms, furniture, and groceries. The assault case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Elmore. The theft case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Elmore and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook. Case No. 23-CR-00034 (Assault) and Case No. 23-CR-00139 (Theft)


title: Houston trio arraigned on bank theft charges

body_text: Christopher Parish, age 41, London B. Beaudoin, age 19, and Leo Smith, age 20, from Houston, Texas, were arraigned on Jan. 18. The defendants are charged with bank theft. Their trial has been set for Mar. 11 before U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson in Cheyenne. All three defendants were detained at the request of the government and remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. This crime is being investigated by the FBI and the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Forwood. An indictment merely contains allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Case No. 24-CR-06


title: Casper man and Greeley woman arraigned on drug trafficking charges

body_text: Dusty Ronald Harris, age 42, of Casper, Wyoming, and Thelma Faber, age 44, of Greeley, Colorado, were arraigned on Jan. 19. Each defendant was charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, aiding and abetting, and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Trial has been set for Mar. 25 before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl in Casper. Harris and Faber were each detained at the request of the government and remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals. If convicted on all charges, each defendant could be sentenced to a maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment with no less than three years of supervised release and up to a $2 million fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. This crime is being investigated by the FBI, Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy W. Gist. An indictment merely contains allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Case No. 24-CR-20


title: Georgia Woman Sentenced for COVID-19 Era Paycheck Protection Program Loan Fraud

component: USAO - Alabama, Middle

body_text: MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA – Today, Acting United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross announced the sentencing of a LaGrange, Georgia woman following her conviction on bank fraud charges related to loans she received through the Paycheck Protection Program. On January 18, 2024, a federal judge sentenced 53-year-old Pamela Denise Williams to 33 months in prison. The judge also ordered that Williams serve five years of supervised release following her prison term. Federal inmates are not eligible for parole. According to her plea agreement and other court records, on May 26, 2021, Williams applied for a Paycheck Protection Program loan from a credit union located in Chambers County, Alabama. When she did so, she put false information on the application making herself eligible to receive a larger loan amount. The Paycheck Protection Program was authorized by the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In her plea agreement, Williams specifically admitted that she “knowingly and fraudulently” overstated her business’s income. Additionally, in her application Williams falsely represented that the loan proceeds would be used for approved purposes, such as payroll. However, Williams admitted to diverting the funds for unallowed purposes. In addition to her prison sentence, the judge also ordered Williams to forfeit $121,000 and pay a $15,000 fine. The total intended loss amount from Williams’ fraud exceeded $1,500,000. A hearing will be set in the coming months to determine the amount of restitution owed by Williams based on actual losses to the financial institutions. On May 17, 2021, the United States Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus and https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . The United States Secret Service investigated this case, which Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric M. Counts, Joel Feil, and Michelle R. Turner prosecuted.


title: 8 People Arrested in Moses Lake on  Federal Drug Trafficking Charges and Violent Offenses

body_text: Moses Lake, Washington, - Today, United State Attorney Vanessa Waldref, announced the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), United States Marshals Service (USMS), Moses Lake Police Department (MLPD), Border Patrol, and the Washington Department of Corrections arrested eight individuals charged with various federal drug trafficking and violent offenses. Among those arrested: • Solomon Valle-Chavarria, Pedro Valley-Chavarria, Jose Mauricio Rodriguez-Sanchez and Paulino Portillo-Orozco were arrested on a 7-count indictment stemming from their methamphetamine distribution activities and unlawful firearm possession, to include a firearm believed to be utilized in a murder that occurred in November 2023 in Montlake Park. 2:24-CR-13-SAB • Troy S. McLanahan ’s residence was searched on January 23, 2024, pursuant to a federal search warrant related to his distribution of drugs out of said residence. During the execution of the search warrant, ATF and MLPD recovered approximately 35 guns, which included assault rifles, short-barreled shotguns, short-barreled rifles, as well as high-capacity shotgun banana clips, 3 silencers and more than 1 pound of methamphetamine (pictures below). McLanahan was subsequently charged by criminal complaint. 2:24-mj-39-JAG • Rebecca A. Jimenez was arrested for her role in an incident on January 21, 2022, where a vehicle was set on fire in the Moses Lake Motel 6 parking lot over a drug debt. Her two co-defendants, Tyler Wallo and David Maybee are currently in state prison serving sentences for unrelated convictions and will have their appearance in federal court on these charges next month. 2:24-CR-4-TOR • Cameron Ross was arrested for distribution, attempted distribution, and conspiracy to distribute large quantity of fentanyl pills into the Moses Lake community. 2:24-CR-3-TOR • Nicholas E. Essex was arrested for distribution of methamphetamine into the Moses Lake community. When he was arrested, he was on pre-trial release for state charges of Possession of Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct. 2:24-CR-12-MKD “During the arrests in these cases, illegal drugs and a large number of firearms were taken off our streets, demonstrating the significant impact that is felt when federal, state and local law enforcement work together,” said U.S. Attorney Waldref. “We will continue our collaborative, focused efforts to combat violent crime issues and make our communities safer and stronger.” These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin Baunsgard. An indictment and a complaint are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Two California Residents Sentenced for Roles in Wide-Ranging Fraud and Money Laundering Conspiracy

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Two residents of Santa Ana, California, have been sentenced in federal court on their convictions of money laundering conspiracy, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan imposed the sentences on Thien Phuc Tran, 34, and Ton Huynh Bui, 30. Tran received a sentence of 87 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $4,247,987 in restitution, while Bui was sentenced to four months’ incarceration followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $194,278 in restitution. According to information presented to the court, Tran and Bui were part of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy which had two overall elements: a fraud scheme to deprive victims of money, and then a second scheme to launder the fraudulently obtained funds, with Tran and Bui involved in the latter scheme. Vulnerable victims across the United States, often elderly, were convinced through nefarious means, including computer pop-up messages followed by telephone calls from co-conspirators operating out of call centers in India, to send their money to bank accounts created with stolen Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Typically, a pop-up message would appear on their computer screen, falsely purporting to be from a reputable technology company, urging the user to call a number. When the victim called the number, the victim was told that his or her identity had been compromised and would be convinced to send their money to a particular bank account opened by Tran and Bui with stolen PII. Conspirators also converted stolen victim funds to cryptocurrency, and moved money through multiple accounts, including accounts affiliated with the defendants, in an attempt to conceal their fraudulent activities. One victim in the Western District of Pennsylvania was caused to liquidate retirement accounts totaling $1,288,073. Tran was found to be responsible for the laundering of $4,247,973 in fraud proceeds, while Bui was responsible for a lesser amount of $194,278. Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Ranjan stated that the crimes committed by the defendants went well beyond typical financial crimes and will seriously affect victims for a very long time. Assistant United States Attorneys Robert S. Cessar and Stephen R. Kaufman prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Tran and Bui.


title: Morrisdale Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine Charge

body_text: JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Morrisdale, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. Shane Hoover, 32, pleaded guilty to Count Two of the Superseding Indictment before Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson. In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that, from about November 2019 to June 2020, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Hoover conspired to distribute and possessed with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Hoover was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of methamphetamine that he distributed to others. Judge Gibson scheduled sentencing for May 15, 2024. The law provides for a sentence of at least 10 years to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Hoover. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Millcreek Police Department, Erie Bureau of Police, and other local law enforcement agencies. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Moncks Corner Felon Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: CHARLESTON, S.C. — Kareem Kashif Jefferson, 34, of Moncks Corner, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after being convicted of being a felon in possession of firearms and for possession with intent to distribute marijuana, eutylone, and crack cocaine. Evidence presented to the court showed that on Feb. 14, 2020, a Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office deputy was on patrol around 11 p.m. when the deputy stopped to assist what appeared to be a stranded driver on the side of the road with their vehicle. The deputy located a man, later identified as Jefferson, by the vehicle, which had two flat tires. The deputy could smell alcohol and marijuana and he noted signs of impairment in Jefferson’s behavior, such as slurred speech, swaying, and trying to jack up the vehicle, but the jack was not under the car or its frame. The deputy also saw an open container of alcohol inside the vehicle. Jefferson said he was going to drive to a church which was nearby, but the deputy instructed him that he could not drive. Jefferson began disregarding the deputy’s instructions and attempted to leave. During the exchange, Jefferson dropped his hands to his waistline area and attempted to manipulate a handgun in his pocket. The deputy could see the magazine, the bottom of the grip, and the magazine well of the gun. Jefferson then removed a gun from his pants and tossed it aside. After Jefferson was arrested, deputies recovered the gun he discarded, a 9mm pistol. They also located additional guns in the vehicle, along with 223 grams of marijuana and a small amount of crack. Jefferson has previous felony convictions that prevent him from carrying a gun. United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel sentenced Jefferson to 168 months imprisonment, to be followed by a six-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, 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 was investigated by the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Kittrell is prosecuting the case. ###