title: Schuylkill County Man Sentenced To 70 Months’ Imprisonment For Methamphetamine Trafficking

body_text: SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Javier Guzman, age 52, of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on January 30, 2024, by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, to 70 months’ imprisonment on the charge of possession with intent to distribute crystal methamphetamine. According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Guzman previously pleaded guilty and admitted to possessing between 50 and 200 grams of high-quality crystal methamphetamine for distribution in the Schuylkill County area in 2022. The charge stems from an investigation in which investigators made multiple purchases of high-quality crystal methamphetamine from Guzman in March 2022 in Schuylkill County. The charge against the defendant resulted from an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Schuylkill County Drug Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara 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: York County Woman Sentenced To 14 Years In Prison For Trafficking Methamphetamine

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kim Forney, age 50, of York County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on January 30, 2024, by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to 168 months in prison for trafficking methamphetamine with a gun. According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Forney was indicted for her role in a methamphetamine trafficking ring operated out of her home in Windsor, Pennsylvania. Police seized methamphetamine, weapons, thousands in cash and other materials related to the drug trafficking operation during a July 22, 2020, search of her home. Forney was charged with conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine with Cody Mitzel, Christa Tabor, Craig Smith, and Sheridan Lee Boothe. Forney previously entered guilty pleas to trafficking 500 grams and more of methamphetamine, and to possessing a gun recovered from her home. Cody Mitzel entered a guilty plea to methamphetamine trafficking and was previously sentenced by Judge Wilson to approximately 36 months in prison. Craig Smith pled guilty to methamphetamine trafficking and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 26, 2024. Sheridan Lee Boothe pled guilty to methamphetamine trafficking and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 21, 2024. Christa Tabor is wanted. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Consiglio is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce 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: Cumberland County Man Charged With Child Pornography Offenses

body_text: HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Timothy Laird Boatman, age 39, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury with child pornography offenses. According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment charges Boatman with multiple counts of sexually exploiting children to produce child pornography and coercing and enticing children to do the same. The offenses occurred between March 1, 2023 and July 1, 2023, in Cumberland County. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Wesley Mishoe prosecuted the case. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood , a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The maximum penalty upon conviction for the charged offenses is life imprisonment, a lifetime term of supervised release following imprisonment, a fine, a statutory assessment, and a special assessment. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by a judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court. # # #


title: Former Professor Pleads Guilty to Setting Multiple Fires Behind Firefighters Responding to the Dixie Fire

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gary Stephen Maynard, 49, of San Jose, pleaded guilty today to three counts of arson on federal property, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, Maynard engaged in an arson spree in the Shasta Trinity National Forest and in the vicinity of the then-ongoing Dixie Fire in the Lassen National Forest. Maynard set some of his fires behind firefighters who were actively fighting the Dixie Fire, effectively surrounding these firefighters as they responded to one of the largest wildfires in California history. Maynard admitted to setting the following fires during this arson spree: the Cascade Fire (July 20, 2021), the Everitt Fire (July 21, 2021), the Ranch Fire (Aug. 7, 2021), and the Conard Fire (Aug. 7, 2021). This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, CalFire, the California Highway Patrol, and the Lassen County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shea Kenny, Sam Stefanki, and Michael Anderson are prosecuting the case. Maynard is scheduled to be sentenced on May 9, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta. Maynard faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count to which he pleaded guilty. Arson to federal property carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. maynard_plea_agreement.pdf


title: Baltimore County Serial Fraudster Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison and Ordered to Pay $4.2 Million in Restitution

component: USAO - Maryland

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Adeyanju Adewale, age 40, of Reisterstown, Maryland, to five years in federal prison, followed by one year of home detention as part of three years of supervised release, for a wire fraud conspiracy that resulted in a loss of millions of dollars to Medicaid, businesses, law firms, financial institutions, individuals, and to the state and federal governments. Judge Bennett also ordered that Adewale must pay restitution of $4,258,587.03. The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Karen L. Brown Cleveland of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (“DSS”) – Washington Field Office; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Baltimore; and Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS-OIG”). According to his plea agreement, between 2018 and 2022 Adewale coordinated a series of frauds with various co-conspirators. Adewale assisted co-conspirators to obtain fraudulent identification documents that were used to perpetrate the fraud. Co-conspirators created shell companies and used shell company names and false, forged and counterfeit identification documents, including passports, to open bank accounts. Adewale obtained the bank information from his co-conspirators and communicated with his foreign conspirators about where the fraud proceeds should be directed. The foreign co-conspirators caused the victims to be misled into sending their money to those accounts. Adewale also served as a go-between with conspirators outside the United States and the U.S.-based bank account holders. For example, as detailed in the plea agreement, in January 2019, Adewale worked with co-conspirators to fraudulently obtain money through a business email compromise scheme that victimized a business in Virginia that was seeking to disburse settlement funds. The victim business sent more than $400,000 to the bank account of an individual in Maryland who used the funds from the victim to purchase $71,000 and $62,000 cashier’s checks and caused the cashier’s checks to be delivered to an address in Baltimore used by Adewale. Adewale caused checks to be deposited into bank accounts controlled by co-conspirators and provided information about the companies associated with those bank accounts to members of the conspiracy located outside the United States. Adewale shared in the proceeds of the fraud. During 2020, Adewale also participated in hospital frauds targeting Medicaid. Specifically, Adewale and his co-conspirators obtained money that the Ohio and Colorado Medicaid programs and the state of Ohio, sought to pay hospitals in Ohio and Colorado, including as reimbursement for health care services. As part of the fraud, false information was sent to an Ohio government office and Colorado Medicaid regarding the bank accounts on file for the hospitals. As a result of the fraudulent representations, from July to September 2020, the state of Ohio transferred approximately $3.5 million to a bank account controlled by a co-conspirator. The majority of the funds were quickly removed by the co-conspirator, transferred via check to other accounts. Similarly, in September 2020, fraudulent information was provided to representatives of Colorado Medicaid regarding the bank account on file for the hospital in Colorado. Later that month, Colorado Medicaid sent approximately $610,000 to a bank account controlled by the conspirators. Again, Adewale shared in the proceeds of the fraud schemes. Adewale admitted that as a result of the fraud schemes the actual fraud losses exceeded $4.2 million, including more than $1 million in actual losses to a federal health benefit program, specifically, Medicaid. “The Diplomatic Security Service is pleased with the success of this case. This shows the positive outcome when federal agencies work together to stop criminals from exploiting U.S. passports for illegal profit,” said Karen L. Brown Cleveland, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Washington Field Office of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). “We’re committed to investigating U.S. business operators who acquire U.S. passports to carry out criminal activities.” United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri praised the DSS, HSI, and HHS-OIG for their work in the investigation and thanked the FBI for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber and Tamera Fine and Justice Department Trial Attorneys Gary A. Winters and Christopher Wenger of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, who prosecuted 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 and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Sikeston Man Admits Illegally Selling Machine Gun, Other Firearms

body_text: CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Sikeston, Missouri on Thursday admitted selling a machine gun and other firearms to an undercover federal agent. Averyoun Quentez Lane, 18, admitted selling two Glock pistols on July 3, 2023, to an undercover special agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). One of the pistols was equipped with an aftermarket “switch” that converted it into a fully automatic weapon. The conversion device alone is defined as a machine gun under federal law. Lane told the agent that he knew what the device did and instructed the agent on how to operate it. Lane also offered the agent a semiautomatic pistol and a stolen .38-caliber revolver on July 11, the day after the revolver was stolen in Sikeston. Lane sold the revolver before the agent could buy it but did sell the agent an AR-15-style weapon that day. After his arrest on an unrelated matter on July 13, Lane admitted obtaining and selling firearms on a regular basis. He did not have the proper license to do so. Lane pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one felony count of unlawfully transferring a machine gun and one felony count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms. Lane is scheduled to be sentenced May 16. The machine gun charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine. The firearm dealing charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and the same fine. The ATF and the Sikeston Department of Public Safety investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis is prosecuting the case.


title: Former chairman of 1 Global sentenced to five years in prison for running $250 million securities fraud scheme

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – On Jan. 31, the former chairman of 1 Global Capital LLC (“1 Global”) was sentenced to five years in prison for carrying out a $250 million securities fraud conspiracy scheme. The sentence comes after Carl R. Ruderman, 82, of Aventura, Florida, entered his guilty plea in October 2023. Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga also ordered Ruderman to pay a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $285,599,532, as agreed in his plea agreement. Ruderman’s restitution order is still pending. Ruderman was the chairman of 1 Global, a commercial lending business based in Hallandale Beach, Florida, that made the equivalent of “pay day” loans to small businesses at high interest rates, termed merchant cash advance loans (“MCAs”). Ruderman admitted that he and others made false and misleading representations to investors and potential investors as to the profitability of 1 Global’s business in marketing materials and periodic account statements. According to plea documents, investors were falsely told that 1 Global had audited financials by a public accounting firm, that the investor’s money would be spent on the MCAs, and that they could expect double-digit returns on their investments, among other things. Ruderman admitted that he spent 1 Global’s investor’s money on credit card payments, vacation travel, insurance payments for his art collection and valuable jewelry, drivers, nannies, housekeepers, mortgage payments for his house, tuition, and payments for a luxury car. Ruderman also admitted that he diverted 1 Global investor money to businesses benefitting him and his family, without the investors’ knowledge. Questions arose during the operation of the business as to whether 1 Global was offering or selling a security and whether the investment offering was required to be registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Ruderman admitted in plea documents that he knew that if 1 Global’s investment offering were determined to be a security, it would undermine the ability of 1 Global to raise funds from retail investors and to continue to operate without substantial additional expenses and reporting requirements. Ruderman also admitted that he directed a lawyer, Jan Atlas, to author two opinion letters in 2016 containing false information that allowed 1 Global to skirt federal securities laws. Four of Ruderman’s co-conspirators, all from South Florida, previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced for their roles in the fraud scheme, including two lawyers who provided Ruderman with false legal cover to skirt federal securities laws. The co-conspirators cases are referenced below: Alan G. Heide, the former chief financial officer of 1 Global pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud (case no. 19-cr-60231) and was sentenced to 60 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman. Judge Altman also ordered Heide to pay over $57 million in restitution to the victims of the scheme. Attorney Andrew Dale Ledbetter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and securities fraud (case no. 20-cr-60103) and was sentenced by Judge Altman to 60 months in prison. Judge Altman also ordered Ledbetter to pay over $148 million to the victims of the scheme. Steven Allen Schwartz, the former chief operating officer of 1 Global pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and securities fraud (case no. 20-cr-60003) and was sentenced to 24 months in prison by Judge Altman. Judge Altman also ordered Schwartz to pay over $36 million in restitution to the victims of the scheme. Attorney Jan Douglas Atlas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and securities fraud (case no. 19-cr-60258) and was sentenced to eight months in prison by Judge Altman. Judge Altman also ordered Atlas to pay over $29 million in restitution to the victims of the scheme. 1 Global filed for bankruptcy on July 27, 2018. As of that time, according to documents from related cases, 1 Global had more than 3,400 investors and had raised more than $250 million during the scheme. The bankruptcy case, In re: 1 Global Capital LLC, et al., No. 18-19121-RBR (S.D. Fla.), remains pending. The SEC previously filed civil fraud actions related to the 1 Global fraud, captioned, SEC v. 1 Global Capital LLC and Carl C. Ruderman, Case No. 18-61991-CV-BB (S.D. Fla.); SEC v. Alan G. Heide, Case No. 19-62047-CV-FAM (S.D. Fla.); SEC v. Jan Douglas Atlas, 19-62303-CV-WPD (S.D. Fla.); SEC v. Steven A. Schwartz, Case No. 20-80008-CV-DMM (S.D. Fla.); and SEC v. Andrew Dale Ledbetter, Esq., Case No. 20-61972-CV (S.D. Fla.). U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Quenton Sallows of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), Miami Region, made the announcement. FBI Miami, IRS-CI, Miami Field Office, and FDIC-OIG, Miami Region investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Young and Amanda Perwin prosecuted it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff is handling asset forfeiture. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 23-cr-20303. ###


title: Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to Federal Prison for Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Rhode Island

body_text: PROVIDENCE, RI – A registered sex offender who admitted to a federal judge that he possessed and distributed child pornography while serving a term of state probation imposed as the result of a previous conviction on an unrelated state charge of solicitation of a child has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. Robert H. King, 39, pleaded guilty in federal court on October 31, 2023, to charges of distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to 108 months of incarceration to be followed by 15 years of federal supervised release. In December 2019, ten months after being convicted and sentenced in Rhode Island state court for solicitation of a minor, King uploaded an image of child pornography to a social media account that he controlled. Additionally, further investigation by the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force determined that multiple images of child pornography had been uploaded from an IP address located in Rhode Island, determined to be utilized by King, to various internet-based social media platforms. A forensic audit of a cellular phone seized from King in March 2020 revealed approximately 135 images of child pornography. The case in U.S. District Court was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R. Gendron. The matter was investigated by the ICAC Task Force, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations. ###


title: United States Attorney's Office Releases 2023 Fourth Quarter Immigration Enforcement Statistics

component: USAO - Arizona

number: 2024-012_2023 Fourth Quarter Immigration Statistics

body_text: PHOENIX, Ariz. – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office announced its immigration enforcement statistics for October 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the Tucson and Yuma Sectors of the Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies. In the three-month period ending December 31, 2023, the United States brought criminal charges in Arizona against 1,662 individuals who illegally entered or re-entered the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 190 cases against individuals responsible for smuggling undocumented noncitizens to and within the District of Arizona. In this time period, the United States also prosecuted 77 reactive drug cases arising out of immigration ports of entry and checkpoints. Reducing migrant smuggling and mitigating the risk to communities impacted by these offenses continues to be a priority for the Office and its law enforcement partners. Some of these prosecutions are directed against leaders and coordinators of alien smuggling organizations. Other prosecutions are aimed at deterring young adult drivers, often recruited over social media platforms, from engaging in this dangerous activity. Prosecutions against young drivers include cases brought against seven juvenile smugglers during this time period. Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance. During this time period federal prosecutors brought charges against four defendants accused of assaulting federal officers. These statistics represent United States Attorney’s Office prosecutions only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process. RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-012_2023 Fourth Quarter Immigration Enforcement Statistics # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Pennsylvania Courts to Pay $100,000 and Take Statewide Measures to Redress Alleged Discrimination Against People with Opioid Use Disorder

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced today that the Justice Department has secured an agreement with the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania (UJS) to resolve allegations that UJS courts violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by preventing individuals under court supervision from taking lawfully prescribed medication to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). Under the agreement, UJS courts will pay $100,000 to victims, and encourage all its component courts to adopt new policies and train personnel on the ADA’s anti-discrimination requirements regarding OUD and report on their compliance efforts. “My office is dedicated to fighting the opioid epidemic with every tool that we have,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “That includes enforcing the ADA to remove discriminatory barriers to treatment for OUD. All too often, people taking medication to treat their OUD are subjected to discrimination based on unfounded stigma associated with these medications. It is a violation of the ADA to deny someone access to programs and services simply because they are taking medication their doctors have prescribed to get and keep their OUD in remission. My office will hold entities that violate the ADA’s anti-discrimination protections accountable.” “The battle against the opioid epidemic requires not only the vigorous prosecution of those who traffic in and profit from drugs like heroin and fentanyl, but also requires ensuring individuals with opioid use disorder can take their medically prescribed treatment,” said U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. “This agreement with the Commonwealth will help ensure that individuals participating in Pennsylvania’s courts who have opioid use disorder will be allowed to follow their providers’ course of treatment, which may include medication that dramatically reduces opioid overdose deaths. This office will enforce the ADA to protect all individuals with disabilities, and this includes our citizens in recovery from addiction.” The settlement agreement resolves the department’s lawsuit against the UJS, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and Blair, Jefferson, Lackawanna and Northumberland County Courts of Common Pleas. The department’s complaint , filed in 2022, alleged that UJS courts in multiple counties caused significant harm through the enforcement of their discriminatory administrative policies. The department further alleged that those affected by the UJS court policies were put to an agonizing choice: take their medication and face incarceration or termination from their treatment court program or forgo their medication and suffer painful withdrawal symptoms while risking relapse, overdose and death. As a result, they suffered significant harm. The complaint alleged that the named county courts and other UJS courts had likely harmed many other individuals with OUD through the enforcement of their discriminatory policies. Under the settlement agreement, the UJS courts will compensate the victims identified in the complaint. They will train all Pennsylvania state court criminal judges and treatment court professionals on the ADA and OUD medication. Several of the named county courts will adopt a robust anti-discrimination policy related to OUD medication. The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts will recommend and encourage all other county courts to adopt the same policy. Finally, the UJS courts will report on their efforts to comply with the agreement, including detailing any complaints about access to OUD medication submitted to any UJS courts during the agreement’s two-year term. “People with opioid use disorder caught up in the criminal justice system should be supported in seeking treatments that can help them attain recovery,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Under this agreement, courts that categorically restricted the use of opioid treatment medication are required to allow people with opioid use disorder to take proven medications that can put them on a path toward recovery and rehabilitation. Ensuring that courts are employing science-driven and data-informed approaches to the opioid crisis is an important priority for the Civil Rights Division. We will continue to enforce our federal civil rights laws, including the ADA, to ensure that people with disabilities are protected from discrimination.” The settlement agreement announced today advances the Justice Department’s efforts to combat discrimination against individuals with OUD and to remove discriminatory barriers to treatment. The department has issued public guidance and filed statements of interest on the ADA’s protections for those with OUD. It has entered into multiple settlements with jails and prisons to increase access to OUD medication, including recent agreements in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania ; Eastern Kentucky and Massachusetts . It has undertaken enforcement efforts to combat discrimination against individuals with OUD in court supervision programs in Massachusetts . It has also entered numerous settlements to address discriminatory barriers to treatment for OUD outside of the criminal justice context, including barriers related to employment , professional licensing , social services and healthcare . U.S. Attorney Romero and Deputy Civil Chief for Civil Rights Lauren DeBruicker handled this matter for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, in collaboration with attorneys from the Disability Rights Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Middle District of Pennsylvania Assistant United States Attorney and Civil Rights Coordinator Michael J. Butler. For more information about the Justice Department’s work to address discrimination against individuals with opioid use disorder, please visit https://www.ada.gov/topics/opioid-use-disorder/ . For more information on the ADA, please call the Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov . Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at civilrights.justice.gov/report . Anyone in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania may also report civil rights violations to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by calling 215-861-8555 or emailing USAPAE.civilrights@usdoj.gov .


title: Hannibal Man Who Hid Camera in Bathroom Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Thursday sentenced a man who hid a video camera in a bathroom to capture images of a young girl to 25 years in prison. Stephen A. Marquez, 35, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in November to attempted production of child pornography. He admitted placing a video camera disguised as a cell phone charger in a bathroom. He captured nude images of a young girl, who was 13 and 14 when the videos were made. Marquez also had videos of the girl stored on his iPhone. The investigation began in August of 2022, when the victim reported to law enforcement that Marquez had been sexually abusing her since she was 9 or 10 and had used his cell phone to record her in the shower. The victim said she told Marquez to stop many times but was scared to tell someone about the sexual abuse. She also said she was scared Marquez would hurt her while he was sexually abusing her. The Hannibal Police Department, the FBI and the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Union County Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Operating Multimillion-Dollar Unlicensed Check Cashing Scheme

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man with businesses in Newark was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for operating an unlicensed check cashing business, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Fernando Q. Martins, 44, of Union Township, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Judge Wigenton imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Martins previously admitted that from 2015 through June 19, 2019, he operated a business known as Community Check Cashing in Newark, despite holding no license, registration or permission from the U.S. Department of Treasury. He cashed checks for customers in New Jersey and New York, allowing them to cash checks written to shell companies to hide the identity of the customers receiving the cash. In his plea agreement, Martins stipulated that the loss amount was between $250 million and $550 million. In addition to the prison term, Judge Wigenton sentenced Martins to three years of supervised release, fined him $50,000 fine, and ordered forfeiture of $765,185. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins in Newark; and special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Malagold of the Cybercrime Unit in Newark.


title: Foreign National Charged For International Money Laundering Conspiracy And Role In Operation Of Unlicensed Digital Currency Exchange BTC-e

component: USAO - California, Northern

body_text: SAN FRANCISCO — An indictment was unsealed on Tuesday charging a Belarusian and Cypriot national with money laundering conspiracy and operation of an unlicensed money services business. According to the indictment, between 2011 and July 2017, Aliaksandr Klimenka, 42, allegedly controlled BTC-e, a digital currency exchange, with Alexander Vinnik and others. Klimenka also allegedly controlled Soft-FX, a technology services company, and FX Open, a financial company. The indictment alleges BTC-e was a significant cybercrime and online money laundering entity that allowed its users to trade in bitcoin with high levels of anonymity and developed a customer base heavily reliant on criminal activity. BTC-e allegedly facilitated transactions for cybercriminals worldwide and received criminal proceeds from numerous computer intrusions and hacking incidents, ransomware scams, identity theft schemes, corrupt public officials, and narcotics distribution rings, and allegedly was used to facilitate crimes ranging from computer hacking to fraud, identity theft, tax refund fraud schemes, public corruption, and drug trafficking. BTC-e’s servers, maintained in the United States, were allegedly one of the primary ways in which BTC-e and its operators effectuated their scheme. Those servers were allegedly leased to and maintained by Klimenka and Soft-FX. Despite doing substantial business in the United States, BTC-e allegedly was not registered as a money services business with the U.S. Department of Treasury, had no anti-money laundering process, no system for appropriate “know your customer” or “KYC” verification, and no anti-money laundering program as required by federal law. Klimenka was arrested in Latvia on Dec. 21, 2023, at the request of the United States and made his initial appearance in San Francisco yesterday. He is currently being held in custody. If convicted, Klimenka faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California, Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge William Mancino of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Criminal Investigative Division, Assistant Director Michael D. Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, Chief Jim Lee of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS:CI), and Special Agent in Charge Tatum King of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Francisco made the announcement. The USSS; FBI; IRS:CI Oakland Field Office and Cyber Crime Unit in Washington, D.C.; and HSI are investigating the case. Trial Attorney C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Claudia Quiroz for the Northern District of California, both members of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET), and Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Lloyd-Lovett for the Northern District of California are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Latvian government to secure the arrest of Klimenka. The NCET was established to combat the growing illicit use of cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Within the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the NCET conducts and supports investigations into individuals and entities that are enabling the use of digital assets to commit and facilitate a variety of crimes, with a particular focus on virtual currency exchanges, mixing and tumbling services, and infrastructure providers. The NCET also works to set strategic priorities regarding digital asset technologies, identify areas for increased investigative and prosecutorial focus, and lead the department’s efforts to collaborate with domestic and foreign government agencies as well as the private sector to aggressively investigate and prosecute crimes involving cryptocurrency and digital assets. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: New Orleans Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Narcotics  and Firearms Charges

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that LARRY WILLIAMS , age 37, of New Orleans, pled guilty on January 30, 2024 for federal firearms and narcotics offenses. According to court documents, WILLIAMS admitted to possessing a firearm and several narcotics after a foot chase and subsequent arrest by New Orleans Police Department officers. In Count 1, WILLIAMS admitted to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, as well as quantities of cocaine, hydrocodone, and tapaentadol, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A) and (b)(1)(B). For this offense, he faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of five years, up to forty years imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000, and at least four years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. The two other counts involve the firearm WILLIAMS possessed at the time of his arrest with the narcotics in Count 1. In Count 2, WILLIAMS admitted possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A). For this offense, he faces at least five years imprisonment and up to life, consecutive to any other sentence, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. In Count 3, WILLIAMS admitted to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). For this offense, he faces up to ten years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years supervised release. For each of the counts with which WILLIAMS was charged, he faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. The Honorable Darrel J. Papillion set WILLIAMS’s sentencing for May 14, 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas D. Moses, Health Care Fraud Coordinator.


title: Siemens Industry, Inc., to Pay Over $1 Million to Resolve  False Claims Act Allegations Related to Public Housing Contract

component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: DETROIT – Siemens Industry, Inc., a subsidiary of Siemens Corporation, has agreed to pay over $1 million to resolve possible False Claims Act violations, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today. Ison was joined in the announcement by Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Siemens Industry, Inc., on behalf of itself and predecessor entity Siemens Building Technologies, Inc. (Siemens), agreed to pay $1,086,430 to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act related to a contract it entered into in 2011 with the Hamtramck Housing Commission, a HUD-funded public housing authority in Hamtramck, Michigan. Under the contract, Siemens would install energy efficiency improvement measures at two Hamtramck public housing facilities. During the development of that energy performance contract, Siemens calculated the amount of energy savings the improvement would deliver. The Hamtramck Housing Commission submitted records to HUD using data from Siemens’s analysis. The settlement resolves allegations that Siemens relied on inaccurate data in its analysis, which led to the United States paying a larger annual subsidy to the Hamtramck Housing Commission than it otherwise would have. “Federal contractors are expected to deal honestly with federal agencies, even where there are intermediaries between the agency and the contractor,” said U.S. Attorney Ison. “This settlement demonstrates our Office’s commitment to protecting the taxpayers’ money in any matter where the government ultimately suffers from misconduct by contractors.” “The False Claims Act is an important tool for holding accountable those who are dishonest in their dealings with government programs. This settlement represents HUD OIG’s commitment to protect the integrity of HUD’s programs and safeguard taxpayer dollars that support vulnerable communities who rely on them,” said Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “We appreciate the continued support of the United States Attorney in bringing this matter to today’s conclusion and look forward to our continued partnership.” The civil settlement resolves the claims brought by Kevin Kondrat and Jessica Jones under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Under these provisions, a private party may file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The whistleblowers will receive $179,260.85 from the settlement. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Kondrat, et al. v. Siemens Corporation, et al. , No. 21-10594 (E.D. Mich.). The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonny Zajac of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, with assistance from HUD-OIG. The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only; there has been no determination or admission of liability.


title: Former Fayette County High School Teacher Sentenced to 30 Years for Production and Possession of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Kentucky, Eastern

body_text: LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Lexington man, Kevin Daniel Lentz, 49, was sentenced on Thursday, by U.S. District Judge Karen C. Caldwell, to 30 years in prison, for the production and possession of child pornography. Lentz admitted in his plea agreement that he began an online conversation with a 9-year-old victim, on March 19, 2023. Within minutes, the chat became sexual. Lentz sent the victim 85 images or videos of adult pornography, including sexually explicit images and videos of Lentz. Lentz also persuaded the victim to create multiple sexually explicit videos and images of himself, and to send them to Lentz via the internet. Lentz acknowledged that, at the time, he knew the victim was a minor. The conduct was discovered after the victim’s parents located the sexually explicit conversations and images on the victim’s phone. The parents then contacted law enforcement. A search warrant was executed at Lentz's residence in Lexington, on August 8, 2023. The search resulted in the seizure of numerous electronic devices, including a computer, a cellular phone, and multiple hard drives. A search of these devices revealed several hundred additional images and videos of prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct that Lentz obtained from the internet. Under federal law, Lentz must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for life. Lentz was also ordered to pay $33,000 in restitution and $22,000 in special assessments. Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence. The investigation was conducted by HSI and Lexington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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 Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . — END —


title: Boone County Man Sentenced to 136 Months for Methamphetamine Trafficking

body_text: COVINGTON, Ky. – A Union, Ky., man, Paul Marcus Sitavich, 42, was sentenced on Thursday, to 136 months in federal prison, by U.S. District Judge David Bunning, for possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. According to his plea agreement, in January 2023, Sitavich sold approximately 3.495 grams of methamphetamine to an informant, which was observed by law enforcement. Then, on February 14, 2023, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Sitavich. After a drug dog indicated that narcotics were present, law enforcement searched the vehicle and found approximately 58.1 grams of pure methamphetamine, as well as a digital scale, empty bags, and other drug trafficking paraphernalia. Sitavich later admitted to selling controlled substances to make money, during a recorded video visit while in the Boone County Jail. Under federal law, Sitavich must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years. Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Tom Grau, Florence Police Department, jointly announced the sentence. The investigation was conducted by the DEA and the Florence Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Bracke is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. — END —


title: New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Series of Violent Assaults on Members of the Orthodox Jewish Community

body_text: A New Jersey man pleaded guilty today to committing a series of bias-motivated violent assaults on members of the Orthodox Jewish community in and around Lakewood, New Jersey. On Feb. 1, Dion Marsh, 29, of Manchester, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi in federal court to an information charging him with five counts of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and one count of carjacking. Marsh is charged with willfully causing bodily injury to five victims and attempting to kill and cause injuries with dangerous weapons to four of the victims, because they are Jewish. “This defendant is being held accountable for his series of depraved, antisemitic assaults against members of the Orthodox Jewish community,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Hate-filled acts of violence, intended to harm, intimidate and isolate communities, have no place in our society. The Justice Department will continue to aggressively prosecute perpetrators of antisemitic violence across our country.” “This defendant violently attacked five men, driving a car into four of them, stabbing one of them in the chest, and attempting to kill them, simply because they were visibly identifiable as Orthodox Jews,” said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey. “Today, he pleaded guilty to these hate crimes and a carjacking, and my office will ask the judge to impose a sentence that holds Marsh accountable for his brutal and hate filled rampage. The threat from hate-fueled violence is a sad reality across our state and our nation. That hate is not who we are. We are stronger as a people because no matter what you look like, how you worship, where you come from, or who you love, your civil rights must be respected and protected. My office has no higher priority than protecting the civil rights of our New Jersey residents.” “We have said time and again as we investigate a significant rise in hate crimes, hating someone isn’t a crime, but hating someone and then attacking them based on that hate is a violation of federal law,” said Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy of the FBI Newark Field Office. “Marsh admits he targeted five innocent people in 2022 because they were Orthodox Jews. Personal beliefs don’t give someone the right to attack and attempt to kill another human being because they may not ascribe to a similar religion or way of life. We have a clear message for the communities we serve in New Jersey, if you are a victim of a hate crime or have information the FBI and our law enforcement partners should know, please report it. Silence won’t solve it, and we can’t help if we don’t know about it. You can go to tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.” According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 8, 2022, Marsh carried out a series of violent assaults on members of the Orthodox Jewish Community in and around Lakewood. Each of Marsh’s victims was attired in traditional garments worn by members of the Orthodox Jewish community and was assaulted because they were visibly identifiable as Orthodox Jews. Specifically, at 1:18 p.m. on April 8, 2022, in Lakewood, Marsh forced a man readily identifiable by his appearance as an Orthodox Jew out of his car, assaulting and injuring him. Marsh took control of the man’s car and drove away. At 5:20 p.m., Marsh was in Lakewood driving a different car when he deliberately struck another visibly identifiable Orthodox Jewish man with the vehicle, attempting to kill the victim. At 6:06 p.m., Marsh used that second vehicle to deliberately strike another man identifiable by his appearance as an Orthodox Jew, attempting to kill the victim and causing him to suffer several broken bones. At 6:55 p.m., Marsh, once again using the vehicle that he had stolen from the first victim, struck and attempted to kill another man readily identifiable as an Orthodox Jew while he was walking in Lakewood. Marsh got out of the vehicle and stabbed the man in the chest with a knife, causing the victim to suffer serious injuries. At 8:23 p.m., Marsh, still using the vehicle that he had stolen from the first victim, deliberately struck another visibly identifiable Orthodox Jewish man who was walking in nearby Jackson Township, New Jersey, attempting to kill the man and causing him to suffer several broken bones and internal injuries. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 11. Marsh faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the four hate crimes violations charging him with attempting to kill victims, a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the hate crime violation charging him with assaulting the other victim and a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the carjacking charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The FBI Newark Field Office’s Red Bank Resident Agency, Lakewood Police Department, Jackson Township Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and New Jersey State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney and Deputy Chief of the Civil Rights Division R. Joseph Gribko for the District of New Jersey prosecuted the case with assistance from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.


title: Self-Proclaimed “Satans Child” Sentenced To 50 Years

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Orlando, Florida – United States District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Miguel Alejandro Diaz Gonzalez (41, Orlando) to 50 years in federal prison for production and transportation of child sex abuse material. Diaz Gonzalez entered a guilty plea on May 18, 2023. According to court documents, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a tip concerning an online media storage account associated with username “Satans child,” where investigators found child sexual abuse material. FBI agents traced that account to a home in Orlando where Diaz Gonzalez was living. Agents also recovered a video that Diaz Gonzalez produced and shared depicting him raping an 8-year-old child who had previously been in Gonzalez’s care. Two other child victims, ages 10 and 11, were also identified in the investigation as victims who Diaz Gonzalez had molested in his home. Diaz Gonzalez was also responsible for sharing and transporting several images and videos depicting children being drugged, raped, and molested by adults. This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Orlando Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael P. Felicetta and Emily C. L. Chang. 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’ Office 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 .


title: Ocean County Man Admits Federal Hate Crimes for Series of Violent Assaults on Members of Orthodox Jewish Community

body_text: TRENTON, N.J. – An Ocean County, New Jersey, man today admitted committing a series of violent assaults on members of the Orthodox Jewish community in and around Lakewood, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced. Dion Marsh, 29, of Manchester, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with five counts of violating the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and one count of carjacking. Marsh is charged with willfully causing bodily injury to five victims, and attempting to kill and cause injuries with dangerous weapons to four of them, because they were Jewish. “This defendant violently attacked five men, driving a car into four of them, stabbing one of them in the chest, and attempting to kill them, simply because they were visibly identifiable as Orthodox Jews. Today, he pleaded guilty to these hate crimes and a carjacking, and my office will ask the judge to impose a sentence that holds Marsh accountable for his brutal and hate filled rampage. The threat from hate-fueled violence is a sad reality across our state and our nation. That hate is not who we are. We are stronger as a people because no matter what you look like, how you worship, where you come from, or who you love, your civil rights must be respected and protected. My office has no higher priority than protecting the civil rights of our New Jersey residents.” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger “This defendant is being held accountable for his series of depraved, antisemitic assaults against members of the Orthodox Jewish community,” Assistant Attorney General Clarke said. “Hate-filled acts of violence, intended to harm, intimidate and isolate communities, have no place in our society. The Justice Department will continue to aggressively prosecute perpetrators of antisemitic violence across our country.” “We have said time and again as we investigate a significant rise in hate crimes, hating someone isn’t a crime, but hating someone and then attacking them based on that hate is a violation of federal law,” FBI – Newark Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy said. “Marsh admits he targeted five innocent people in 2022 because they were Orthodox Jews. Personal beliefs don’t give someone the right to attack and attempt to kill another human being because they may not ascribe to a similar religion or way of life. We have a clear message for the communities we serve in New Jersey, if you are a victim of a hate crime or have information the FBI and our law enforcement partners should know, please report it. Silence won’t solve it, and we can’t help if we don’t know about it. You can go to tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.” According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: On April 8, 2022, Marsh carried out a series of violent assaults on members of the Orthodox Jewish Community in and around Lakewood. Each of Marsh’s victims were attired in traditional garments worn by members of the Orthodox Jewish community and were assaulted because they were visibly identifiable Orthodox Jews. At 1:18 p.m. on April 8, 2022, Marsh forced a visibly identifiable Orthodox Jewish man out of his car in Lakewood, assaulting and injuring him. Marsh took control of the man’s car and drove away. At 5:20 p.m., Marsh was in Lakewood driving a different car when he deliberately struck another visibly identifiable Orthodox Jewish man with the vehicle, attempting to kill the victim. At 6:06 p.m., Marsh used that second vehicle to deliberately strike another visibly identifiable Orthodox Jewish man, attempting to kill the victim and causing him to suffer several broken bones. At 6:55 p.m., Marsh, once again driving the vehicle that he had stolen from the first victim, attempted to kill another visibly identifiable Orthodox Jewish man who was walking in Lakewood by deliberately striking him with the vehicle. Marsh got out of the vehicle and stabbed the man in the chest with a knife, causing the victim to suffer a stab wound and other injuries. At 8:23 p.m., Marsh, still driving the vehicle that he had stolen from the first victim, used it to deliberately strike another visibly identifiable Orthodox Jewish man who was walking in nearby Jackson Township, New Jersey, attempting to kill the man and causing him to suffer several broken bones and internal injuries. The four hate crimes violations charging Marsh with attempting to kill those victims each carry a statutory maximum term of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The hate crime violation charging Marsh with assaulting the other victim carries a statutory maximum term of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The carjacking charge carries a statutory maximum term of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Marsh is scheduled to be sentenced on June 11, 2024. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, Newark Division, Red Bank Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Dennehy in Newark; officers of the Lakewood Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Gregory H. Meyer; officers of the Jackson Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Matthew Kunz; officers of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy; prosecutors and detectives of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, and officers of the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Superintendent Col. Patrick J. Callahan, with the investigation leading to the charges. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Joseph Gribko, Deputy Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Rights Division. marsh.information.pdf


title: Convicted drug trafficker sentenced for illegally re-entering country after seven prior removals

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: LAREDO, Texas – A 43-year-old Mexican man has been sentenced following another conviction for illegally re-entering the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Gabino Escamilla pleaded guilty Nov. 8, 2023. U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez has now ordered Escamilla to serve 40 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, Escamilla is again expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard about Escamilla’s conviction in 2016 for conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine in Columbus, Ohio. Escamilla had already been removed from the United States six times prior to his conviction for drug trafficking. On Aug. 30, 2023, law enforcement encountered Escamilla near Laredo. Escamilla was first ordered removed Jan. 25, 2010, and has subsequently been removed by authorities seven times from 2010 to 2019. Escamilla will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Terence A. Check Jr. prosecuted the case.


title: Jones County Man Pleads Guilty to Assault in the Bogue Homa Community  of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians

body_text: Jackson, Miss. – A Jones County man pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit a kidnapping. According to court documents, in July of 2023, Tyreese Khalia Kejuan Smith, 23, assaulted an adult female in the Bogue Homa Community of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Smith was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2023. Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on April 30, 2024, and faces up to ten years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The conviction was a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Trails Task Force which is comprised of officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Choctaw Police Department, Jones County Sheriff’s Department, and various state and local law enforcement agencies. U.S. Attorney Todd Gee and Acting Special Agent in Charge Rebekah Day of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin J. Payne and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian K. Burns prosecuted the case.


title: Slidell Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt of Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that CHRISTOPHER YARBROUGH (“YARBROUGH”) , age 43, of Slidell, pled guilty on January 31, 2024 to receipt of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(2) and (b)(1). YARBROUGH faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five (5) years and a maximum sentence of twenty (20) years imprisonment, and/or a fine of up to $250,000.00, or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person of the offense. In addition, YARBROUGH faces a term of supervised release of no less than five (5) years and up to life, after his release from prison, as well as payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. According to court documents, the case against YARBROUGH stemmed from an online Child Sexual Abuse Material (“CSAM”) investigation by the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office. The investigation was referred to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”). On June 26, 2023, HSI special agents, along with members of the Slidell Police Department and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, executed a federal search warrant at YARBROUGH’s Slidell home. HSI agents arrested YARBROUGH for receipt of CSAM during the search. HSI’s investigation revealed that YARBROUGH received images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. Sentencing in this matter is scheduled for May 1, 2024 before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office; the Slidell Police Department; and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Chief of Financial Crimes Unit.


title: Charleston Man Sentenced to More than 22 Years in Prison for Drug and Gun Crimes

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Samuel Pierre Joseph, 41, of Charleston, was sentenced today to 22 years and six months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of fentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl. A federal jury found Joseph guilty on July 11, 2023, following a two-day trial. Evidence at trial proved that on December 27, 2021, law enforcement officers encountered Joseph as he left his room at the Knights Inn on MacCorkle Avenue in Charleston. Joseph dropped a black duffel bag he was carrying and attempted to flee. Officers apprehended Joseph and found approximately 267 grams of methamphetamine, a Smith & Wesson Model Bodyguard .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Ruger model LC9s 9mm semi-automatic pistol and drug paraphernalia in the duffel bag. Officers also found $1,355 on Joseph’s person. Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Joseph knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for possession of marijuana, fourth offense, in the Second Judicial District Court for the Parish of Bienville, Louisiana, on April 14, 2015. On March 17, 2022, Joseph was a passenger of a vehicle pulled over by law enforcement officers in a Dudley Avenue parking lot in Parkersburg. During the traffic stop, officers found approximately 152 grams of methamphetamine and 12.9 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl and heroin on Joseph’s person. Officers arrested Joseph and took him to the Parkersburg Police Department. While at the police department, Joseph attempted to dispose of a business card from a Charleston storage unit rental facility that included the number of a storage unit that Joseph rented at the facility. Officers recovered the card and obtained a search warrant for the rented storage unit. Officers found approximately 896.8 grams of methamphetamine and 83.6 grams of fentanyl in the rented storage unit when they executed the search warrant. “This defendant has a criminal history that includes 15 prior convictions and was not deterred by his December 2021 arrest as the subsequent traffic stop demonstrates,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “Today’s sentence reflects not only his persistent criminal conduct, but also the dedication and teamwork of the law enforcement officers who brought him to justice.” Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) and the Parkersburg Police Department, and the assistance provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Charleston Police Department. Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Jeremy B. Wolfe and Troy D. Adams prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-93. ###


title: St. Louis County Man Admits Stealing Checks from Mail and Committing Check Fraud

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Thursday admitted stealing mail from collection boxes and committing fraud with stolen checks. Tahj K. Boyd, now 21, was caught by police after someone reported suspicious activity at the U.S. Post Office at 1100 Town and Country Commons Drive in Town and Country on Sept. 1, 2023. Two men were spotted running with black trash bags to their vehicle, which was parked in front of Postal Service collection boxes. Police stopped the car Boyd was driving on Highway 141 in Manchester, Missouri, catching Boyd and James R. Townsend with trash bags containing 110 pieces of stolen mail, including about 60 checks in amounts totaling about $32,456, Boyd admitted Thursday. Investigators found evidence on Boyd’s phone that he’d searched for the locations of post offices and collection boxes as well as communications between Boyd and others discussing the theft of mail. Boyd and Townsend were indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Sept. 21, 2023. When Boyd was arrested on October 18, investigators found debit cards bearing the names of other people and learned that Boyd had been committing fraud with checks stolen from the mail. Between June 2022 and October 2022, Boyd and his co-conspirators deposited or attempted to deposit approximately 21 checks totaling about $83,517 using the six debit cards found in Boyd’s bedroom. Boyd deposited some of the checks and recruited others to allow their accounts to be used to deposit checks, he admitted in his plea. Through the deposit of forged and fraudulent checks and his theft of mail, Boyd admitted intending to cause a loss of at least $115,973. James R. Townsend, 19, of Ferguson, was arrested with Boyd. He pleaded guilty to mail theft in October. Boyd is scheduled to be sentenced May 8. The mail theft charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Town and Country Police Department, the Manchester Police Department and a U.S. Marshals Service task force that includes the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.


title: ‘King’ of Violent Haitian Gang Pleads Guilty to Gun Smuggling and Money Laundering After Government’s Case

body_text: Joly Germine, 31, of Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, the self-described “King” of a notoriously violent Haitian gang known as 400 Mawozo, pleaded guilty yesterday to his role in a gunrunning conspiracy that smuggled firearms to Haiti in violation of U.S. export laws, and the laundering of ransoms paid for U.S. hostages to the gang in 2021. The conspiracy resulted in the purchase in the United States of at least 24 firearms, including AK-47s, AR-15s, an M4 Carbine rifle, an M1A rifle, and a .50 caliber rifle, described by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as a military weapon, which were smuggled from the United States to the gang in Haiti for their criminal activities. Co-defendant Eliande Tunis, 45, of Pompano Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty on Jan. 17 to the same offenses. “Mr. Germine, a leader of a notorious Haitian gang, admitted to an illegal gun-running scheme to arm fellow gang members with U.S. firearms in support of the group’s violent crime spree across Haiti, including the alleged 2021 kidnapping of 16 U.S. citizens,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will aggressively pursue every tool at its disposal to hold accountable those who would smuggle U.S.-origin weapons and other controlled goods for the benefit of malicious actors and their criminal enterprises.” “Violent gangs have ravaged Haiti, and all too often, Americans in Haiti have been targets of their violence,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “These two defendants not only helped lead a prominent violent gang in Haiti, but they were also intimately involved in arming the gang and laundering ransom proceeds the gang obtained from kidnapping Americans. Preventing them from illegally shipping anymore firearms or laundering the proceeds of kidnappings strikes a critical blow against the gang they once led.” “Violent, well-armed gangs pose an ongoing threat to U.S. Citizens who live in or travel to Haiti,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. “As Joly Germine and Eliande Tunis have just learned, the FBI is dedicated to disrupting and dismantling gangs who undertake hostage-taking of U.S. Citizens anywhere. This includes taking away their ability to wreak violence on the innocent using smuggled firearms.” The plea came at the end of the government’s case during trial, after the testimony of 24 witnesses and two weeks of evidence. Germine, a Haitian national, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before Judge John D. Bates to the 48-count second superseding indictment. The indictment charged Germine with conspiring to violate U.S. export control laws and to defraud the United States, violating export control laws, smuggling, and laundering the proceeds of ransoms paid to free U.S. hostages taken by the gang and laundering money to promote his crimes. He faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced on May 15. Germine’s co-defendant and former girlfriend, Tunis, who styled herself as his “wife” and was described at trial as the “Queen”, pleaded guilty on the eve of trial on Jan. 17, to the same 48-count indictment. She also faces up to life in prison when she is sentenced on May 8. Another co-defendant, Jocelyn Dor, 31, who acted as a straw gun purchaser for Germine and Tunis, previously pleaded guilty on Oct. 30, 2023, and will be sentenced on Feb. 28. According to evidence presented at trial, from at least March through November 2021, Germine, Tunis, and two co-defendants conspired with each other and with other gang members in Haiti to acquire and supply firearms to the 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti. Germine directed the gang’s operations from a Haitian prison using unmonitored cell phones, including directing gang members in Haiti to transfer money to Tunis and others in the United States for the purpose of obtaining firearms for the gang. Germine then provided Tunis and the two other U.S.-based co-defendants, all Florida residents, specifications for firearms and ammunition that Germine and other gang leaders wanted sent to Haiti. Tunis and the two co-defendants then purchased at least 24 rifles, handguns, and a shotgun at Florida gun shops while falsely stating that they were the “actual buyers” of the firearms, when they were in fact acting as straw purchasers for Germine. In approximately May 2021, Tunis smuggled firearms and ammunition to Haiti in containers disguised as food and household goods. In October 2021, Tunis shipped additional firearms and ammunition to Haiti, again by smuggling the firearms, but those firearms were seized by the FBI before they left the United States. 400 Mawozo is a violent Haitian gang that operated in the Croix-des-Bouquets area to the east of the capital, Port-au-Prince. From at least Jan. 12, 2020, 400 Mawozo was engaged in armed hostage takings of U.S. citizens in Haiti for ransom. The victims have generally been forced from their vehicles at gunpoint and kept in various locations by armed gang members while their relatives and colleagues negotiate payment for their release. At trial, the government presented evidence that the gang received ransom payments from the hostage taking of three U.S. citizens in the summer of 2021, who testified at trial, and the cash ransom proceeds were commingled with the gang’s funds and transferred via MoneyGram and Western Union from the United States to Haiti to buy more firearms. In the fall of 2021, the 400 Mawozo gang claimed responsibility for taking 16 U.S. citizens hostage, including five children, and one Canadian citizen who were part of a missionary organization visiting an orphanage in Port-au-Prince. The gang demanded a ransom of $l million for each hostage. The hostages were all released or had escaped by on or about Dec. 16, 2021. This case does not address those hostage taking charges, for which Germine has been separately indicted in case number 22-cr-161 (DDC). The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the ATF and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the government of Haiti, particularly the Haitian National Police, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Diplomatic Security Service of the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida’s Special Prosecutions Section. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Kimberly Paschall and Paralegal Specialist Jorge Casillas for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Beau Barnes of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.


title: 2 Columbus police officers arrested on drug charges related to stealing, selling multiple kilograms of cocaine

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two Columbus police officers have been arrested on federal charges alleging they stole multiple kilograms of cocaine and provided it to others to sell. John Castillo, 31, of Grove City, and Joel M. Mefford, 34, of London, Ohio, were arrested today and appeared in federal court this afternoon, at which point their cases were unsealed. According to Mefford’s indictment, in February 2020, he was investigating a drug crime and unlawfully gained access to a detached garage belonging to the subject of the investigation. It is alleged Mefford, without a warrant, discovered two kilograms of cocaine in the rafters of the garage. Mefford allegedly unlawfully seized one of the kilograms and left the other to be found during the execution of a search warrant the next morning. The defendant allegedly gave the stolen narcotics to an individual to sell. Similarly, in February and March 2020, Mefford was investigating drug-trafficking activity at houses on Ambleside Drive and Kilbourne Avenue in Columbus. On March 7, 2020, the officer allegedly took a bag containing multiple kilograms of cocaine from the house on Ambleside Drive and arrested an individual there. He then allegedly traveled to the house on Kilbourne Avenue and removed a kilogram of cocaine. That same day, it is alleged Mefford turned in one kilogram of cocaine to evidence and stole the other kilograms to be sold. It is further alleged that Mefford stole 20 kilograms of cocaine from the Columbus police property room in April 2020, replacing it with fake cocaine. Mefford also allegedly deposited more than $72,000 in cash derived from the cocaine sales into his personal bank account. Castillo’s indictment alleges that in February 2021, Castillo took approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine from a house on North Everett Avenue and did not turn it into evidence. He allegedly planted two additional kilograms of cocaine for law enforcement discovery later that day at the house. The 10 kilograms of cocaine were allegedly stored in another person’s basement before they were given to another individual to sell. Castillo and Mefford are charged in separate indictments with possessing with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, a federal crime punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison. Mefford is also charged with money laundering and two counts of possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Zrinka Dilber, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and Elizabeth A. Geraghty are representing the United States in this case. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Southern Ohio Public Corruption Task Force, which includes special agents and officers from the FBI, Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations, the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office and the Columbus Division of Police. An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. # # #


title: Manlius Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – William Gladney, age 41, of Manlius, New York, pled guilty today to multiple charges of possession of child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office, and New York State Police (NYSP) Acting Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement. As part of his guilty plea, Gladney admitted that he possessed thousands of videos and images of child pornography on several of his personal devices. Gladney has a previous conviction for possession of child pornography in Texas. Sentencing is scheduled for June 12, 2024, before United States District Glenn T. Suddaby. Gladney faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison, a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of between five years and life, to begin after imprisonment. Gladney will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. HSI, the NYSP Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the NYSP Troop D Computer Crime Unit, and the Auburn Police Department investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Thomson prosecuted Gladney as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Former Local Labor Union President Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A former local labor union president who embezzled union funds pled guilty on January 25, 2024, in federal court in Cedar Rapids. Brock A. Willson, also known as Brock A. Cligrow, age 42, from Linn County and Cedar County, Iowa, was convicted of one count of bank fraud. In a plea agreement, Willson admitted that, from no later than about March 2020, and continuing through at least October 2021, he served in various capacities as a local labor union’s president, business manager/financial secretary, and coordinator of its joint apprenticeship training committee. By virtue of his high‑level positions within the union, Willson had access to its bank accounts. From the bank accounts, the labor organization entrusted Willson with making authorized payments for certain authorized expenses, including its training committee. Willson abused his position of trust at the union to cause the local bank to make payments for his own person expenses, including but not limited to payments on his personal vehicle loan and purchases at department stores. Willson admitted stealing at least $6,500 in union funds. Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Willson remains free on bond previously set pending sentencing. Willson faces a possible maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment, a $1 million fine, and five years of supervised release following any imprisonment. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and was investigated by the United States Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards. The Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police Department assisted the investigation. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 23-CR-67. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Gang member sentenced to 35 years for racketeering conspiracy

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

body_text: Oxford, MS – A Mississippi inmate and gang member was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for racketeering (RICO) conspiracy, including murder, related to his participation in the Simon City Royals (SCR) gang. According to court documents, Dillon Heffker, 33, of New Orleans, Louisiana participated in the criminal activities of the Simon City Royals, a violent national prison gang operating primarily in the Mississippi Department of Corrections, but with members and associates acting on their behalf outside of prisons throughout Mississippi, Louisiana, and elsewhere. Through an alliance with the violent Gangster Disciples gang, the Simon City Royals engaged in a host of criminal activities, including murder, attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, witness tampering, money laundering, interstate travel in aid of racketeering, large-scale drug trafficking, and fraud. The Simon City Royals were responsible for murders, attempted murders, and other violent acts committed in the state prison system and throughout the state of Mississippi. Court records reflect that Heffker stabbed another subordinate gang member, B.F., to death and was involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. More specifically, beginning in 2016, SCR leaders and Heffker began planning the murder of B.F., a SCR member who they believed was involved in murdering another SCR member. On January 31, 2018, B.F. was released from solitary confinement (at Wilkinson County Correctional Facility) and into the prison pod where SCR members were located, including Heffker. A SCR leader passed down orders from other SCR members to Heffker to attack and kill B.F. Subsequently, B.F. was attacked and stabbed to death by Heffker and another SCR member. According to court documents, the two inmates attacked the victim on the second floor of the housing unit and continued stabbing him as the altercation went to the first-floor shower area. The incident was video recorded. Responding medical personnel found the victim, covered in blood and lying in a fetal position, on the shower floor. Witnesses then saw one of the inmates pass the homemade shanks to a SCR leader who hid the murder weapons. The investigation revealed the organization paid Heffker and the other SCR member for the murder. On October 5, 2023, Heffker pleaded guilty to Count One of an indictment charging him with RICO conspiracy. At a sentencing hearing on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills remarked that this violent crime is “one of the more serious crimes I have had to deal with on this bench,” and sentenced Heffker to 420 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release. “Several years ago, the Simon City Royals, a violent criminal gang, were the driving force behind an explosion of violence in Mississippi prisons,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “Today’s sentence, as well as the almost 50 other recent prosecutions of the gang and its affiliates, should send a clear message that we will use every tool at our disposal to prosecute those who commit such heinous acts from behind bars or elsewhere.” “Sending a career criminal like this to prison is another example of our commitment to work tirelessly to protect our communities and hold accountable those who threaten our safety,” said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “The sentence imposed today sends a message to the community that violent gang members will be held accountable as we work to keep our neighborhoods safe as a top priority for ATF.” “Today’s sentence underscores DEA’s dedication to dismantling violent drug trafficking organizations,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw . “We’re sending a clear message to criminal gangs: Mississippi has zero tolerance for their illegal activities. Your time here is up.” This case has been investigated by ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Secret Service, FBI Jackson Field Office, Mississippi Department of Corrections, and dozens of local law enforcement agencies across multiple states. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stringfellow from the Northern District of Mississippi and Trial Attorney Ben Tonkin of the DOJ’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. 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 is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Meth Dealer with Firearm Sentenced to Over a Decade in Prison

body_text: A man who distributed methamphetamine from his garage in Lowden, Iowa, was sentenced on January 31, 2024, to 121 months in federal prison. Dalton James Griebel, age 31, from Davenport, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 10, 2023 guilty plea to one count of distribution of a controlled substance. In April 2022, Griebel sold methamphetamine to an individual inside the garage of Griebel’s home in Lowden. At the time of the sale, Griebel had a firearm in his waistband. When law enforcement later searched the home, they found additional methamphetamine, a digital scale, drug paraphernalia, and parts of firearms and ammunition. Griebel was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Griebel was sentenced to 121 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Griebel is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin, and it was investigated by the Cedar County Sherif’s Office, the Muscatine County Drug Task Force, the Muscatine Special Operations Response Team, Tipton Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, Clarence Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 23-CR- 00020. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Three New Orleans Men Plead Guilty to Federal Gun and Drug Offenses

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JONATHAN GONZALEZ , age 25, MARK WILLIAMS , age 22, and DERRICK BRUMFIELD , age 23, residents of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on January 30, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey to charges in a 15-count second superseding indictment. GONZALEZ, WILLIAMS, and BRUMFIELD each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C)-(D), and 846. Both GONZALEZ and WILLIAMS pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C)-(D), and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c). GONZALEZ additionally pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(o), and to possessing a vehicle stolen from the Norfolk Southern Automotive Distribution Facility, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 659. According to court documents, on January 29, 2023, GONZALEZ was a passenger in an Infinity QX80 stolen from the Norfolk Southern Automotive Distribution Facility. When NOPD officers attempted to perform an investigative stop on the vehicle, GONZALEZ fled on foot but was quickly apprehended. He possessed a Glock Model 19 pistol, an extended magazine containing 29 rounds of ammunition, a large bag of marijuana, a digital scale, and plastic baggies. On May 17, 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) searched GONZALEZ’s mother’s residence, in the presence of both GONZALEZ and WILLIAMS . Both men possessed loaded firearms, tapentadol pills and marijuana, with the intent to distribute those substances. On May 19, 2023, FBI executed a search warrant at a Ninth Ward residence and seized cocaine and tapentadol, among other controlled substances. BRUMFIELD conspired with the occupants of the residence to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, cocaine and tapentadol. As to their convictions for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, GONZALEZ , WILLIAMS , and BRUMFIELD each face up to 20 years in prison, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release. WILLIAMS faces the same penalties for his conviction for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. GONZALEZ faces up to 5 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and a minimum of two years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. As to their convictions for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, GONZALEZ and WILLIAMS each face a minimum of five years and up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. For his conviction for conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, GONZALEZ faces up to 20 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. Finally, for his conviction for possessing a vehicle stolen from the Norfolk Southern Automotive Distribution Facility, GONZALEZ faces up to 10 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. As to each count of conviction, GONZALEZ , WILLIAMS , and BRUMFIELD must pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.