title: U.S. Attorney Dena J. King Joins Panel Discussion On “Diversifying The Criminal Justice Landscape ” At Johnson C. Smith University

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, U.S. Attorney Dena J. King joined professionals in the criminal justice field for a panel discussion at Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) on the topic of “Diversifying the Criminal Justice Landscape.” The event was organized by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), in collaboration with JCSU’s Criminology Program and the College of Arts, as part of ATF’s “Law Enforcement Leaders of America,” or LELA initiative, which aims to advance diversity in the criminal justice profession. U.S. Attorney King has supported the LELA initiative from its inception and has participated on multiple LELA events held on college campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in North Carolina, including at Livingstone College, Winston Salem State University, and at North Carolina Central University, U.S. Attorney King’s alma mater. “I am pleased and honored to be a part of this important initiative, centered on promoting diversity in the criminal justice field. These events are a remarkable opportunity to engage directly with undergraduate students and spark their interest in careers they may not have explored up to this point,” said U.S. Attorney King. “Looking back to when I was in college, there were limited opportunities for minority students to be exposed to and learn about professional opportunities in this field. I am excited be a part of the LELA program and I am looking forward to participating in future events.” U.S. Attorney King was joined in this panel discussion by criminal justice professionals representing federal, state and local government agencies, who shared valuable perspectives on career paths, job preparation, obstacles, and lessons learned. College students who attended the event also received information on a broad range of topics related to career options, internship opportunities, and practical tips, such as preparing for a job interview. Following the panel discussion, students had an opportunity to ask questions and network with the panelists.


title: Alamogordo man pleads guilty to enticement of a minor

component: USAO - New Mexico

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced today that Alfonso Salcido Herrera, Jr. pleaded guilty to the enticement of a minor. Herrera, 45, of Alamogordo, New Mexico, will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. According to the plea agreement and other court documents, beginning in 2018 and continuing into 2022, Herrera groomed and sexually abused at least four children who were between nine and 13 years old at the time of the abuse. Herrera showed each of the four minor victims pornography from the Internet on his cell phone in an attempt to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce the minor victims to engage in sexual activity with him. Herrera faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. Under the terms of his agreement with the government, Herrera can be sentenced to up to 60 years in prison. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated this case with assistance from the Alamogordo Police Department and the 12th Judicial District Attorney's Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Matilda McCarthy Villalobos and Joni Autrey Stahl are prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/ . # # # 23-62


title: Huntsville Man Sentenced to More than Eight Years for Possession of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Alabama, Northern

body_text: HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A federal judge this week sentenced a Madison County man for possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger. U.S. District Judge Liles C. Burke sentenced Gregory Wade Hughes , 33, of Huntsville, to 101 months in prison followed by lifetime of supervised release. Hughes was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution to the victims. In January 2023, Hughes pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. According to court documents, Homeland Security Investigations received seventeen cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) relating to an internet protocol (IP) address that had uploaded apparent child sexual abuse materials online. Investigation revealed that the IP address was subscribed at a residence where Hughes lived. On July 12, 2018, a search warrant was executed on the residence and several electronic devices were seized. Forensic examination revealed child sexual abuse material on two of Hughes’ devices. Hughes was interviewed and admitted that he had searched for pornographic videos and images involving children under the age of thirteen. This conviction will require Hughes to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) along with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Leann White and John M. Hundscheid prosecuted the case. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s 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, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov .


title: Mississippi Resident Sentenced to Twelve Years in Prison for Armed Carjacking

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

body_text: BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge today sentenced a Mississippi resident for a carjacking that occurred in Moody, Alabama, 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 Corey L. Maze sentenced Eric Lamar White , 25, of Jackson, Mississippi, to 144 months in prison. White was convicted by a federal jury in December 2022 of carjacking and carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime. According to evidence presented at trial, on January 7, 2021, White and his codefendant, Kendarian Toran, were traveling from Jackson, Mississippi, to Atlanta, Georgia, in a stolen vehicle with a switched tag. The stolen vehicle began to overheat so White and Toran decided to carjack the victim in this case while carrying a firearm. At the time of the carjacking, the victim was in her 2008 Acura TL, pumping gas with her two small children in the vehicle. White and Toran waited for the perfect opportunity to take her car. White repositioned the overheating stolen car so that Toran could easily jump out and get into the driver’s seat of the Acura with ease. Once Toran got into the driver’s seat of the victim’s vehicle, the victim attempted to stop him from taking her car by jumping into the driver’s seat on top of Toran. She did not want him to take her children and fought for them. Toran put the firearm to the victim’s pregnant belly, told her to get her kids out of the car, and quickly drove off with her 2008 Acura TL, just as the last child got out. White and Toran met at a nearby business parking lot where White abandoned the original stolen vehicle and got into the 2008 Acura TL with Toran. Hours later, White was driving the Acura back to Jackson, Mississippi, with Toran, when Mississippi law enforcement spotted them. A vehicle pursuit ensued for 29 miles on I-20 at speeds over 120 mph with multiple law enforcement officers. Officers had to spike and force the vehicle into the median on I-20. When White was arrested, he had his Glock .45 caliber pistol and an Alabama driver’s license belonging to a person matching the description of the victim. The evidence showed that the Glock .45 caliber pistol was purchased by White in October 2020. On August 25, 2022, U.S. District Court Judge Corey L. Maze sentenced Kendarian Lamonte Toran , 18, of Ridgeland, Mississippi, to 90 months in prison for carjacking and carrying and brandishing a firearm during and relation to a violent crime. Toran pleaded guilty to the charges in March. The ATF investigated the case along with assistance from the FBI Birmingham Division, Moody Police Department, and multiple Mississippi law enforcement agencies, to include Rankin County Sherriff’s Office, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, and Madison Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittney Plyler and Kristy Peoples are prosecuting the case.


title: Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Prison for Illegal Gun Sales

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A previously convicted felon was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for illegally selling ghost guns. A ghost gun is a firearm that has been manufactured by an individual and not by a firearms manufacturing company. Zachary Zella, 30, of Dudley, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 92 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In December 2022, Zella pleaded guilty to engaging in and conspiring to engage in the business of dealing and manufacturing firearms without a license. Zella was arrested and charged in June 2022 along with a co-defendant. “Ghost guns pose a real and imminent threat to public safety in our communities. When unregistered firearms get into the hands of prohibited individuals, we are less safe. Each of these illegal ghost guns could have been used in a violent crime, shooting or murder. Each bullet represents a potential shooting or homicide victim. Keeping illegal firearms off our streets and out of the hands of prohibited individuals is critical to addressing and eliminating gun violence,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “We pledge to do everything in our power to hold individuals engaged in illegal firearms sales accountable. Today’s sentence proves just that.” “Zachary Zella is a now a twice convicted felon who has continued to demonstrate why he is a serious danger to the community. Most recently, Mr. Zella admitted to selling non-serialized firearms to us. With today’s sentence, this career criminal has been held accountable for his blatant disregard for the law, and for putting innocent people in potential danger,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “This investigation illustrates how the FBI is working closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and remove dangerous criminals and weapons from our streets.” On three separate occasions between March and May 2022, the Zella sold a confidential source four 9mm ghost gun pistols – one of which contained a Gamo laser sight – and ammunition. U.S. Attorney Rollins, FBI Boston SAC Bonavolonta and Carol Mici, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Correction made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danial Bennett and Brendan O’Shea of Rollins’ Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case. The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Oquawka, Illinois, Man Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Receipt of Child Pornography

component: Department of Justice

body_text: SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – An Oquawka, Illinois, man, Gale Hurt, 73, of the 1000 block of Grant Street, was sentenced on March 30, 2023, to 180 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for sexual exploitation of a child and receipt of child pornography. At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Hurt communicated with a fourteen-year-old girl in February 2022, using an online chatting application and his phone. During the initial conversations he pretended to be a fifteen-year-old girl, and then asked to text with the child. When the conversation moved to text messaging, he told the child he was a fifty-year-old man, sent the child nude images of himself and other pornography, and requested and received sexually explicit images of the child. Moreover, during those conversations Hurt discussed the two meeting to engage in a sexual relationship. Also at the hearing, Senior United States District Judge Sue E. Myerscough found that Hurt had tricked the child into producing and sending the images to him, and that by his own admission he had received child pornography from other minors in the past. Hurt was indicted in April 2022 and pleaded guilty in September 2022. He has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals since his arrest in March 2022, after he was charged by way of a federal complaint. The statutory penalties for sexual exploitation of a child are not less than fifteen years and up to thirty years in prison, not more than a $250,000 fine, and up to a life term of supervised release. The statutory penalties for receipt of child pornography are not less than five years and up to twenty years in prison, not more than a $250,000 fine, and up to a life term of supervised release. The United States Secret Service investigated the case with the assistance of the Illinois State Police and Springfield Police Department Task Force Officers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner K. Jacobs represented the government in the prosecution. The Hurt case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s 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 .


title: Raleigh Man Sentenced to 16 Years  for Seeking Child Pornography in Online Chat Rooms

component: USAO - North Carolina, Eastern

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. – William Robert Jeffery of Wake County was sentenced today to 192 months in prison for accessing the internet with intent to view child pornography. A federal jury found Jeffery, 61, guilty of the charge on December 22, 2022, following a two-day trial. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, in spring of 2020, the Raleigh Police Department received reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding illegal internet activity at Jeffery’s Raleigh home. NCMEC reported that on five occasions from October 2019, to January 2020, a user at that address had submitted images of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM, often referred to as child pornography) into the Microsoft Bing reverse image search, seeking similar images. On March 17, 2020, FBI and the Raleigh Police Department executed a search warrant at Jeffery’s home. He admitted to using a pornographic chat website and viewing clothed images of children, but he denied possessing CSAM material. A forensic examination of his laptop showed extensive activity on the chat website and multiple CSAM images that had been deleted from the internet history. The forensic analyst also recovered deleted images of CSAM material on an older computer that Jeffery had used in 2006-2009, along with earlier activity on the same chat website. Jeffery has a prior conviction in federal court for traveling in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in a sex act with a minor in 2020, and in 2021, he was convicted in Dare County Superior Court of two counts of indecent liberties with a minor. Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Raleigh Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.2:20-CR-0464-D.


title: American Man Who Joined ISIS in Syria Sentenced to 20 years

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – A U.S. citizen, Emraan Ali (“Ali”), has been sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release by the Honorable Beth Bloom for conspiring to provide material support to ISIS. Ali entered a guilty plea on November 22, 2022. On March 20, 2015, Ali, aka Abu Jihad Al-Trinidadi Al-Amriki, took his family from Trinidad and Tobago to Brazil, and thereafter to Turkey and Syria with the purpose of joining ISIS. Before leaving Trinidad and Tobago to join ISIS, Ali set up a financial system whereby he could receive funds in Syria, collected $15,000 in cash, falsely told his children they were going on vacation, and melted down gold to be converted to jewelry so he would have money and financial support once he was in Syria. Ali also made efforts to make Trinidadian authorities believe he was not leaving Trinidad so they would not interfere with his efforts to provide material support to ISIS. Upon arriving in Turkey, Ali and his family stayed in Istanbul and then traveled to Gaziantep, Turkey. While in Gaziantep, Ali contacted coconspirators to arrange for travel across the Turkey-Syria border to join ISIS. Shortly thereafter, Ali and his family were driven from Gaziantep to the Syrian border in a van. Once at the border Ali and his family, including small children, got out of the van and ran across the border into Syria on foot. Once they arrived in ISIS controlled territory, ISIS registered Ali and his family, who thereafter joined a settlement in Manbij, Syria, where they lived while Ali awaited ISIS military training. From July through November 2015, Ali went to Raqqa, Syria, for ISIS religious and military training with other English speakers. The training included instruction on the operation of various automatic weapons such as the AK-47 assault rifle and PKC machine gun. Following this training, Ali was assigned an ISIS census number in the “12000” series - the series reserved for military enlistees. He was given boots, socks, and a gun barrel. Ali also registered with ISIS the M4 weapon he had personally acquired. After he completed military training, Ali was assigned to the Anwar al-Awlaki katibah (battalion) in Raqqa and received an ISIS identification card under the kunya (alias) of “Abu-Jihad al-Trinidad al-Amriki” or “Abu Jihad TNT.” Between September and November 2015, Ali’s son, Jihad Mohammed Ali, then 15 years old, began attending ISIS religious and military training in Raqqa, after which he also was assigned to the Anwar al-Awlaki katibah. Eventually, Ali was discharged from the Anwar al-Awlaki katibah for medical reasons, and he moved his family to another location in Raqqa, which had become the de facto ISIS capital. Ali thereafter continued to provide material support to ISIS and contribute to its economy while in Raqqa, approximately between 2015 and 2017. First, Ali worked in residential construction for ISIS. Ali’s construction work helped create homes for ISIS members, including fighters and their families who occupied territories ISIS claimed from Syria. Like others who received housing to help the occupation, Ali also received free housing upon his arrival in Syria and his entry into ISIS military training. In addition, Ali worked to create buildings for ISIS operations. Ali also became a merchant, thereby supporting ISIS and its members. Ali began buying and selling livestock, cars, weapons, weapons accessories, and telephones to and from other ISIS members. Ali also assisted ISIS’s military goals by purchasing and selling weapons and weapons accessories to ISIS members to use in their fighting, preferring superior American-made accessories to those manufactured by China. Ali also provided money remitting services to other Trinidadian ISIS fighters in Syria, serving as a “hawalder,” or money transfer broker. He also donated his own money to ISIS members to support the ISIS cause. Eventually, in late 2017, Ali left Raqqa with his family and moved to Mayadin, Syria, which had become the new headquarters for ISIS after the Coalition Forces retook Raqqa. While in Mayadin, Ali was assigned to an ISIS housing battalion, or katibah, and received an ISIS identification card. Consistent with ISIS’s bureaucratic structure, Ali also received a monthly stipend or payment in the amount of $35 US per adult and $28 US per child in his household. In addition, Ali was again provided free housing by ISIS. In 2018, Ali moved his family to Hajin, Syria, where ISIS assigned him to construct a well to provide the ISIS community with potable water. When ISIS came under attack in Hajin, Ali moved his family to Al-Shafah, Syria, where he ran a store that sold various goods. While in Hajin, Ali donated some of the store’s profits to other ISIS members, thereby furthering ISIS’s goals. Between late 2018 and early 2019, after ISIS was targeted in Al-Shafah, Ali moved his family to Baghuz, Syria, the last ISIS stronghold before its collapse in 2019. In fact, in March 2019, just before his surrender on March 19, Ali urged other Trinidadian ISIS members to refuse to surrender to the Coalition Forces. Ali did this in the hope that Coalition Forces would allow ISIS members to simply relocate. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom. FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Stratton for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case, with assistance from the Justice Department’s National Security Division. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 21-cr-20123. ###


title: Poplar Bluff Man Sentenced to Serve 10 Years in Federal Prison on Drug and Gun Charges

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Friday sentenced Daniel K. Hendrickson, 31, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to serve a total of 10 years in federal prison for the offenses of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of firearms and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to court documents, on Sept. 16, 2021, officers with the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and the Butler County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Hendrickson's Poplar Bluff home. Hendrickson was present during the execution of the search warrant. Officers seized from his residence and a shop building located on the property approximately 80 grams of methamphetamine, 64 grams of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and three firearms. Hendrickson admitted to law enforcement officers that he sold methamphetamine. This case was investigated by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter handled the prosecution for the government.


title: Methamphetamine Supplier To South Georgia Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison

body_text: ALBANY, Ga. – A Tifton, Georgia, resident identified as the lead supplier to an 18-defendant armed drug trafficking ring responsible for distributing between 1.5 and 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine into the community was sentenced to prison for his crime resulting from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. Rafon Carithers, aka “Tweed,” 34, was sentenced to serve 310 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release on March 30, after he previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on May 19, 2022. In addition, two co-defendants were sentenced to prison this week: McKevor Mulkey aka “Chevy,” 32, of Tifton, was sentenced to serve 190 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on March 29, after he previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances on April 19, 2022; and Damarius Williams, 26, of Tifton, was sentenced to serve 25 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on March 30, after he pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Oct. 18, 2022. U.S. District Judge Louis Sands handed down the sentences. There is no parole in the federal system. “Nearly a dozen law enforcement agencies had a hand in helping shut down a significant methamphetamine supplier and his distributors pushing this highly addictive drug into the Tifton community,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “This case illustrates law enforcement’s relentless dedication to holding organized criminal groups accountable for their unlawful dealings and from causing further harm in our region.” “The lengthy sentences handed down to these defendants send a clear message that drug dealing in our communities will not be tolerated. Georgians deserve to work, live and play in a safe environment. We will never stop protecting our neighborhoods from dangerous and illegal drugs,” said GBI Director Michael Register. “We removed more methamphetamine traffickers from the streets,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “These offenders can no longer distribute this dangerous drug as they now face serious time behind bars for both their drug crimes and violent criminal conduct. This investigation was a success because of the great working relationship between DEA and its law enforcement partners.” “There is no initiative more critical to ATF than increasing the safety of our communities. Cases which result in the arrests and prosecution of armed drug traffickers are fundamental to continuing this initiative while simultaneously showing criminals that ATF and its law enforcement partners will not falter in this mission,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. “We will pursue violent drug traffickers such as these wherever they may operate, and they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” “Our fight against drug traffickers and this armed trafficking ring is yet another step in stemming the flow of meth into Tifton and Tift County. With the help of our community and our law enforcement allies, we will continue to make this a safer place to work and live,” said Tift County Sheriff Gene Scarbrough. “It’s great to have these defendants, the drugs and the firearms off the streets of Tifton. We are appreciative of the coordination between agencies involved in this investigation,” said Tifton Police Department Chief Steve Hyman. “Their work in this case makes a difference in the lives of our citizens who fall victim to drugs in our community.” The following co-defendants have pleaded guilty and been sentenced: Tevin Parker, aka “Tay,” 28, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine on July 26, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 262 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on Nov. 3, 2022; Juanjava Boggerty, aka “Jay,” 49, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances on Oct. 12, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 235 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on Feb. 2; Courtney Taylor, 39, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Oct. 4, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 235 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on Jan. 25.; Rishaun Richardson, 26, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Aug. 23, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 170 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on March 16; Brian Foster, aka “Joe,” aka “FOS,” 30, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Sept. 27, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 136 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on Dec. 30, 2022; Bradrick Boston aka “Big Baby,” 34, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine on July 20, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 108 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release on Nov. 3, 2022; Clenton Davis, 33, of Ashburn, Georgia, pleaded guilty to managing drug premises on Aug. 2, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 96 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Nov. 20, 2022; Darrell Mack, 33, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine on Oct. 13, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 78 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release on Feb. 2; Keyuntran Taylor, 23, of Ashburn, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Oct. 5, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 70 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release on Jan. 26.; Dmya Norris, 25, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Oct. 5, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release on Jan. 26.; Dante Hille, 29, of Ashburn, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine on June 14, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 51 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Sept. 15, 2022; Vontesha Dixon, 32, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Oct. 4, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 36 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Jan. 19.; Keilaysha Dixon, 23, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to use of a communication facility in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on Sept. 22, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release on Dec. 30, 2022; and Jala Taylor, 24, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine on Oct. 11, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Jan. 27. The following co-defendant has pleaded guilty in this case and is awaiting sentencing: Jehmeil Carmichael, 35, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment to be followed by at least three years of supervised release and a $1,000,000 fine. His sentencing is scheduled for May 4. According to court documents, in May 2019, GBI agents began an investigation into a drug trafficking organization operating in the Tifton area. As part of their investigation, agents utilized a confidential informant (CI) to make controlled buys of drugs from other defendants, including Mulkey and Tevin Parker. Between Sept. 5, 2019, and Oct. 25, 2019, agents made six controlled buys of methamphetamine from Mulkey and a controlled buy from Parker; the substance was a mixture of fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine. During the course of the wiretap investigation, agents discovered Carithers was supplying the drugs to Parker. On July 9, 2020, agents conducted numerous residential search warrants as part of their investigation into this drug trafficking organization. Agents recovered two .45 caliber pistols belonging to Carithers and numerous bags of methamphetamine mixed with other substances. Carithers is being held accountable for distributing between 1.5 kilograms and 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine. More information about this case can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/defendants-connected-southwest-georgia-armed-drug-trafficking-ring-sentenced-prison and https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/45-count-indictment-unsealed-charging-18-individuals-drug-gun-crimes . 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, ATF, GBI, Mid-South Narcotics Task Force, Tifton Police Department, Tift County Sheriff’s Office, Turner County Sheriff’s Office, Crisp County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Department of Corrections, Georgia State Patrol and Georgia Department of Community Supervision. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melody Ellis and Criminal Chief Leah McEwen.


title: New Orleans Woman Sentenced in  Staged Automobile Collision Scheme

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that, on March 29, 2023, U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance sentenced TROYLYNN BROWN ( “ BROWN ” ) , age 35, after she pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. Judge Vance sentenced BROWN to 24 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Judge Vance also imposed a mandatory special assessment fee of $100. According to court documents, BROWN admitted to conspiring to commit mail fraud in connection with a staged automobile collision. In the scheme, BROWN falsely claimed that her codefendant, Herbert Allen (“Allen”), was the driver of a car that was struck by a tractor-trailer on June 28, 2017. In reality, the defendants conspired with Damien Labeaud (“Labeaud”), Roderick Hickman (“Hickman”), and others to intentionally collide Allen’s 2007 Chevrolet Impala with a tractor-trailer in the area of Tchoupitoulas Street and Calliope Street in New Orleans. BROWN subsequently lied in a civil deposition, falsely claiming that Allen was driving the car that collided with the tractor-trailer when, in fact, Hickman was driving the car and intentionally hit the tractor-trailer. Through her false statements and deception, BROWN secured a $70,000 monetary settlement from the owner and insurer of the tractor-trailer. The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Louisiana State Police, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon S. Long, Maria M. Carboni, and Edward Rivera, members all of the Financial Crimes Unit and Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.


title: Tennessee Man Sentenced to Life Plus 10 Years in Prison for First-Degree Murder in the Death of His U.S. Army Soldier Wife at Fort Campbell

component: USAO - Kentucky, Western

body_text: Louisville, KY – A Clarksville, Tennessee man, formerly of Jacksonville, Florida, was sentenced yesterday to life, plus 10 years, in prison for the October 14, 2018, murder of his wife and shooting of another man at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Victor E. Silvers, 33, was sentenced in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, to life in prison, plus an additional consecutive 10 years in prison, for first-degree murder, attempted murder, domestic violence resulting in death, violation of a protective order resulting in death, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and two counts of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. There is no parole in the federal system. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Louisville Field Office, Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Maynard of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Special Agent in Charge Ronald Yeatts of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), Midcentral Field Office, made the announcement. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Silvers drove from his Clarksville, Tennessee, residence to the Fort Campbell, Kentucky military installation on October 14, 2018. Silvers then shot his estranged wife, Brittney Silvers, three times, killing her. Silvers also shot another man, James Keating. Five days before the murder, Brittney Silvers had been granted a Domestic Violence Order of Protection that prohibited Silvers from being within 300 feet of her or committing violent acts against her. Due to the Domestic Violence Order of Protection entered against him, Silvers was prohibited from possessing a firearm. Brittney Silvers was a U.S. Army Soldier assigned to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, at the time of her murder. “I commend the work of the FBI, ATF, and Army CID during the investigation of this matter as well as the prosecution team for their outstanding presentation of the case at trial,” stated U.S. Attorney Bennett. “Fort Campbell is home to numerous military units and organizations to include, the 101 st Airborne Division, the 5 th Special Forces Group, and the 160 th Special Aviation Operations Regiment. The Soldiers assigned to Fort Campbell, their family members, and those who live and work on the installation were accustomed to feeling safe and secure within its boundaries. Silvers shattered the sense of security when he violently murdered his wife and shot another victim in October 2018. As a result of his brutal actions, he will justifiably spend the remainder of his life in a federal prison cell.” “Domestic violence oftentimes cripples extended families and even entire communities,” stated FBI Special Agent in Charge Cohen. “Brittney’s family, friends, and the Fort Campbell community will never be rid of the pain from this senseless murder, but hopefully this sentence gives everyone some sense of resolve knowing Silvers will spend the remainder of his life in a cell.” “I commend the efforts of the ATF agents, our law enforcement partners, and the prosecution team who worked diligently on this investigation to bring this killer to justice,” said ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge A.J. Gibes of the Louisville Division. “We hope this sentence brings some sense of healing to the victims’ families and sends a very clear message that ATF and our law enforcement partners will not stand by and allow these acts of violence." This case was investigated by the FBI, ATF, and U.S. Army CID. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Hancock, Leigh Ann Dycus, and Raymond McGee of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office prosecuted the case with the assistance of paralegal Christy Crockett. ###


title: Luling Man Sentenced to  60 Months in Prison  for Possessing Files Depicting the Sexual Victimization of Children

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – DOMINIC ROMANO , age 22, a resident of Luling, Louisiana, was sentenced, March 30, 2023, by United States District Judge Barry W. Ashe to 60 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to a one-count indictment charging him with possession of images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children under the age of twelve years old, in violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 2252(a)(4)(B), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. Additionally, Judge Ashe ordered ROMANO to serve a 10-year period of supervised release and pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. Judge Ashe scheduled a hearing on July 6, 2023 to determine the amount of restitution ROMANO must pay to the victims of his offense. According to court documents, the Federal Bureau of Investigation received a tip from another law enforcement agency that an individual, subsequently determined to be ROMANO , accessed an online bulletin board having an explicit focus on the advertisement, distribution, and facilitation of sharing child abuse material. The bulletin board contained sections and forums cataloged by the age of the victims and the nature of the violence inflicting on them. The FBI executed a search warrant on ROMANO’s residence on May 7, 2020. A forensic review of the evidence revealed that ROMANO knowingly used several of the electronic devices seized during the execution of the search warrant to search for, download, and save images and videos of child sexual abuse material. In total, ROMANO’s seized devices contained at least 2589 image and 62 videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children, including children less than three years old. Among ROMANO’s collection was a digital presentation that purported to be an instruction manual on how to successfully victimize “very young girls” without being caught. 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 United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to 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 . U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, is in charge of the prosecution.


title: 33-Year-Old Man Sentenced to 63 Months for Importation of Methamphetamine

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: TUCSON, Ariz. – Sergio Caballero, 35, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced on Wednesday by United States District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 63 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Caballero pleaded guilty to Importation of Methamphetamine. On September 1, 2021, Caballero entered the United States from Mexico via the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona. At the time of his crossing, Caballero was driving a Chevrolet Suburban that he claimed to own. During a routine inspection, Customs and Border Protection officers noticed irregularities with the vehicle’s gas tank. They later discovered 90 packages in the gas tank that contained approximately 43.04 kilograms of methamphetamine. Agents from Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution. CASE NUMBERS: 21-CR-02517-TUC-RM (DTF) 21-CR-50140-TUC-RM (DTF) RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-046_Caballero # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: U.S. Attorney Dena J. King To Host Meeting Of Attorney General's Advisory Committee's Subcommittee On Native American Issues In Cherokee, N.C.

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – United States Attorney Dena J. King will host a meeting of the U.S Attorney General’s Advisory Committee’s Subcommittee on Native American Issues from April 4 to April 6, 2023, in Cherokee, North Carolina. U.S. Attorney King serves as Chair of the NAIS, the longest standing subcommittee of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC). The NAIS consists of 18 U.S. Attorneys from across the United States, serving in districts that include Indian Country or one or more federally recognized Tribes within their jurisdiction. The NAIS focuses exclusively on Indian Country matters, and it is tasked with advising the AGAC and Department of Justice leadership and components with developing and implementing comprehensive federal efforts and initiatives related to Indian Country and making policy recommendations on issues affecting American Indian and Alaska Native communities. “As Chair of the NAIS, I am honored to host our subcommittee meeting in the Western District of North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney King. “The NAIS meeting is an important opportunity for United States Attorneys, Justice Department officials, Tribal liaisons, law enforcement, and representatives of federal agencies to discuss a range of topics that are critical to the health and safety of American Indian and Alaska Native communities, share best practices, and hold important discussions on enhancing our partnerships with our Tribal counterparts.” The agenda for the NAIS meeting includes multiple panel discussions with experts on Indian Country matters, on the topics of crime deterrence and intervention, criminal legal and legislative updates, federal response to missing or murdered indigenous people, drug enforcement and substance use disorder prevention efforts, reentry courts, assistance and provision of services to victims of crime, outreach and education initiatives, and implementation or enhancement of programs related to community safety and public health and wellness. Participants will travel to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian for a guided tour on Cherokee Indian history, culture, and artifacts, followed by a visit to Cherokee High School for a panel discussion with student leaders and school administrators on topics of concern to young people, including juvenile crime prevention, bullying, mental health, equity in the criminal justice system, and building trust with law enforcement. The meeting will conclude with an in-depth discussion of NAIS members centered on existing and emerging public safety issues in Tribal communities, policy recommendations to the AGAC, and federal funding opportunities to support the Justice Department’s initiatives in Indian Country. “U.S. Attorneys’ Offices play an integral role in implementing the Justice Department’s policies and strategies to address the public safety concerns of Tribal communities,” said U.S. Attorney King. “The NAIS meeting is an opportunity for U.S. Attorneys to discuss ongoing efforts in our respective districts to combat crime in Indian Country, share best practice, identify areas of improvement, and advance engagement and collaboration with Tribal leadership to achieve these goals.” In addition to U.S. Attorney King, the U.S. Attorneys of the following districts are attending the NAIS meeting: District of Alaska, District of Arizona, District of Connecticut, District of Maine, District of Massachusetts, District of Montana, District of Nevada, District of North Dakota, District of South Dakota, District of Utah, District of Wyoming, Northern District of California, Northern District of Indiana, Northern District of Oklahoma, Eastern District of Michigan, Eastern District of Oklahoma, Eastern District of Washington, Southern District of Mississippi, Western District of Louisiana, Western District of Oklahoma, and Western District of Washington. Other Department of Justice leaders and component agencies will be attending the NAIS meeting as well.


title: Drug trafficking, pipe bomb possession send Missoula man to prison for more than six years

component: USAO - Montana

body_text: MISSOULA — A Missoula man who admitted to a drug trafficking crime after law enforcement found a backpack containing methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl and a pipe bomb in his vehicle was sentenced today to six years and six months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. Matthew Lucas Jones, 43, pleaded guilty in December 2022 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided. In court documents, the government alleged that on June 1, 2021, law enforcement stopped Jones, while he was absconding from state probation, for a traffic violation after he drove into oncoming traffic. Officers searched a backpack in Jones’ vehicle and found heroin containing fentanyl, methamphetamine, dozens of distribution baggies and a pipe bomb. An explosives expert determined the pipe bomb was functional. Jones denied knowing about the pipe bomb or backpack and said that they must have belonged to the vehicle’s previous owner. However, surveillance video showed Jones carrying the backpack when he checked into a hotel the previous evening. Jones also possessed two cell phones, one of which contained multiple text messages indicating he was selling drugs, $1,060 cash, a silver coin and pre-paid cards. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karla E. Painter prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Missoula Police Department, Montana Probation and Parole, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Drug Enforcement Administration. 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: Raleigh County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun Crime

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – Zachary Ryan Allen, 29, of Beckley, was sentenced today to five years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for using and carrying a firearm in relation to drug trafficking activity. According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 22, 2020, a law enforcement officer stopped a vehicle driven by Allen on Robert C. Byrd Drive in Beckley. During the traffic stop, Allen admitted to the officer that he had a quantity of heroin and a firearm in his car. The officer recovered a quantity of heroin and fentanyl, a set of digital scales frequently used during drug trafficking, a small amount of money, and a Springfield Armory, model 911, 9mm semi-automatic pistol. Allen admitted that he intended to distribute the drugs and that the money was proceeds of drug trafficking activity. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit. The Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and the Beckley Police Department. United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-cr-209. ###


title: Sussex County Man Charged with Distribution of Child Pornography

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A Sussex County, New Jersey, man was arrested and charged with distributing videos and images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. Gaetano Lapegna, 64, of Franklin, New Jersey is charged by complaint with one count of distribution of child pornography. He appeared on March 30, 2023, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court and was released on $100,000 unsecured bond. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: From December 2022 to March 2023, Lapegna distributed videos and images of child sexual abuse via a publicly available online peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing program. An undercover law enforcement officer conducted online sessions using the P2P program, during which a user shared hundreds of videos and images of child sexual abuse from an IP address traced to Lapegna’s address. Subsequent to a lawful search of his residence on March 30, 2023, law enforcement officers recovered at least two videos and 100 images depicting child sexual abuse on Lapegna’s thumb drive. Law enforcement also found that Lapegna’s computer was running the same version of the P2P program from which law enforcement downloaded child pornography from Lapegna. The count of distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office, and Franklin Borough Police Department for their assistance. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Farhana C. Melo of the General Crimes Unit in Newark. The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. lapegna.complaint.pdf


title: Charlotte Woman Sentenced in Middle District for Conspiracy Drug Trafficking After Multi-State Operation

component: USAO - North Carolina, Middle

body_text: WINSTON SALEM – A North Carolina woman was sentenced today to 14 years in prison, after pleading guilty to a one-count indictment which charged her and six codefendants with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute quantities of methamphetamine. The case was part of a multi-state organized crime investigation, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC). BETTY ODESSA DOVER, age 49, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced to a 168-month term of imprisonment by the Honorable Loretta C. Biggs, United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC. In addition to prison time, DOVER was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to pay a special assessment of $100.00. She pleaded guilty on September 15, 2022, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, a violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 846 and 841(b)(1)(C). According to court records, in 2020, various law enforcement agencies began investigating a drug trafficking organization based in Mexico. Members of this organization had been previously convicted in the MDNC for drug trafficking. Defendants in another drug-related case had reported picking up tens of thousands of dollars at a time from DOVER and dropping off money and kilogram amounts of cocaine to DOVER for the drug trafficking organization. During the investigation into those offenses, investigators executed a search warrant at DOVER’s home and recovered 238 grams of cocaine, drug paraphernalia, and three firearms. DOVER admitted to investigators during an interview that she had participated in the purchasing and selling of drugs along with another codefendant, Whitney Leigh Estep, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on March 10, 2023. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, and multiple sheriff’s offices and police departments across North Carolina. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jacob D. Pryor. ###


title: West Virginia Woman Sentenced for Role in Beckley-to-Philadelphia Firearms Trafficking Conspiracy

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. –Stephanie Cohernour, 33, of Fayetteville, West Virginia, was sentenced today to five years of federal probation for making false statements in acquisition of firearms. Cohernour admitted to a role in a conspiracy to traffic over 140 firearms from the Beckley area to Philadelphia. According to court documents and statements made in court, conspiracy ringleader Bisheem Jones, also known as “Bosh,” and other co-defendants traveled from Philadelphia to Beckley to oversee the purchase of firearms at Beckley-area stores. The conspirators took the firearms back to Philadelphia to sell for profit. Cohernour was one of several straw purchasers who bought firearms for the conspirators in exchange for money or drugs. Jones or an intermediary would tell the straw purchasers which firearms to buy, and provide the money for the purchases. Cohernour admitted to straw purchasing a Glock Model 19 Gen 5, 9mm pistol and a Glock, Model 19X, 9mm pistol for Jones on April 12, 2021. Cohernour further admitted that she falsely certified on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Federal Firearms Transaction Record Form 4473 that she was the buyer of the firearms when she knew she was purchasing the firearms for Jones and his trafficking conspiracy. Of the over 140 firearms trafficked by the conspirators between early 2020 and mid-2021, approximately 45 were recovered at crime scenes primarily in Philadelphia and have been connected to two homicides, crimes of domestic violence, and other violent offenses. Cohernour straw purchased at least five firearms for the conspirators, including three recovered at crime scenes in Philadelphia. Cohernour is among 18 defendants who pleaded guilty in connection with the firearms trafficking. After five days of trial, a federal jury found Jones, 37, of Philadelphia, guilty on December 16, 2022, of conspiracy to travel interstate with the intent to deal in firearms without a license, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and interstate travel with the intent to deal in firearms without a license. Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on April 28, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in prison. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Philadelphia Police Department. United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Negar M. Kordestani and Steve Loew prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-46. ###


title: Former Baldwin County Pain Doctor Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

component: Criminal - Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section

body_text: MOBILE, AL – A former Baldwin County pain doctor was sentenced today to four years in federal prison for bank fraud, making false statements to federal agents, willfully refusing to pay court ordered restitution, and aggravated identity theft. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Rassan M. Tarabein, 63, a former neurologist and pain doctor in Baldwin County, pleaded guilty in 2017 to healthcare fraud and unlawful distribution of controlled substances. A federal judge in the Southern District of Alabama ordered Tarabein to pay more than $15 million in restitution to his victims. In early 2018, while awaiting sentencing in his federal case, Tarabein issued cashier’s checks worth more than $100,000 to himself without the court’s approval. Tarabein falsely represented to his probation officer that the checks were for payment of bills. Tarabein was sentenced to five years in federal prison in June 2018, but was released early to home confinement in November 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While on home confinement in Fairhope in 2020, and unbeknownst to the court, Tarabein reissued the 2018 cashier’s checks to himself. From 2020 to 2022, Tarabein made no payments toward his restitution obligation. Instead, the jury reviewed evidence that Tarabein had access to and spent large sums of money on himself. In December 2021, Tarabein fraudulently deposited money into his bank account using information from another account that he had agreed to forfeit and that had been closed years earlier as part of his healthcare fraud and drug convictions in 2017. Further, in early 2022, Tarabein made false statements to his probation officer in his financial disclosures while continuing to conceal assets. In April 2022, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Tarabein at the Pensacola International Airport while he was en route to the Middle East. Agents found Tarabein in possession of, among other things, a $31,000 counterfeit check dated March 2022 from a victim business in Georgia made payable to Tarabein at his address in Fairhope. The counterfeit check bore the name and signature of a representative of the victim business, which had previously lost tens of thousands of dollars from a successful deposit of a nearly identical fraudulent check months earlier. At today’s sentencing hearing, in addition to the four-year prison term, Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock ordered Tarabein to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will be subject to credit restrictions and will be required to provide financial information to the probation office. The court did not impose a fine, but Chief Judge Beaverstock ordered Tarabein to pay $425 in special assessments. Tarabein still owes more than $9 million in victim restitution. U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello said, “Defendants who lie to the court and who conceal assets rather than paying the victims of their crime what they are owed will be pursued by the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners. Criminals like Tarabein will not be allowed to escape the consequences of their conduct.” “It is apparent by the court record Dr. Tarabein had a willful disregard for the rule of law and the very conditions he was supposed to adhere to. I am proud of the diligent work of the FBI and United States Attorney’s Office personnel to hold Dr. Tarabein accountable for his actions and instill justice for the victims of his crimes,” said Paul W. Brown, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Mobile Field Office. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller of the Southern District of Alabama and Trial Attorneys Sinan Kalayoglu and Lindsay Heck of the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Criminal Division, prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.


title: Rocky Mount Blood Gang Leader Sentenced for Drug Trafficking and COVID-19 Fraud

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. – A Rocky Mount leader of the G-Shine Bloods gang, a subset of the United Blood Nation gang, was sentenced today in connection with his leadership role in a violent drug trafficking organization. Tyrone Foreman, also known as “Ty Nitty,” was sentenced to 360 months in prison after having pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Additionally, he was ordered to make restitution in the amount of $220,211.27 to the Federal Government. The case was part of Operation Caught Cold, which led to the conviction of 17 defendants, including Foreman, the seizure of 6,601 dosage units of a mixture containing fentanyl 4,389 dosage units of heroin, and over 20 guns. In total, Foreman was personally responsible for trafficking more than 14,000 doses of a fentanyl mixture, and more than 60,940 doses of heroin. “Tyrone Foreman used threats and intimidation to run his criminal drug trafficking enterprise while his organization raked in over a quarter million dollars in COVID-19 unemployment fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Through this operation we seized at least 20 firearms, some in the hands of felons and purchased through straw buyers. Let this 30-year sentence be a warning. Armed drug traffickers pushing fentanyl in North Carolina will pay a heavy price. Operation Caught Cold is yet another example of what can be accomplished when local law enforcement agencies partner to deliver justice.” According to court documents and other information presented in court, Foreman, 35, was identified as a high-ranking member of the G-Shine Bloods gang in the Rocky Mount area. The investigation revealed that Foreman obtained thousands of dosage units of mixtures containing heroin and fentanyl from various suppliers spanning from Wake Forest to New York. The heroin/fentanyl mixtures would then be distributed throughout Nash and Edgecombe Counties by lower ranking gang members and other drug dealers working at Foreman’s direction. “ATF and our law enforcement partners will continue to apply every resource available to combat the violent gun crime associated with gangs and drug trafficking networks,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “Bringing the leaders of these violent groups to justice is a critical move towards disbanding these criminal networks and taking illegal firearms off our streets.” “I would like to thank the men and woman in local and state agencies involved. I appreciate the long hours away from their families and the necessary paperwork needed to build strong cases,” said Edgecombe County Sheriff Cleveland Atkinson. “I especially want to thank our federal partners for their continued hard work to help us keep our citizens safe. And lastly, I want to thank all of our concerned citizens for notifying law enforcement of gang activity & drug dealing and wanting a safer community.” “This conviction is further evidence that those who decide to lead and or participate in illegal organizations will become prime targets of federal investigations,” stated Rocky Mount Police Chief Robert Hassell. “Organizations like the one that Tyrone Foreman was leading led to multiple crimes being committed in and around our community. Today is a day that the communities that he once disrupted with his criminal activity will now be a little safer with his conviction and sentencing. We value our law enforcement partners and will take cases federally whenever possible to ensure these offenders are taken off our streets.” On October 9, 2019, investigators with the Nash County Sheriff’s Office conducted a surveillance operation on Foreman as he travelled from Nash County to Wake Forest to meet with a drug supplier. Investigators conducted a traffic stop of Foreman as he returned to Nash County and recovered approximately 2,000 dosage units of heroin/fentanyl mixture from his vehicle. The investigation continued throughout the fall of 2019 and into 2020, as members of local law enforcement agencies collaborated to conduct over twenty controlled purchases of heroin or heroin/fentanyl mixture from members of Foreman’s drug trafficking organization. Through controlled purchases, surveillance, search warrants, traffic stops, and interviews of witnesses, investigators learned that members of the Foreman Drug Trafficking Organization routinely carried firearms while they sold heroin/fentanyl and utilized threats of violence to ensure that the organization’s drug sales continued. During the course of the investigation, over twenty firearms were seized from Foreman, members of his gang, members of his drug trafficking organization, and females that were straw purchasing firearms on their behalf. One of Foreman’s co-conspirators, Vernisha Suggs, made numerous straw purchases on behalf of Bloods gang members from federally licensed firearm dealers in Rocky Mount. Suggs pled guilty and was sentenced to 71 months in prison . In October 2020, the investigative team identified a New York based heroin/fentanyl supplier who was travelling to Rocky Mount to provide Foreman with thousands of dosage units at a time. Through surveillance and hotel records, investigators confirmed four meetings between Foreman and the supplier during October and November 2020 alone. The drug investigation culminated in a December 2020 traffic stop of Foreman and another member of his gang on I-95 in Maryland as they returned from meeting with the New York based supplier. Over 3,500 dosage units of heroin/fentanyl mixture were seized during that stop. After Foreman’s Maryland arrest, law enforcement continued to learn that he was involved in other criminal activity. Foreman placed various recorded jail calls from Maryland to women in North Carolina where it was apparent that he was directing them to handle money for him. Investigators learned that Foreman and these women were committing a wire fraud conspiracy in which they were collecting thousands of dollars’ worth of COVID-19 related unemployment benefits based on claims they fraudulently filed using personal information of other individuals, some of whom were in prison and ineligible to receive benefits. They filed at least 26 false claims, and the conspiracy netted over $250,000 in cash that was distributed to Foreman’s associates. This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, 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. This investigation spanned three years. In total, 17 defendants have been convicted, and eight have been sentenced. The agencies involved in the investigation include Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Rocky Mount Police Department, Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office, Nashville Police Department, Halifax County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the North Carolina Department of Commerce - Division of Employment Security, and the Office of the 8th Prosecutorial District of North Carolina. Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Webb and Charity Wilson, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney J.D. Koesters prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-CR-289-D-1.


title: New Orleans Man Pleads  Guilty to Federal Gun Charge

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ORONDE GABRIEL , age 38, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on March 30, 2023 to a single count indictment charging him with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, in violation of the Federal Gun Control Act, Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). According to court documents, GABRIEL was in an automobile accident on September 27, 2021. A police officer observed the crash, approached the scene and found GABRIEL in possession of a Taurus Model G2C, nine-millimeter caliber handgun. GABRIEL had been previously convicted of conspiracy to make false and fictitious statements in connection with the acquisition of a firearm, in United States District Court, (Eastern District of Louisiana). GABRIEL faces a maximum term of ten (10) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. The case was investigated by the Orleans Levee District Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Strauss of the Violent Crimes Unit.


title: Worcester Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a Firearm

body_text: BOSTON – A Worcester man pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Lawrence Rutherford, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for July 7, 2023. Rutherford was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2019. On June 5, 2019, two guns and more than 600 rounds of ammunition were found in Rutherford’s home while executing a federal search warrant. Rutherford is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior convictions punishable by more than one year in person. The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Greg A. Friedholm and John T. Mulcahy of Rollins’ Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.


title: Texas Man Sentenced for Multi-State Drug Trafficking Operation

component: USAO - Virginia, Eastern

body_text: RICHMOND, Va. – A Houston, Texas, man was sentenced today to 10.5 years in prison for distributing more than five kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride. According to court documents, Elvis Elias Lopez, 28, along with his co-defendant Jamane Arvis Greene, 45, of Farmville, conspired to operate a multi-state drug trafficking operation to distribute large amounts of cocaine hydrochloride into the Richmond community. As a result of this investigation, officers seized 18.9 kilograms of cocaine that were intended for distribution into the community, three firearms, and $1,127,835. Lopez and Greene forfeited the following items, either judicially or administratively: three firearms, all accompanying magazines and ammunition, $1,127,835 in U.S. Currency, 18kt yellow gold and stainless-steel Rolex wristwatch, 14kt yellow gold “Success Addictz” pendant, and a yellow gold large pave diamond “We Paid L*O Success Addictz" necklace. On February 24, Greene was sentenced to 17 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division; and Colonel Jeffrey S. Katz, Chesterfield County Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Janet Jin Ah Lee and Stephen E. Anthony prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-118.


title: Iowa Man to Federal Prison for Methamphetamine and Immigration

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine, who also distributed methamphetamine, and was illegally in the United States was sentenced in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa on March 23, 2023, to 11 ½ years in prison. Jose Duenas-Topete, 29, from Hawarden, Iowa, pled guilty on October 12, 2022, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of distributing methamphetamine, and one count of illegal reentry. At the plea and sentencing hearings, the evidence showed that from January 2020 to April 2, 2022, as part of the conspiracy, Topete distributed at least 45 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Sioux City, Iowa area. On April 2, 2022, law enforcement conducted a controlled drug buy/bust operation from Topete and his co-conspirators. Agents observed Topete receive 10 pounds of methamphetamine, in exchange for an initial payment of $5000, from a transporter from Arkansas, sent by Mexico-based sources, at Topete’s request. Topete then transferred the majority of the methamphetamine to an informant working with agents. Thereafter, agents conducted traffic stops of the vehicles involved and seized from the various participants the 10 pounds of meth and the $5000 in buy money supplied by the agents. Topete later admitted he had previously received four shipments containing 5-6 pounds each of methamphetamine from sources in Mexico to distribute to persons in Sioux City and the surrounding area. Evidence further showed that Topete is a native and citizen of Mexico, illegally in the United States and was subject to six previous removals from the United States. Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Duenas-Topete was sentenced to 138 months’ imprisonment and a 5-year term of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Duenas-Topete remains in U.S. Marshal custody pending transport to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 22-4026. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Additional Federal Charges Brought in Superseding Indictment for Murder of Philadelphia Police Sergeant James O’Connor

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Eastern

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that a Superseding Indictment was unsealed today in relation to the murder of Philadelphia Police Corporal James “Jimmy” O’Connor, posthumously promoted to Sergeant. The 31-count Superseding Indictment includes a RICO conspiracy, three additional counts of murder, nine non-fatal shootings, and related charges for Hassan Elliott, a/k/a “Haz,” age 25; Khalif Sears, a/k/a “Leaf,” a/k/a “Lil Leaf,” age 21; and two previously unnamed defendants, Kelvin Jiminez a/k/a “Nip,” age 32; and Dominique Parker, a/k/a “Dom,” age 31, all of Philadelphia. The original Indictment charged the murder of Sergeant O’Connor, as well as related drug trafficking and firearms offenses. The Superseding Indictment charges all four defendants with: conspiracy to participate in a racketeering (RICO) enterprise (1 count); and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance (1 count). Additional charges include: murder in aid of racketeering (4 counts); assault in aid of racketeering (9 counts); attempted assault in aid of racketeering (2 counts); possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking (1 count); using, carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence (5 counts); murder in the course of using, carrying, and discharging a firearm (4 counts); possession with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance (1 count); maintaining a drug involved premises (1 count); and possession of a firearm by a felon (2 counts). The Superseding Indictment alleges that the defendants were members of a violent drug trafficking organization known as “1700 Scattergood,” which operated in the Frankford section of Northeast Philadelphia. The defendants allegedly sold large quantities of narcotics over a multi-year period, using violence and threats of violence to protect their reputation and drug territory. The Superseding Indictment alleges that in furtherance of that conspiracy, Elliott and others killed Kaseem Rogers on December 3, 2018; Tyrone Tyree on March 1, 2019; and Dontae Walker on August 22, 2019. On March 13, 2020, Elliott, Sears, and others previously indicted were inside a stash house on the 1600 block of Bridge Street when Sergeant O’Connor and other members of the Philadelphia Police Department’s SWAT team arrived with a homicide warrant for Elliott related to the March 2019 murder of Tyrone Tyree. As Sergeant O’Connor and his fellow officers ascended the staircase to the second floor of the residence and announced their presence multiple times, Elliott allegedly fired a semi-automatic assault rifle 16 times, striking and killing Sergeant O’Connor. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum possible penalty of lifetime imprisonment. In addition, contained within the Superseding Indictment is a Notice of Special Findings for defendant Elliott for each of the four charges of murder while using or carrying a firearm. These Notices make Elliott eligible for the death penalty. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Diviny, Ashley Martin, and Lauren Stram. An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: York County Man Charged with Assaulting Federal Air Marshal

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Zachary William Easterly, 38, of Etters, Pennsylvania, was charged by Information with misdemeanor assault of a federal officer. Specifically, the Information alleges that on August 30, 2022, Easterly assaulted a Special Agent of the Federal Air Marshal Service who was engaged in the performance of his official duties. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of one year in prison, one year of supervised release, and a $100,000 fine. The case was investigated by the Federal Air Marshal Service, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Adminstration. An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: Honduran Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally  Reentering the United States After Being Deported Nine Times

body_text: A man who illegally returned to the United States after being deported nine times was sentenced today to ten months in federal prison. Jose Lopez-Martinez, age 42, a citizen of Honduras illegally present in the United States and residing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 19, 2023, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been deported. At the guilty plea, Lopez-Martinez admitted he had previously been deported from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government. Lopez-Martinez was previously deported to Honduras in April 2000, March 2001, March 2011, July 2011, October 2011, November 2011, February 2012, August 2012, and July 2014. On November 21, 2022, immigration officials learned Lopez-Martinez had illegally returned to the United States and found Lopez-Martinez at the Linn County Jail following his arrest for operating while intoxicated. Lopez-Martinez was previously convicted in the Northern District of Iowa in January 2014 of illegally reentering the United States, a felony, and received an eight-month prison term. Lopez-Martinez also has prior convictions in Texas for misdemeanor illegal entry into the United States in April 2011 and December 2011. Lopez-Martinez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Lopez-Martinez was sentenced to ten months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Lopez-Martinez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 22-CR-96. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Social Media Influencer Douglass Mackey Convicted of Election Interference in 2016 Presidential Race

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Douglass Mackey, also known as “Ricky Vaughn,” was convicted today by a federal jury in Brooklyn of the charge of Conspiracy Against Rights stemming from his scheme to deprive individuals of their constitutional right to vote. The verdict followed a one-week trial before United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly. When sentenced, Mackey faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the verdict. “Mackey has been found guilty by a jury of his peers of attempting to deprive individuals from exercising their sacred right to vote for the candidate of their choice in the 2016 Presidential Election,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Today’s verdict proves that the defendant’s fraudulent actions crossed a line into criminality and flatly rejects his cynical attempt to use the constitutional right of free speech as a shield for his scheme to subvert the ballot box and suppress the vote.” In 2016, Mackey established an audience on Twitter with approximately 58,000 followers. A February 2016 analysis by the MIT Media Lab ranked Mackey as the 107th most important influencer of the then-upcoming Presidential Election. As proven at trial, between September 2016 and November 2016, Mackey conspired with other influential Twitter users and with members of private online groups to use social media platforms, including Twitter, to disseminate fraudulent messages that encouraged supporters of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to “vote” via text message or social media which, in reality, was legally invalid. For example, on November 1, 2016, in or around the same time that Mackey was sending tweets suggesting the importance of limiting “black turnout,” the defendant tweeted an image depicting an African American woman standing in front of an “African Americans for Hillary” sign. The ad stated: “Avoid the Line. Vote from Home,” “Text ‘Hillary’ to 59925,” and “Vote for Hillary and be a part of history.” The fine print at the bottom of the deceptive image stated: “Must be 18 or older to vote. One vote per person. Must be a legal citizen of the United States. Voting by text not available in Guam, Puerto Rico, Alaska or Hawaii. Paid for by Hillary For President 2016.” The tweet included the typed hashtag “#ImWithHer,” a slogan frequently used by Hillary Clinton. On or about and before Election Day 2016, at least 4,900 unique telephone numbers texted “Hillary” or some derivative to the 59925 text number, which had been used in multiple deceptive campaign images tweeted by Mackey and his co-conspirators. Several hours after tweeting the first image, Mackey tweeted an image depicting a woman seated at a conference room typing a message on her cell phone. This deceptive image was written in Spanish and mimicked a font used by the Clinton campaign in authentic ads. The image also included a copy of the Clinton campaign’s logo and the “ImWithHer” hashtag. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Erik D. Paulsen and F. Turner Buford of the Office’s Public Integrity Section, and Trial Attorney William J. Gullotta of the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Shivani Parshad. The Defendant : DOUGLASS MACKEY Age: 33 West Palm Beach, Florida E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-80 (AMD)


title: Smyrna resident sentenced for $3.3 million multi-state covid-19 Unemployment Insurance fraud scheme

component: USAO - Georgia, Northern

body_text: ATLANTA - Rowlando Hatter, Jr. has been sentenced for conspiring to submit false claims for COVID-related Unemployment Insurance benefits using the personal identifying information of more than 100 victims and causing state workforce agencies in five states to pay a combined $3,300,000 in fraudulently obtained benefits. “The CARES Act provided vital assistance to unemployed Americans at the height of the pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Hatter diverted funds from this federal program and removed potential assistance crucial for citizens fighting to survive and to support their families.” "Rowlando Hatter Jr. engaged in a scheme with his co-defendant, Clyde Parker Jr., to defraud multiple state workforce agencies, including the California Employment Development Department, by filing Unemployment Insurance (UI) claims in the names of unwitting individuals to fraudulently obtain UI benefits. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to safeguard the UI system from those who exploit these benefit programs,” said Mathew Broadhurst, Special Agent-in-Charge, Southeast Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. "It is disgraceful that unscrupulous individuals used a public health emergency and global pandemic for their own financial gain,” said HSI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Katrina Berger. “HSI and our partners will continue to work diligently to prevent these crimes and hold the criminals accountable.” “The defendant took advantage of a federal program designed to provide relief to those who were in need of economic assistance,” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “The sentencing demonstrates our commitment to investigate and bring to justice individuals that choose to defraud others for their own financial gain.” According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020. The CARES Act was designed to mitigate the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in a variety of ways. One way was the inclusion of a provision that provided temporary benefits for individuals who had exhausted their entitlement to regular Unemployment Insurance (“UI”) benefits. The Act also aided those who were ineligible for regular UI payments and were self-employed or had limited recent work history. Individuals applied for regular and pandemic-related UI benefits by submitting an online application to their state workforce agency. Rowlando Hatter obtained the personal identifying information (“PII”) of unwitting victims. He used that information on applications that fraudulently requested COVID-related UI benefits. Hatter electronically submitted those applications to several states, including Georgia, California, Arizona, Maryland, and Michigan. The state workforce agencies paid approved claims by issuing debit cards that were mailed to addresses in the metro-Atlanta area and in Michigan, and that were controlled by Hatter and co-conspirator Clyde Parker. Some of those addresses included UPS mailboxes opened by Hatter and Parker. Hatter and Parker used the debit cards at various ATMs to withdraw cash. Hatter kept the proceeds after paying Parker a fee. As a result of the scheme, more than 200 claims were submitted to the various state workforce agencies between May 2020 and October 2020 using the PII of approximately 124 individuals who had no knowledge of the fraud. In total, the state workforce agencies paid approximately $3,300,000 on the bogus claims submitted in this fraud scheme. Rowlando Hatter Jr., 32, of Smyrna, Georgia, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones to five years, nine months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Jones also ordered Hatter to pay restitution in the amount of $2,930,410.50. Hatter was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, after pleading guilty to those charges on December 13, 2022. Clyde Parker, 32, of Troy, Michigan, was sentenced on January 20, 2023, to four years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $596,348.50. This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Special assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Sacramento, California and the Georgia Department of Labor. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracia M. King and Thomas J. Krepp prosecuted the case. This case was sponsored by the Georgia Unemployment Insurance Task Force. The Task Force is comprised of federal and state agencies throughout Georgia that are dedicated to combat COVID-related Unemployment Insurance Benefits Fraud. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga .