title: El Departamento de Justicia encuentra condiciones anticonstitucionales en las prisiones de Georgia

body_text: El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy sus hallazgos de condiciones de confinamiento en las prisiones de Georgia que vulneran la 8ª Enmienda de la Constitución. «Nuestro informe de hallazgos expone las condiciones horribles e inhumanas a las que las personas están confinadas dentro del sistema penitenciario estatal de Georgia», comentó Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. «Nuestra investigación a nivel estatal expone infracciones sistémicas desde hace mucho tiempo derivadas de la indiferencia completa y la falta de atención a la seguridad de las personas que Georgia mantiene en sus prisiones. Las personas son asaltadas, apuñaladas, y asesinadas o dejadas para languidecer dentro de instalaciones que, lamentablemente, no tienen personal suficiente. Los presos son castigados y torturados, relegados a una existencia de miedo, suciedad y una negligencia no tan benigna. Estas condiciones peligrosas no solo dañan a las personas encarceladas por Georgia, sino que ponen en riesgo a los empleados de la prisión y a la comunidad en general. El Departamento de Justicia se compromete a utilizar su autoridad para lograr condiciones humanas de confinamiento que sean coherentes con los estándares contemporáneos de decencia y respeto por la dignidad humana básica». El informe de 93 páginas del Departamento detalla sus hallazgos de una investigación exhaustiva de las instalaciones penitenciarias privadas y operadas por el Estado de Georgia. Georgia tiene la cuarta población penitenciaria estatal más alta del país, con aproximadamente 50,000 personas encarceladas. El informe concluye que: El Estado de Georgia incurre en un patrón o una práctica de vulneración de los derechos constitucionales de las personas encarceladas, al no proteger a las personas que se encuentran en instalaciones de seguridad media y cerrada de la violencia física generalizada y someter a las personas encarceladas a un riesgo irrazonable de daño por abuso sexual en todas sus instalaciones. En concreto, Georgia no protege a las personas encarceladas, incluidas las personas lesbianas, gay, bisexuales, transgénero e intersexuales (LGBTI), de daños causados por violencia sexual o abuso sexual. La falta crítica de personal y las deficiencias sistémicas en la planta física, la vivienda y la clasificación, el control de contrabando, la notificación de incidentes y las investigaciones contribuyen a la violencia generalizada. Georgia permite que las pandillas ejerzan una influencia indebida sobre la vida en la prisión, incluido el control de unidades de vivienda enteras y la operación de maquinaciones ilegales y peligrosas dentro y fuera de las prisiones, así perjudicando tanto a las personas encarceladas como al público. «Las personas encarceladas por el Departamento Penitenciario de Georgia no deben ser sometidas a violencia potencialmente mortal y otras formas de privación grave mientras cumplen sus penas de prisión», afirmó Ryan K. Buchanan, el Fiscal Federal para el Distrito Norte de Georgia. «Nuestra constitución requiere condiciones humanas en prisiones que, como mínimo, garanticen que las personas encarceladas estén seguras. Los hallazgos de la investigación de la ley de Derechos Civiles de Personas Institucionalizadas del Departamento Penitenciario de Georgia revelan fallos graves y difusos en lo que se refiere a la protección de los hombres y mujeres alojados en sus instalaciones, lo que incluye muertes perturbadores y cada vez más frecuentes entre las personas encarceladas. Esperamos que el Estado de Georgia comparta nuestro sentido de urgencia en cuanto a la gravedad de las infracciones descritas en este informe y que colabore con el Departamento de Justicia, nuestra oficina y nuestro socio en las Fiscalías para los Distritos Centro y Sur para remediar estas deficiencias sistémicas en las prisiones de Georgia». «Esperamos que estos resultados sean una llamada de atención. Las personas encarceladas y el personal del Departamento Penitenciario de Georgia se enfrentan a riesgos inaceptables y sistémicos, y el impacto afecta a todas nuestras comunidades», afirmó Peter Leary, el Fiscal Federal para el Distrito Centro de Georgia. «Esperamos trabajar en colaboración con el estado de Georgia para mejorar estas condiciones mortales; de hecho, la Constitución lo requiere». «La seguridad y protección de las prisiones de Georgia están inequívocamente vinculadas a la seguridad general de nuestras comunidades», declaró Jill E. Steinberg, la Fiscal Federal para el Distrito Sur de Georgia. «La disfunción a largo plazo en la gestión del sistema penitenciario ha llevado a la proliferación de redes criminales dentro de esas instalaciones que ponen en peligro a los ciudadanos privados, al personal y a las personas encarceladas y conducen directamente a violencia y abuso inaceptables y evitables contra las personas encarceladas. Nos comprometemos a trabajar con el Departamento de Correcciones de Georgia para crear un entorno más seguro dentro y fuera de las prisiones de Georgia». Las conclusiones anunciadas hoy son el resultado de la investigación civil del Departamento de Justicia y son independientes de cualquier caso penal presentado por el Departamento de Justicia. La Sección de Litigios Especiales de la División de Derechos Civiles y las Fiscalías Federales para los Distritos Norte, Centro y Sur de Georgia llevaron a cabo la investigación. Para obtener más información sobre la División de Derechos Civiles y la Sección de Litigios Especiales, visite www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section . También se puede informar a la Sección de vulneraciones de derechos civiles mediante el formulario de quejas, disponible en civilrights.justice.gov/ . Para proporcionar información relacionada con la investigación del Departamento de las prisiones de Georgia, llame al 1-844-401-3736 o envíe un correo electrónico a l Departamento a Community.GeorgiaDOC@usdoj.gov .


title: Evansville Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison for Receiving and Possessing Explicit Images of Children Via Snapchat

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: EVANSVILLE—Christopher Vickers, 41, of Evansville, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to one count of possession and three counts of receipt of child sexual abuse material. According to court documents, on July 17, 2023, investigators were alerted to a Snapchat account being used to upload, store, and share child sexual abuse material. Further investigation identified Christopher Vickers as the owner of the Snapchat account. On July 26, 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at Vickers’ apartment and found multiple cell phones containing over 500 images and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The still image and video files included depictions of children engaged in sex acts with adult men and children under the age of 12 years old. The Snapchat account used by Vickers was also installed on one of the cell phones. Investigation revealed that Vickers used the Snapchat account to seek out groups of like-minded Snapchat users with a sexual interest in children to share and discuss depictions of child sexual abuse. During the search of the apartment, investigators found objects reflecting his sexual interest in children, including underwear made for young girls located in Vickers’ bedroom closet. Investigators learned that the underwear had been stolen from children who Vickers had access to in the past. Further investigation revealed that Vickers, who was then 40, was involved in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl at the time investigators searched his apartment. “Pedophiles use social media platforms like Snapchat to share their interests with like-minded individuals—gathering online to traffic in child sexual abuse materials,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Prosecution of these criminals helps make our children safer and sends the message that Snapchat and other platforms are not a safe space for predators to trade in images of abuse. Together with our partners at the FBI and local police departments, our office will continue to vigorously prosecute child sex offenders and seek to send them to federal prison where they cannot further harm our children.” The FBI and Evansville Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young. Vickers must also register as a sex offender wherever he lives, works, or goes to school. U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, who prosecuted this case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood , a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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. ###


title: Federal Firearms Licensees Plead Guilty To Conspiracy To Defraud  The United States

component: USAO - Colorado

body_text: DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces the two co-owners of Modern Arms & Optics LLC, a federal firearms licensee that operated from 2019 to 2023 pled guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States. On July 25, 2024, Campbell Slayden, 26, of Denver pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm. On September 23, 2024, Anthony Gallegos, 26, of Denver pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. The plea agreements stemmed from the defendants’ actions while dealing firearms on behalf of Modern Arms and Optics. In the course of conducting their business, Slayden and Gallegos engaged in deceptive acts to hide information, mislead, and avert further inquiry into their business from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) by concealing their unlawful firearms manufacturing practices in federally required records. Furthermore, the co-owners transferred firearms to people not legally allowed to own firearms through a practice often referred to as “straw purchasing.” “It is crucial for gun shop owners and dealers to follow the laws that help keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and keep our communities safe,” said Acting United States Attorney Matt Kirsch. “We will vigorously prosecute anyone who breaks or evades those laws.” Judge Gordon P. Gallagher presided over both hearings. The case was investigated by ATF. Assistant United States Attorney Albert Buchman handled the prosecution. 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. Case Numbers: 1:24-cr-0034-GPG (Slayden) 1:24-cr-00224-GPG (Gallegos)


title: Vice President Of International Cargo Airline Sentenced To 32 Months In Prison For Defrauding Employer

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that ABILASH KURIEN was sentenced to 32 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman in connection with a massive scheme to defraud Polar Air Cargo Worldwide, Inc. (“Polar”), a leading cargo airline, of more than $32 million dollars in revenue. KURIEN previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Abilash Kurien betrayed his employer’s trust. Over the course of more than a decade, Kurien took millions of dollars in kickbacks for himself and caused tens of millions in dollars in losses to the company he worked for. This Office and our law enforcement partners will not stop in rooting out corporate fraud.” According to the charging documents and other filings and statements made in court: From at least in or about 2009 through in or about July 2021, KURIEN and at least nine other individuals participated in a massive scheme to defraud Polar. At all relevant times, KURIEN and three codefendants were senior executives of Polar (the “Executive Defendants”), and six codefendants (the “Vendor Defendants”) owned and operated various Polar vendors and customers. The Executive Defendants agreed to accept millions of dollars in kickbacks from the Vendor Defendants, and also reaped substantial financial benefits as a result of their secret ownership interests in certain Polar vendors, in exchange for ensuring that those vendors received favorable business arrangements with Polar. The fraud they perpetrated—which involved a substantial portion of Polar’s senior management and at least 10 customers and vendors of Polar—led to pervasive corruption of Polar’s business, touching nearly every aspect of the company’s operations, for over a decade. As a result of the scheme, the Executive Defendants, along with two co-conspirators who also worked as senior executives at Polar, received unlawful payments, either directly or through various limited liability companies they controlled, in excess of approximately $23 million in kickback payments or disbursements as a result of their ownership of conflicted companies. KURIEN was Polar’s Vice President of Marketing, Revenue Management, and Network Planning. He personally received kickbacks totaling over $7 million. Nine of the defendants charged in this case have pleaded guilty. Skye Xu, the remaining defendant, is scheduled for trial on October 28, 2024. * * * In addition to the prison term, KURIEN, 46, of Wilton, Connecticut, was sentenced to 3 years of supervised release. KURIEN was also ordered to forfeit $7,192,064.41 and to make restitution to Polar in the amount of $22,956,341. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danielle Kudla, Kevin Mead, Qais Ghafary, and Jerry J. Fang are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Hardin woman admits biting BIA officer on Crow Indian Reservation

component: USAO - Montana

body_text: BILLINGS — A Hardin woman accused of biting a Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on the arm while law enforcement was attempting to arrest her during a disturbance on the Crow Indian Reservation admitted to an assault charge today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. The defendant, Chrystal Joann Stewart, 36, pleaded guilty to assault on a federal officer. Stewart faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Stewart was detained pending further proceedings. In court documents, the government alleged that on April 29, 2023, a BIA officer, identified as Jane Doe, responded to a call in Crow Agency about Stewart causing a disturbance at a residence. Stewart had knocked on the door, and residents let Stewart inside, where she collapsed and was unresponsive. The residents shook Stewart awake and it was obvious that Stewart was high. The residents called 911 because Stewart was scaring the children in the home. Although communicating with Stewart was difficult because she was high, Officer Jane Doe convinced Stewart to leave the house. After Stewart walked out of the house, one of the residents told the officers that Stewart had grabbed a knife from the kitchen and put in her purse. Another officer had responded to assist Officer Jane Doe and saw the knife sticking out of Stewart’s purse. Stewart resisted and pulled away from the officer when he tried to grab her arm to take away the purse. Stewart repeatedly refused instructions to stop resisting and tried to get away by kicking and screaming at the officers. The officers ultimately tased Stewart, who continued to resist. Stewart then lunged at one of the officers and tried to run back into the residence. Officer Jane Doe was able to get one handcuff on Stewart, but Stewart then turned and bit the officer on the upper right arm. Stewart would not release the bite. Finally, with the help of emergency medial responders, the officers were able to get a second handcuff on Stewart and she released the bite. Officer Jane Doe was treated at the Indian Health Service for the bite injury, which broke the skin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office if prosecuting the case the case. The BIA conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Brookline Hospital to Pay Up To $6.5 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Liability Concerning Kickback Allegations

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – First Psychiatric Planners, Inc. d/b/a Bournewood Health Systems and Bournewood Hospital (Bournewood) has agreed to pay at least $5.5 million and up to $6.5 million to resolve allegations that it violated the federal and Massachusetts False Claims Acts. According to court documents, Bournewood provided free sober housing to substance use recovery patients enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid to induce these patients to participate in Bournewood’s Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) in violation of the federal and Massachusetts Anti-Kickback Statutes. Bournewood frequently sent recovery patients to sober homes whose owners and operators engaged in unlawful behavior and exploited vulnerable recovery patients. Bournewood is a behavioral health organization that provides inpatient and outpatient mental health and dual diagnosis care for adults and adolescents in Brookline with offices in Dedham and Woburn, Mass. Bournewood’s PHP is a month-long outpatient therapy program providing substance use treatment and psychiatric care to patients after they complete rehabilitation in an inpatient detoxification facility. According to the settlement agreement, Bournewood admits and acknowledges that from at least Sept. 16, 2013 through May 31, 2022, it contracted with sober homes to house patients of Bournewood’s PHP receiving federal or Massachusetts health care program benefits. Bournewood only paid housing fees to sober homes on behalf of a patient if that patient enrolled in and attended Bournewood’s PHP. Bournewood did not require a patient to be homeless or housing insecure to receive sober housing in exchange for their attendance at Bournewood’s PHP. Once a patient ceased attending the PHP, Bournewood stopped paying the sober home costs for those patients, regardless of the patients’ financial condition, housing status or housing availability. The three largest sober homes that Bournewood contracted with were Steps to Solutions, Inc., Brady’s Place and Recovery Education Services, who collectively housed 79% of Bournewood’s PHP patients. In May 2024 , a federal jury in Boston found the owner and operator of Steps to Solutions, Inc. liable for sexual harassment and retaliation against tenants of his sober homes, in violation of the Fair Housing Act and awarded seven victims a combined total of $3.8 million. In May 2023 , the United States Attorney’s Office announced a 37-count indictment against the manager of Brady’s Place for his participation in a fraud scheme. In 2019 , the owner and operator of Recovery Education Services, Inc. pleaded guilty to a 36-count indictment brought by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office related to his management of the sober home which included former Bournewood PHP patients. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in state prison. The federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare and other federally funded programs. The statute is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients. The United States and Massachusetts contend that the claims that Bournewood submitted, or caused to be submitted, to Medicare and Medicaid were false because Bournewood’s payment in the form of free sober housing induced vulnerable patients not only to enroll in Bournewood’s PHP, but to regularly attend and remain with the PHP, in violation of the AKS. “Unlawful kickbacks can corrupt medical judgment, jeopardize patients’ health and create an uneven playing field for companies that play by the rules,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Our office remains committed to investigating and holding companies that pay kickbacks accountable. As we continue to combat the opioid crisis, we need to focus on getting people services based on what will best aid their recovery, not based on amenities that providers use to lure vulnerable patients to increase profits. That’s especially so where the supposed amenities place patients at risk.” “Kickback arrangements have no place in our health care system, and such allegations are particularly troubling when they involve the exploitation of vulnerable patients,” said Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “We are committed to protecting taxpayer-funded health care programs and the patients served by those programs, and we will continue to thoroughly investigate schemes that put patient safety at risk.” “When medical providers put their own financial incentives over the wellbeing of their patients, vulnerable individuals in need of care are unfairly harmed,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. “My office and the USAO took action, and we’re proud to have reached a meaningful settlement as we continue to hold accountable those who unlawfully compromise patient care for profit.” The resolution of this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. Acting U.S. Attorney Levy, HHS-OIG SAC Coviello and AG Campbell made the announcement today. This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven T. Sharobem and Julien M. Mundele of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory J. Dorchak and Anuj K. Khetarpal of the Civil Rights Unit. Assistant Attorneys General Katie Cooper Davis and Mary-Ellen Kennedy handled the matter for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office’s Medicaid Fraud Division.


title: Ohio and Virginia Men Convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Securities Fraud

body_text: CLEVELAND – A jury convicted two men for conspiring to artificially inflate prices on a low-value stock being sold to investors. After a trial that proceeded in two stages for over four weeks, Paul Spivak, 65, of Willoughby Hills, Ohio, and Charles Scott, 70, of Alexandria, Virginia, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Spivak was also found guilty on two counts of wire fraud in the first stage of trial, and he then pled guilty to four other counts of wire fraud, two counts of securities fraud, and a separate count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Scott was then found guilty of a securities fraud conspiracy and one count of securities fraud in the second stage of trial. According to court documents, trial testimony, and exhibits, Spivak was the majority owner and chief executive officer of U.S. Lighting Group, Inc. (USLG), a publicly traded Florida corporation based in Euclid, Ohio, that focused on the design and manufacture of commercial LED lights, aftermarket auto parts, and fiberglass recreational campers and boats. The company traded on OTC Markets under the ticker USLG and was considered a “penny” stock due to its lower market value. Penny stocks are more vulnerable to price manipulation because they draw less scrutiny and have lower trading volume than other stocks. Between 2016 and 2019, Spivak and his co-conspirators manipulated USLG’s stock price to their financial benefit. He and his co-conspirators arranged to take USLG public through a reverse merger with a shell company. They sought to artificially inflate or “pump” up the price of USLG stock using call rooms and other manipulative practices. One co-conspirator who helped to take USLG public and inflate the stock price was Richard Mallion, who was previously convicted of securities fraud and banned for life from participating in the securities industry. Numerous investors throughout the country were pressured to purchase USLG stock while Mallion and other co-conspirators covertly arranged for sell orders to match with the buy orders that the call rooms generated. While the stock price was artificially inflated, Spivak arranged for co-conspirators to act as unlicensed stockbrokers, cold-calling investors to sell them restricted shares of USLG stock. The brokers used aliases and represented the stock as offered at a steep discount relative to the apparent market price. Spivak arranged to pay those brokers large, undisclosed commissions, while concealing the true nature of USLG’s payments to those brokers by entering into fraudulent consulting agreements with them and requiring them to submit invoices that falsely described commission payments as payments for other services. Between 2016 and 2019, USLG took in approximately $6.9 million from numerous restricted stock investors—many of them elderly and located throughout the country—in increments between $4,000 and $1 million. During that time, the company made approximately 200 payments totaling $2 million in undisclosed commissions to those unlicensed stockbrokers. From February through June of 2021, Spivak and Scott engaged with undercover agents and a confidential source, who together posed as co-conspirators arranging to artificially inflate or “pump” up the price of USLG. Spivak arranged for them to receive stock, to be sold at inflated prices, from Scott and another co-conspirator, who had also agreed to kick back proceeds to USLG. Spivak and Scott arranged for Scott to sell free-trading USLG stock to undercover agents and to send approximately half of the proceeds of those sales back to USLG in exchange for additional restricted stock. Undercover agents, in turn, would sell USLG stock at inflated prices, and then use some of the profits to buy more free-trading shares from Scott, who would then kick back additional money to USLG to buy more restricted stock. Six of the defendants’ co-conspirators previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and other charges in this matter. Those co-conspirators included Mallion, Spivak’s wife, Olga Smirnova, and a number of the unlicensed stockbrokers. A seventh co-conspirator, Robert Louis Carver, also admitted to participating in this scheme as an unlicensed stockbroker using a stolen identity, all while he was a fugitive in a long-pending securities fraud matter in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Case No. 8:11-CR-62). “These men orchestrated an aggressive, fraudulent scheme to benefit their company, enrich themselves, and to add to their personal coffers at the expense of others. They not only withheld information, but also purposely engaged a team of affiliates that devised tactics to make it appear that USLG shares were a valuable and valid investment to people who thought they were investing in good faith,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “We will not tolerate those who think they can outsmart and manipulate the system through fraud and misrepresentation. This verdict helps protect our citizens and our business communities from these predatory methods and serves as a warning to others who are tempted to break federal securities laws because of greed.” On April 21, 2025, Spivak was sentenced to 17 years and five months in prison and ordered to pay a $200,000 fine by U.S. District Judge J. Philip Calabrese. Spivak was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment. Restitution is to be determined. On Feb. 12, 2025, Scott was sentenced to 42 months in prison and ordered to pay a $500,000 fine by U.S. District Judge J. Philip Calabrese. Scott was also ordered to serve two years of supervised release after imprisonment. The case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliot Morrison , Megan Miller , and Stephanie Wojtasik for the Northern District of Ohio. Report investment, financial, and related violations at https://www.sec.gov/submit-tip-or-complaint . Note: This page was updated Jan. 10, 2025, to reflect the rescheduled sentencing date for Spivak. Note: This page was updated Jan. 16, 2025, to reflect the rescheduled sentencing date for Scott. Note: This page was updated Feb. 12, 2025, with sentencing information for Scott. Note: This page was updated April 22, 2025,with sentencing information for Spivak.


title: Eagan Woman Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud in $250 Million Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – An Eagan woman pleaded guilty to her role in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to court documents, Kawsar Jama, 42, was the principal of Gedo Community Services and Ahlan Childcare Center, Inc. Jama enrolled these entities in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future and Sponsor A, and operated sites in Pelican Rapids, Burnsville, and Minneapolis. One of the main food vendors for Jama’s sites was Haji Osman Salad, through his business, Haji’s Kitchen. Salad provided Jama with false food invoices, which she used as part of her fraudulent claims for reimbursement from the Federal Child Nutrition Program. For example, Jama’s Pelican Rapids site, a small town in west-central Minnesota with a population of approximately 2,500 people, fraudulently claimed to have served more than 233,000 meals to children from September 2021 to December 2021 with Haji’s Kitchen as her supposed food supplier. In total, between June 2020 through 2022, Jama submitted at least $4.5 million in fraudulent claims for Federal Child Nutrition Program funds, some of which she spent on real estate and vehicles, including the purchase of a Tesla Model X. Jama pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of wire fraud in U.S. District Court before Judge Nancy E. Brasel. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert, Joseph H. Thompson, and Harry M. Jacobs are prosecuting the case.


title: Sumter Man Sentenced to Federal Prison After Multi-State Drug Trafficking Investigation

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: COLUMBIA, S.C. — Seneca Moore, 43, of Sumter was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to distribution of methamphetamine. Evidence presented to the court showed that on July 28, 2020, Moore sold 112 grams of methamphetamine to FBI agents during an undercover operation. The initial meeting took place at Moore’s trucking business in Mayesville. Moore later left the location and texted the buyer to meet him in the parking lot of a local gas station where he sold 112 grams of meth with 99 percent purity to the FBI. During the sale, Moore spoke of the prices the meth could be sold for and of other drugs he could provide. Further information presented to the court revealed that April 28, 2021, Moore conducted a second drug transaction at his trucking business. Law enforcement became aware of this transaction after the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the FBI received information that a drug courier was headed to Sumter County from Alamance, N.C. to purchase a large amount of cocaine from Moore at his trucking business. Agents with the FBI contacted the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, who established surveillance in the area. Agents observed the courier arrive at Moore’s trucking business in a blue sedan and interact with Moore before leaving the location. DEA and Sumter County reported the information back to North Carolina and the Alamance Narcotics Enforcement Team, NCSBI, and DEA established surveillance in North Carolina and observed the same car arriving back in Alamance County. The Alamance County Sheriff’s Office performed a traffic stop on the vehicle and searched the vehicle after a narcotics K-9 alerted to the presence of drugs. Officers found 16.04 kilograms of cocaine in the trunk of the vehicle. As a condition of Moore’s guilty plea, he was required to forfeit his interest in nine properties, 31 items of personal property, including vehicles, and his business inventory. Moore has a prior federal conviction for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine. United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Moore to 144 months imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . This case was investigated by the FBI Charlotte Field Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Alamance Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sumter Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar Fyall is prosecuting the case. ###


title: Former Las Vegas Teacher Sentenced To Nine Years In Prison For Distributing Approximately 130 Files Of Child Sexual Abuse Material Via A Social Media Messaging Application

component: USAO - Nevada

body_text: LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas man who was employed as a second-grade teacher was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge James C. Mahan to nine years in prison to be followed by 20 years of supervised release for distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) via, Kik, a social media messaging application. According to court documents, between April 11, 2021 and August 23, 2021, Alexander Scott Derringer (38) distributed over 130 CSAM files through two accounts on the mobile application Kik messenger. Of these files, approximately 59 of those files were recovered from two cellphones, both owned by Derringer. These files were among the approximately 2,584 images and 269 videos of CSAM found in the aggregate of both devices. The images and videos depicted minors as young as infants. The Henderson Police Department identified Derringer after receiving two CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual using an IP address associated with Derringer’s residence uploaded and shared CSAM with other users and groups. In June 2024, Derringer pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography. “Mr. Derringer abused his position of public trust to prey on those we expected him to protect,” said Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans of the FBI Las Vegas Division. “Every time child pornography is viewed on the internet, it re-victimizes a child. The sexual exploitation of children is among the most unscrupulous crimes we investigate, and today’s sentencing serves as a reminder that the FBI and our partners will work tirelessly to protect children from abuse and exploitation.” United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Evans made the announcement. The FBI-led Child Exploitation Task Force which consists of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, North Las Vegas Police Department, Henderson Police Department, Nevada Attorney General’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Afroza Yeasmin prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by calling 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or online at https://report.cybertip.org . ###


title: Justice Department Finds Unconstitutional Conditions in Georgia Prisons

component: USAO - Georgia, Southern

body_text: The Justice Department announced today its findings that conditions of confinement in Georgia’s prisons violate the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. “Our findings report lays bare the horrific and inhumane conditions that people are confined to inside Georgia’s state prison system,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our statewide investigation exposes long-standing, systemic violations stemming from complete indifference and disregard to the safety and security of people Georgia holds in its prisons. People are assaulted stabbed, raped and killed or left to languish inside facilities that are woefully understaffed. Inmates are maimed and tortured, relegated to an existence of fear, filth and not so benign neglect. These dangerous conditions not only harm the people Georgia incarcerates — it places prison employees and the broader community at risk. The Justice Department is committed to using its authority to bring about humane conditions of confinement that are consistent with contemporary standards of decency and respect for basic human dignity.” The department’s 93-page report details its findings from a thorough investigation of Georgia’s state-operated and private correctional facilities. Georgia has the fourth-highest state prison population in the country, with approximately 50,000 people incarcerated. The report concludes that: The State of Georgia engages in a pattern or practice of violating incarcerated persons’ constitutional rights by failing to protect individuals housed in medium- and close-security facilities from widespread physical violence and subjecting incarcerated persons to unreasonable risk of harm from sexual abuse across its facilities. Specifically, Georgia fails to protect incarcerated persons, including persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI), from harm caused by sexual violence or abuse. Critical understaffing and systemic deficiencies in physical plant, housing and classification, contraband control, incident reporting, and investigations all contribute to the widespread violence. Georgia allows gangs to exert improper influence on prison life, including controlling entire housing units and operating unlawful and dangerous schemes in and from the prisons, harming both incarcerated people and the public. “Individuals incarcerated by the Georgia Department of Corrections should not be subjected to life threatening violence and other forms of severe deprivation while serving their prison terms,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “Our constitution requires humane conditions in prisons, that, at a minimum, ensure that people in custody are safe. The findings of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act investigation of the Georgia Department of Corrections reveal grave and diffuse failures to safeguard the men and women housed in its facilities, including disturbing and increasing frequencies of deaths among incarcerated people. We expect the State of Georgia to share our sense of urgency about the seriousness of the violations described in this report and to work cooperatively with the Justice Department, our office and our U.S. Attorney partners in the Middle and Southern Districts to remedy these systemic deficiencies in Georgia prisons.” “We hope these findings are a wake-up call. Incarcerated people and staff in the Georgia Department of Corrections face unacceptable, systemic risks, and the impact affects all of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Peter Leary for the Middle District of Georgia. “We hope to work collaboratively with the State of Georgia to improve these deadly conditions; indeed, the Constitution requires it.” “The safety and security of Georgia’s prisons are inescapably linked to the overall safety and security of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia. “The long-term dysfunction in the management of the prison system has led to the proliferation of criminal networks inside those facilities that endanger private citizens, staff and incarcerated people and directly lead to unacceptable and avoidable violence and abuse against incarcerated people. We are committed to working with the Georgia Department of Corrections to create a safer environment inside and outside Georgia’s prisons.” The findings announced today are the result of the Justice Department’s civil investigation and are separate from any criminal cases brought by the Justice Department. The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Georgia conducted the investigation.


title: Baltimore Man Sentenced To 23 Years In Federal Prison For Sexually Abusing A Minor And Recording The Abuse

component: USAO - Maryland

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – On September 30, 2024, U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced William Zev Steen, age 46, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 23 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for sexual exploitation of a child. The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department. According to his guilty plea, from 2005 to 2011, Steen sexually abused the minor victim, from the time she was two until she was eight years old. Steen recorded two of the instances of sexual abuse in 2008 when the minor victim was 5 years old. Steen also admitted that in 2022, he collected and shared files depicting the sexual abuse of prepubescent minors using a Peer-to-Peer file sharing network. The files documenting Steen’s abuse of the minor victim were located on his digital devices after his arrest in November 2022. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page. U.S. Attorney Barron commended HSI Baltimore, HSI Tel Aviv, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Michael Aubin, who are prosecuting the case. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Donna drug trafficker convicted of possessing firearm

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: McALLEN, Texas – A 28-year-old man has pleaded guilty to utilizing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking activity, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. On July 24, authorities conducted a search warrant at the residence of Roberto Segura Jr. At that time, they discovered marijuana, over 400 grams of cocaine, and body armor within the home. Authorities also found a firearm in Segura’s bedroom next to the body armor. Segura admitted he was in possession of the firearm to protect himself during his drug trafficking activity. U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has set sentencing for Jan. 7, 2025. At that time, he faces a minimum of five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Segura will remain in custody pending sentencing. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Alamo Police Department conducted the joint investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan is prosecuting the case as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods ( PSN ) Program. In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old, evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.


title: Huron Man Sentenced for Attempted Enticement of a Minor

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Lawrence L. Piersol has sentenced a Huron, South Dakota, man convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet. The sentencing took place on September 30, 2024. Kyle Dean Bult, age 38, was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Once released, Bult must register as a sex offender. Bult was indicted by a federal grand jury in April of 2024. He pleaded guilty on July 1, 2024. The conviction stemmed from incidents between March 9, 2024, and March 10, 2024, when Bult accessed the media application Taimi, via his cellular phone, and initiated a text conversation with a 15-year-old female. During the conversation, Bult sent several messages to her asking questions, including her age. Bult also sent several messages that were sexual in nature, including asking for a meeting for a sexual encounter. Unbeknownst to Bult, an undercover agent was posing as the 15-year-old female. Bult drove to a meeting place and was arrested. This is Bult’s third criminal conviction for a sexual offense involving a minor victim. 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . This case was investigated by the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case. Bult was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Indiana Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracies Involving Cyber Intrusion and $37 Million Cryptocurrency Theft

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Evan Frederick Light, age 21, of Lebanon, Indiana, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica Duffy on September 30, 2024, and pleaded guilty to an Indictment that charged him with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments. The maximum penalty for each count upon conviction is 20 years in custody and/or a fine, three years of supervised release, and a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered. “These convictions reflect the relentless efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI in identifying a cybercriminal, holding him accountable, and prioritizing the victims of his crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Ramsdell. “Although this defendant tried to hide in the shadows of a cyber underworld, he was not beyond the reach of our team, and today’s guilty verdicts should serve as a reminder that this Office and its law enforcement partners will bring cyber criminals to justice, regardless how sophisticated their crimes may be.” “This case underscores the FBI’s unwavering commitment to identifying and bringing cybercriminals to justice," said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “Cyber-intrusions pose a serious threat to both individuals and businesses, and we are dedicated to protecting the public from these sophisticated attacks. The FBI will continue to work alongside our partners to ensure that those who exploit technology for financial gain are held accountable, no matter how complex or far-reaching their schemes may be.” According to court documents, in February of 2022, Light was involved in a cyber-intrusion involving an investment holdings company located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. During the cyber-intrusion, Light stole customer personal identifiable information (“PII”) and then stole cryptocurrency worth over $37 million from nearly 600 victims. He acted with one or more unidentified perpetrators. Specifically, during the cyber intrusion, Light accessed the identity of a real client of the investment holdings company and unlawfully utilized that identity to infiltrate the investment holdings company’s computer servers. After successfully accessing the computer servers, he then exfiltrated from the servers the PII of hundreds of other clients, using this access to steal virtual currencies from the clients who held such assets with the investment holdings company. The stolen cryptocurrency, under Light’s control, was then funneled to various locations throughout the world, including multiple mixing services and gambling websites to conceal his identity and to hide the virtual currency. Light’s conduct adversely affected victims all over the world, including South Dakota. As a result of his conduct, the total loss was approximately $37 million. The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri. A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.


title: Pittsburgh Felon Charged with Escape and Bank Robbery

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A former resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of escape and bank robbery, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. The two-count Indictment named John J. Flick, 58, as the sole defendant. According to the Indictment, on September 2, 2024, Flick left a halfway house in Pittsburgh, where he was serving out a previous sentence for a 2021 bank robbery. The Indictment further alleges that, on the following day, Flick robbed a bank in Dormont. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 25 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Shaun E. Sweeney is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Marshals Service, and Allegheny County Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment. An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: Allen Man Found Not Guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that an Allen, South Dakota, man was acquitted of Involuntary Manslaughter following a federal jury trial in Rapid City, South Dakota, on September 25, 2024. Layne Sharp, age 28, was indicted by a federal grand jury in September of 2023. The charge related to Sharp allegedly operating a motor vehicle on May 15, 2022, near Pine Ridge while under the intoxicating influence of alcohol after which the vehicle crashed resulting in another male being killed. The investigation was conducted by the Oglala Sioux Tribe – Department of Public Safety and the FBI. The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case.


title: Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Lawrence L. Piersol has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on September 30, 2024. Justin Lee Williams, age 48, was sentenced to three years and five months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Once released, Williams must register as a sex offender. Williams was indicted by a federal grand jury in February of 2024. He pleaded guilty on July 15, 2024. The conviction stemmed from incidents between March 23, 2023, and June 27, 2023, when Williams possessed images of child pornography. A CyberTip was received which showed that Williams had accessed child pornography on his cellular phone. Law enforcement conducted multiple searches and located two cell phones with several images and videos of child pornography, including that of a minor female as young as 6-10 years old. 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case. Williams was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Eagle Pass Man Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Meth

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: DEL RIO, Texas – An Eagle Pass man involved with the violent criminal street gang, Partido Revolucionario Mexicano (PRM), was sentenced in Del Rio to 19.5 years in federal prison for his role in importing and possessing with the intent to distribute over 10 kilograms of methamphetamine into the United States. According to court documents, Ines Adrian Guevara, 25, was subjected to a vehicle inspection at the U.S. Highway 57 checkpoint near Eagle Pass on April 16, 2021 after Border Patrol agents smelled marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. The search revealed 21 bundles containing 14.5 kgs of methamphetamine. Guevara had been instructed to transport the bundles from Piedras Negras, Mexico, to San Antonio. U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas made the announcement. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner prosecuted the case. ###


title: MS-13 Gang Associate Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for the Murders of Four Young Men in a Central Islip Park

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Leniz Escobar, also known as “Diablita,” an associate of the Leeward Locos Salvatruchas (Leeward) and Brentwood Locos Salvatruchas (Brentwood) cliques of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a violent transnational criminal organization, was sentenced by United States Second Circuit Judge Joseph F. Bianco, sitting by designation, to 600 months’ imprisonment. On April 8, 2022, Escobar was convicted after a four-week trial of racketeering, including predicate acts of murder, conspiracy to murder rival gang members, and obstruction of justice, and murder in aid-of racketeering. Those charges stemmed from her participation in the April 11, 2017 murders of Justin Llivicura, Michael Lopez, Jorge Tigre and Jefferson Villalobos, who were hacked to death with machetes and other sharp objects after Escobar lured them to a local Central Islip park. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Robert E. Waring, Acting Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the sentence. “The defendant demonstrated her allegiance to the MS-13 gang by luring four young men to their slaughter,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Today’s significant sentence reflects not only the seriousness of her conduct but also the consequences of her actions including the terror and suffering experienced by the victims, and the life-altering grief that their families continue to suffer. It is my hope that the justice meted out today will provide some comfort to those who lost loved ones to this senseless gang violence.” “In April 2017, Leniz Escobar ensnared four young men in a lethal ambush where fellow MS-13 associates ruthlessly murdered them due to assumed allegiance with a rival gang. Her subsequent bragging of her inhumane trap to ranked members exemplifies Escobar's perverted prioritization of gang status over human life. May today's sentencing provide some justice to the victims' families, and serve as a promise that the FBI will continue to eradicate the MS-13 presence terrorizing our communities,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy. "The senseless and brutal murder of four young people by members of the transnational gang MS-13, terrorized the Central Islip community and sent shockwaves across the nation," Suffolk County Police Acting Commissioner Robert Waring said. "Leniz Escobar played a significant role in leading four victims to their deaths and will pay the necessary price for her part. We hope that today's sentencing brings some measure of closure to the families who have suffered unimaginable grief. We will continue to pursue those who threaten the safety and well-being of members of our community with relentless determination." The evidence at trial proved that on the evening of April 11, 2017, Escobar and a co-conspirator, Keyli Gomez, lured five young men, including the four murder victims, to a park in Central Islip where they were attacked by members of the MS-13, including Josue Portillo, Freiry Martinez, Alexis Hernandez, Edwin Rodriguez, Sergio Segovia-Pineda, Omar Antonio Villalta, Henry Salmeron, Anderson Sanchez and others. The MS-13 members believed the victims to be members of a rival gang; at least two of the victims had offended the MS-13 by posting photos on social media in which they wore certain items and flashed hand signs that signified membership in the MS-13 gang. Escobar and Gomez showed the gang-related photos to members of the MS-13, who confirmed the young men did not belong to MS-13, and it was decided that the victims would be killed. Gomez testified at the trial that she and Escobar drove with the victims to the park, led them to a predetermined wooded area and sent the MS-13 members text-messages notifying them of their arrival. The MS-13 members and associates proceeded to the designated location and encircled the victims under the cover of darkness. One of the intended victims immediately fled and was able to escape. Llivicura, Lopez, Tigre and Villalobos were surrounded by MS-13 members, who attacked them with machetes, knives, an axe, and wooden clubs. After the attack, the MS-13 members dragged the victims’ bodies to a more secluded spot in the woods, piled them up, and then fled. The victims’ bodies were discovered the following evening. In the days following the murders, Escobar bragged to other MS-13 members about her role in the killings and, in recorded calls with her boyfriend, who was a high-ranking member of the Brentwood clique, discussed the attack in detail. Using barely coded language, and referring to the victims who were killed, she said, “four individuals took the train and who knows when they’ll be back, got me?” Escobar then shared how that plan went awry when one person escaped, adding “But one of them, one of them managed to still be here on the map” and “he knows stuff about me.” In a separate call, Escobar told her boyfriend that she was “happy for this to happen.” Of the four victims, she said they were “never coming back . . . somewhere else . . . seeing the light . . . no more . . . out of here . . . not on the map.” Additionally, Escobar destroyed evidence of her involvement in the murders by disposing of a sweatshirt stained with the blood of a victim, tossing her cellular phone from a moving vehicle when she was being followed by the police and falsely telling detectives that she and Gomez were victims of a random robbery in the park on the night of the murders. More than a dozen MS-13 members and associates have been charged in connection with the April 11, 2017 murders, including the individuals listed above. Of these defendants, Escobar is the fifth person to be sentenced. Josue Portillo was sentenced to 55 years’ incarceration, Freiry Martinez was sentenced to 50 years’ incarceration, Anderson Sanchez was sentenced to 32 years’ incarceration, Alexis Hernandez was sentenced to 29 years’ incarceration, and the remaining defendants are pending sentence. Today’s sentencing is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13. The MS-13’s leadership traditionally has been based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, but the organization also has thousands of members and an increasing number of leaders in the United States. With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island. Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults. Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 70 murders in the Eastern District of New York, resulting in the convictions of dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Automated Litigation Support Specialist Michael Compitello. The Defendant : LENIZ ESCOBAR Age: 24 Islip Terrace, New York E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-101 (JFB)


title: Huntingdon County Man Indicted For Firearms Offenses

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: HARRISBURG– The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Timothy Albert Brewin, age 54, of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury for firearms offenses. According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment charges Brewin with possessing approximately 40 firearms as a prohibited person and possessing two sawed-off shotguns that were not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record in violation of the National Firearms Act. The case was investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Wesley (Wes) Mishoe is prosecuting the case. The maximum penalty under federal law for the charges against Brewin is 25 years imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, a fine, and special assessment. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Indictments are only allegations. All persons indicted are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court. # # #


component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: MACON, Ga. – The Justice Department announced today its findings that conditions of confinement in Georgia’s prisons violate the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. “We hope these findings are a wake-up call. Incarcerated people and staff in the Georgia Department of Corrections face unacceptable, systemic risks, and the impact affects all of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Peter Leary for the Middle District of Georgia. “We hope to work collaboratively with the State of Georgia to improve these deadly conditions; indeed, the Constitution requires it.” “Our findings report lays bare the horrific and inhumane conditions that people are confined to inside Georgia’s state prison system,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our statewide investigation exposes long-standing, systemic violations stemming from complete indifference and disregard to the safety and security of people Georgia holds in its prisons. People are assaulted stabbed, raped and killed or left to languish inside facilities that are woefully understaffed. Inmates are maimed and tortured, relegated to an existence of fear, filth and not so benign neglect. These dangerous conditions not only harm the people Georgia incarcerates — it places prison employees and the broader community at risk. The Justice Department is committed to using its authority to bring about humane conditions of confinement that are consistent with contemporary standards of decency and respect for basic human dignity.” The department’s 93-page report details its findings from a thorough investigation of Georgia’s state-operated and private correctional facilities. Georgia has the fourth-highest state prison population in the country, with approximately 50,000 people incarcerated. The report concludes that: The State of Georgia engages in a pattern or practice of violating incarcerated persons’ constitutional rights by failing to protect individuals housed in medium- and close-security facilities from widespread physical violence and subjecting incarcerated persons to unreasonable risk of harm from sexual abuse across its facilities. Specifically, Georgia fails to protect incarcerated persons, including persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI), from harm caused by sexual violence or abuse. Critical understaffing and systemic deficiencies in physical plant, housing and classification, contraband control, incident reporting and investigations all contribute to the widespread violence. Georgia allows gangs to exert improper influence on prison life, including controlling entire housing units and operating unlawful and dangerous schemes in and from the prisons, harming both incarcerated people and the public. “Individuals incarcerated by the Georgia Department of Corrections should not be subjected to life threatening violence and other forms of severe deprivation while serving their prison terms,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “Our constitution requires humane conditions in prisons, that, at a minimum, ensure that people in custody are safe. The findings of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act investigation of the Georgia Department of Corrections reveal grave and diffuse failures to safeguard the men and women housed in its facilities, including disturbing and increasing frequencies of deaths among incarcerated people. We expect the State of Georgia to share our sense of urgency about the seriousness of the violations described in this report and to work cooperatively with the Justice Department, our office and our U.S. Attorney partners in the Middle and Southern Districts to remedy these systemic deficiencies in Georgia prisons.” “The safety and security of Georgia’s prisons are inescapably linked to the overall safety and security of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia. “The long-term dysfunction in the management of the prison system has led to the proliferation of criminal networks inside those facilities that endanger private citizens, staff and incarcerated people and directly lead to unacceptable and avoidable violence and abuse against incarcerated people. We are committed to working with the Georgia Department of Corrections to create a safer environment inside and outside Georgia’s prisons.” The findings announced today are the result of the Justice Department’s civil investigation and are separate from any criminal cases brought by the Justice Department. The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Georgia conducted the investigation. For more information about the Civil Rights Division and the Special Litigation Section, please visit www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section . You can also report civil rights violations to the section by completing the complaint form available at civilrights.justice.gov/ . To provide information related to the department’s investigation of Georgia’s prisons, please call 1-844-401-3736 or email the department at Community.GeorgiaDOC@usdoj.gov .


title: Baxter County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking & Firearms Offenses

component: USAO - Arkansas, Western

body_text: HOT SPRINGS - A Baxter County (Salem) man was sentenced yesterday to a total of 240 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of More Than Fifty Grams of Actual Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Hot Springs. According to court documents, beginning in January of 2021 and into May of 2021, Special Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Hot Springs Police Department, Special Investigations Division, conducted multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Michael Steven Benedict , age 45. On April 21, 2021, the Special Agents conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine, four (4) stolen firearms, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from Benedict. The suspected methamphetamine was submitted to the DEA Southeast Laboratory and determined to be a total of 361.03 grams of actual methamphetamine. U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hot Springs Police Department, Special Investigations Division, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn prosecuted the case. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov .


title: Readout of Justice Department’s “Walk the Redline” Event to Commemorate the Third Anniversary of the Combating Redlining Initiative

body_text: To commemorate the third anniversary of the Justice Department's Combating Redlining Initiative, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia conducted a walking tour yesterday along Washington D.C.'s historic U Street Corridor. This year also marks the Justice Department’s 30th anniversary of redlining enforcement efforts. In 1994, the department filed its first redlining case against Chevy Chase Federal Savings Bank in Washington, D.C. Walking the historic U Street Corridor highlights the roots of the department’s fair lending enforcement efforts and continued commitment to fight for equal opportunity for all people and communities impacted by redlining. Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Graves met with three of the longest enduring Black-owned businesses in Washington D.C. — Industrial Bank, Lee’s Flower and Card Shop and Ben’s Chili Bowl — to discuss how access to credit and financial services impacted the neighborhood. Leaders reflected on the local Black community’s rich history of entrepreneurship and contributions to the local economy despite historical redlining. Redlining is an illegal practice in which lenders avoid providing services to individuals living in communities of color because of the race or national origin of the people who live in those communities. Starting in 2025, lenders will also be required to collect and report on the racial demographics of small business loans provided by financial institutions. “These three legacy D.C. establishments underscore how access to credit and loan services can be transformative in providing access to economic opportunity and generational wealth for Black communities,” said Assistant Attorney General Clarke. “Our Combating Redlining Initiative is holding financial institutions accountable for unlawful redlining practices and has resulted in historic relief to close the widening wealth gap between communities of color and others. As we expand our efforts, we look forward to reviewing future data on business loans to ensure that banks are engaged in fair lending to small businesses.” “Industrial Bank’s relationship with Lee’s Flower and Card Shop and Ben’s Chili Bowl shows how businesses can thrive when banks provide access to lending,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, along with our partners at the Civil Rights Division, are committed to holding accountable those banks that are not providing equal access to lending.” In October 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Assistant Attorney General Clarke launched the Justice Department’s Combating Redlining Initiative as the most aggressive and coordinated effort to fight discriminatory lending against communities of color. The Initiative brings a comprehensive approach by working with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, State Attorneys General and financial regulatory agencies nationwide to address redlining. Since 2021, the department has reached major milestones since its launch, including: Securing 13 settlements totaling $137 million in relief for communities of color across the country in California , Delaware , Florida , New Jersey , North Carolina , Ohio , Oklahoma , Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , Texas and Tennessee . Securing a historic amount of relief that includes $121 million in subsidies for home loans and is expected to generate over $1 billion in investment in affected communities in places such as Houston; Memphis, Tennessee; Newark, New Jersey; Los Angeles; and Charlotte, North Carolina. Information about the Justice Department’s fair lending enforcement work can be found at www.justice.gov/crt/fair-lending-program . Individuals may report lending discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s housing discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291 or submitting a report online. Information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s civil rights enforcement may be found at www.justice.gov/usao-dc/affirmative-civil-rights-and-environmental-justice . Beginning in 2025, consistent with section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act, lenders will be required to collect and report certain demographic data for small business loan applications. Information about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s small business lending rulemaking may be found at Small business lending rulemaking | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov) . Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Graves meet with management at Industrial Bank. Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Graves are shown a mural by the owners of Lee's Flower and Card Shop. Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Graves tour Ben's Chili Bowl.


title: Jefferson County felon sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for gas station robbery

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: BEAUMONT, Texas – A Nederland man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. Tarrell Donald Nowlin, 53, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on October 1, 2024. According to court documents, on January 16, 2024, law enforcement officers responded to a call regarding an armed robbery at the Speedway Gas Station located on Eastex Freeway in Beaumont. The store clerk reported the assailant pulled into the parking lot and parked near one of the gas pumps. The driver then entered the business and pointed a revolver at the clerk and demanded money. The clerk opened the cash register, and the assailant took approximately $550 cash and left the store. Law enforcement reviewed video footage from the gas station and local surrounding businesses and were able to identify Nowlin as the assailant. Further investigation revealed Nowlin was a career offender with three prior robbery convictions. Nowlin was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 3, 2024. 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. This case was investigated by the FBI, Beaumont Police Department and Nederland Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Quinn. ###


title: Houston felon admits to three gunpoint robberies

body_text: HOUSTON – A 28-year-old Houston man has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. In November and December 2023, Josue Castro-Gomez robbed two gas stations and one Houston-area smoke shop at gunpoint. On Nov. 25, 2023, Castro-Gomez entered a Korner Food Mart located in Houston, brandished a firearm and demanded the store clerk give him cash from the register. He proceeded to discharge the firearm, shooting above the clerk’s head, but fled from the scene without taking any money. On Dec. 11-12, 2023, Castro-Gomez went to a Circle K gas station and a Vape City, respectively, and demanded cash from the register. He received money on both occasions and fled the scenes. On Dec. 12, law enforcement located Castro-Gonzalez and found him to be in possession of a .32 caliber handgun. During the investigation, authorities matched a spent shell casing from the Nov. 25 robbery to the firearm in Castro-Gonzalez’s possession at the time of his arrest through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. Castro-Gonzalez has prior felony convictions from 2015 and 2017 for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance, respectively. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition per federal law. U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. will impose sentencing Dec. 11. At that time, Castro-Gonzalez could receive up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine for each of two counts of robbery. For brandishing a firearm while committing a crime of violence, he faces another possible seven years in prison which he must serve consecutively to any other prison term imposed. He has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with assistance from the Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.


title: Four Employees of Juvenile Detention Center Plead Guilty to Taking Bribes

body_text: Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Da’Vante Bolton, an employee of the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), pleaded guilty to accepting bribes, admitting that he smuggled contraband into a juvenile detention facility in exchange for illegal payments. On September 3, 2024, September 10, 2024 and September 26, 2024, ACS employees Octavia Napier, Christopher Craig and Nigel King pleaded guilty, respectively, to Travel Act bribery charges in connection with the same conduct. Today’s proceeding was held before United States District Judge Orelia E. Merchant. All four defendants were Youth Development Specialists at the Crossroads Juvenile Center in Brownsville, Brooklyn (Crossroads). When sentenced, Bolton faces a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, and Napier, Craig and King each face a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Jocelyn E. Strauber, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) and James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, New York Field Office (FBI) announced the charges. “These defendants prioritized their own financial interests above the safety and security of residents and co-workers at the Crossroads Juvenile Center, giving dangerous contraband to juveniles in their care in exchange for bribes,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office and our law enforcement partners will not stop rooting out and prosecuting corruption in our City’s jails and juvenile detention facilities.” DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said, “These four City Youth Development Specialists were responsible for the safety and well-being of juveniles at the Crossroads Center in Brooklyn. They failed the juveniles in their care, and the City, when they took bribes to smuggle dangerous items into Crossroads, including razor blades, prescription pills, and alcohol. I thank the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for their partnership in the investigation that led to guilty pleas of these four defendants.” Approximately 120 residents, ranging in age from 14 to 20, are detained at Crossroads. Residents at Crossroads are prohibited from possessing any contraband, including narcotics, cellular telephones, cigarettes, weapons and alcohol, among other prohibited items. ACS employees at Crossroads are trained to confiscate any contraband they find and must notify a supervisor if any contraband is discovered. Although staff members are supposed to undergo a security screening whenever they enter the facility, a significant amount of contraband has recently been recovered from Crossroads residents. Between approximately March 2022 and May 2024, at least 75 cell phones and more than 340 scalpels or blades were recovered from the facility, as well as narcotics and tobacco. The defendants are or were Youth Development Specialists at Crossroads, who were responsible for supervising residents. Their responsibilities are similar to those of a correction officer at a jail facility, except, among other differences, Youth Development Specialists are restricted in the type of force they may use and are not permitted to carry pepper spray or restraints. Da’Vante Bolton has been employed by ACS since March 2020. Bolton accepted more than $20,000 in bribes from Crossroads residents or their associates and, in exchange, smuggled in razor blades and marijuana. Christopher Craig has been employed by ACS since August 2018. Craig received more than $5,000 in bribes to smuggle in contraband, including marijuana and tobacco. Nigel King was employed by ACS from October 2021 to August 2024. King accepted more than $6,000 in bribes for smuggling in marijuana, prescription pills and alcohol. Octavia Napier was employed by ACS from June 2022 to May 2023. Napier received more than $2,000 in bribes to both smuggle in contraband and allow a Crossroads resident to use Napier’s Cash App account to run the resident’s contraband distribution business from within Crossroads. A fifth defendant, Roger Francis, is currently awaiting trial on the same charges. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Philip Pilmar and Andrew D. Grubin and Special Assistant United States Attorney Cassie Perez of the Bronx District Attorney’s Office are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Legal Assistant Thomas Englert. Defendants Who Have Pled Guilty : DA’VANTE BOLTON Age: 31 Queens, NY E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-383 (OEM) CHRISTOPHER CRAIG Age: 37 Brooklyn, NY E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-345 (OEM) NIGEL KING Age: 45 Queens, NY E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-368 (RPK) OCTAVIA NAPIER Age: 26 Brooklyn, NY E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-328 (FB) Defendant Awaiting Trial: ROGER FRANCIS Age: 58 Brooklyn, NY E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-342 (NCM)


title: Terre Haute Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms Trafficking Offense

component: USAO - Kentucky, Western

body_text: Louisville, KY – Today, a Terre Haute, Indiana, man pleaded guilty to illegally transferring a firearm to a convicted felon. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. of the Kentucky State Police, and Sheriff Derek Polston of the Russell County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement. According to court documents, Shawn Michael Kays, 41, pleaded guilty to an information charging firearms trafficking. According to the plea agreement, between November of 2023 and January of 2024, Kays transported and transferred a Smith & Wesson, Model SD9VE, nine-millimeter pistol to a convicted felon. A criminal complaint filed on September 19, 2024, alleged that firearm was later used to kill a Russell County Sheriff’s Deputy on September 16, 2024. Kays is not charged with or alleged to have been involved in the shooting. Sentencing is scheduled for February 10, 2025. The maximum penalty is fifteen years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system. This case is being investigated by the ATF Louisville Field Division, Bowling Green Branch Office, and the Russell County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the ATF Columbus Field Division, The ATF Indianapolis Field Division Office, and the Kentucky State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Nicholas Rabold, of the U.S. Attorney’s Bowling Green Branch Office, is prosecuting this case. This case was prosecuted under the new criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted, and the President signed in June 2022. The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. ###


title: Knoxville Man Sentenced To 380 Months For Drug And Firearm Offenses After Assaulting Officer And Crashing Van In Attempt To Flee

component: USAO - Tennessee, Eastern

body_text: KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On October 1, 2024, Michel Harris, 38, of Knoxville, TN, was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 380 months by the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville. Following his imprisonment, he will be on supervised release for 10 years. As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Harris pled guilty to possessing with intent to distribute nearly a kilogram of methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)(A) and possessing a firearm while being a felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). According to the filed plea agreement, Harris, who is a convicted felon, illegally purchased a firearm, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and other firearm paraphernalia, including upper receivers for an AR type rifle, and 100-round, 60-round, and 50-round drum magazines for various caliber firearms, while attending the RK Gun Show in Knoxville in April 2022. After leaving the gun show, Harris, who had been under surveillance, committed a traffic violation, and was stopped at a gas station off Clinton Highway. Officers initiated a search of Harris’ van while at the gas station. During the search, Harris ran to the driver’s side door, got in, and sped onto Clinton Highway, with a KPD officer inside. The officer attempted to restrain Harris and gain control of the van but was unsuccessful. Ultimately, the van crashed into oncoming traffic, hitting two vehicles head on. Harris, unharmed during the crash, fled on foot and was apprehended a short time later. The officer suffered a head wound and a badly broken arm. No other drivers or passengers were seriously injured. “Harris’ conduct was dangerous and brazen. He jeopardized the lives of countless innocent bystanders and law enforcement officers during his attempt to flee, and an untold number of people were endangered by the weapons and ammunition Harris illegally purchased,” said United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III. “Our office is committed to uncovering and prosecuting dangerous criminals who gravely harm our communities through drug trafficking and the illegal purchase of firearms and ammunition.” “Illegal firearm possession is a serious threat to public safety as demonstrated in this case,” said ATF Nashville Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson. “The safety of our communities and protecting the public is one of the cornerstones of what our agency seeks to accomplish every day. This sentence highlights ATF’s commitment to protecting the public through vigorous enforcement of the federal firearms laws by identifying, arresting, and presenting for prosecution the perpetrators illegally obtaining firearms and those responsible for violent crimes committed in our communities.” “Harris’ actions were reckless and showed a complete disregard for the safety of others in our community. We are incredibly fortunate that our officer, Lieutenant Michael Geddings, was able to make a full recovery from the injuries he sustained while attempting to apprehend Harris. I appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Attorney's Office to hold him to account for his behavior,” said Knoxville Chief of Police Paul Noel. The charges were the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with the assistance of the Knoxville Police Department and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anne-Marie Svolto and Michael Deel of the Eastern District of Tennessee prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. ###


title: Fort Myers Man Sentenced To 40 Years For Distributing And Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Images And Videos

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Richard Edward Brillhart (44, Fort Myers) to 40 years in federal prison for distribution and possession of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. Brillhart was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release and register as a sex offender. A federal jury had found Brillhart guilty on February 7, 2024. According to court documents, between April and August 2021, several social media applications provided cybertips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reporting that Brillhart was involved in the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material on various social media platforms. On September 8, 2021, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at Brillhart’s residence and seized his cellphone. A subsequent forensic examination of Brillhart’s cellphone revealed images and videos of children being sexually abused. Further, Brillhart had a prior conviction for possession of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors from 2004. “The sentencing of Richard Brillhart to four decades sends a clear message that our community will not tolerate the exploitation of children, in any form,” said Homeland Security Investigations Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Micah C. McCombs. “The Southwest Florida INTERCEPT Task Force, South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Fort Myers Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations work tirelessly to make impacts every day to hold those who engage in the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material accountable.” This case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations, the Southwest Florida Inter-Agency Child Exploitation and Persons Trafficking Task Force (INTERCEPT), which is comprised of detectives and investigative specialist who are part of the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and are cross designated Task Force Officers with HSI. The Fort Myers Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations assisted with this investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava. This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.