title: Virginia Couple Sentenced for Forcing Victim to Work at Their Gas Station and Convenience Store for Over Three Years

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: A Virginia couple was sentenced today for compelling the labor of the man’s younger cousin at their gas station and convenience store for over three years. The couple has since divorced. Harmanpreet Singh, 31, was sentenced to 135 months in prison and Kulbir Kaur, 43, was sentenced to 87 months in prison. Additionally, the court ordered Singh and Kaur to pay the victim $225,210.76 in restitution. “The defendants exploited their relationship with the victim to lure him to the United States with false promises that they would help enroll him in school,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The defendants confiscated the victim’s immigration documents and subjected him to threats, physical force and mental abuse to coerce him to work long hours for minimal pay. This sentence should send a strong message that such forced labor will not be tolerated in our communities. The Justice Department is committed to fully enforcing our federal human trafficking statutes to vindicate the rights of survivors and hold human traffickers accountable for such shameful exploitation of vulnerable victims.” “The crimes committed by these defendants are not merely violations of the law; they are an afront to humanity,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “These defendants preyed on the victim’s earnest desire to attain an education and improve his life. Instead, they deprived him of the most basic human needs and robbed him of his freedom. We remain steadfastly committed to securing justice for victims of human trafficking.” “The defendants lured the victim to travel from India to Virginia to work at their gas station where they exploited him for over three year,” said Assistant Director Michael Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI will continue to work in all communities to stop forced labor trafficking and the psychological and physical violence that comes with it.” Following a two-week trial in January, a federal jury in the Eastern District of Virginia convicted Singh and Kaur of conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, harboring for financial gain and document servitude. The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that, in 2018, the defendants enticed the victim, Singh’s cousin and then a minor, to travel to the United States from India with false promises of helping enroll him in school. After the victim arrived in the United States, the defendants took his immigration documents and instead forced him to provide labor and services at Singh’s store for over three years, between March 2018 and May 2021. According to the evidence presented at trial, Singh and Kaur compelled the victim to work at the store — including cleaning, cooking, stocking and handling the cash register and store records — between 12 to 17 hours a day, nearly every day, for minimal pay. Singh and Kaur used various coercive means, including confiscating the victim’s immigration documents and subjecting the victim to physical abuse, threats of force and other serious harm, and, at times, degrading living conditions to compel him to continue working. The evidence further showed that the defendants left the victim at the store to sleep in a back office for days at a time on multiple occasions, limited his access to food, refused to provide medical care or education, used surveillance equipment to monitor the victim both at the store and in their home, refused his requests to return to India and made him overstay his visa. The defendants also forced the victim to marry Kaur and used that marriage to threaten to take the victim’s family’s properties or falsely report him to the police if he left. The evidence showed that Singh pulled the victim’s hair, slapped and kicked him when he requested his immigration documents back and tried to leave and, on three different occasions, threatened the victim with a revolver for trying to take a day off and for trying to leave. The FBI Richmond Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Avi Panth and Peter S. Duffey for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit prosecuted the case. Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org . Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking .


title: Chesterfield couple sentenced for forcing victim to labor for years at their gas station and convenience store

body_text: RICHMOND, Va. – A Chesterfield couple was sentenced today for compelling the labor of the man’s younger cousin at their gas station and convenience store for over three years. The couple has since divorced. Harmanpreet Singh, 31, was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison and Kulbir Kaur, 43, was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison. “The defendants exploited their relationship with the victim to lure him to the United States with false promises that they would help enroll him in school, and then subjected him to physical and mental abuse to keep him working for their own profit,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Today’s sentence should send a strong message that human trafficking will not be tolerated in our communities. The Justice Department is committed to fully enforcing our federal human trafficking statutes to vindicate the rights of survivors and hold human traffickers accountable.” “The crimes committed by these defendants are not merely violations of the law; they are an affront to humanity,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “These defendants preyed on the victim’s earnest desire to attain an education and improve his life. Instead, they deprived him of the most basic human needs and robbed him of his freedom. We remain steadfastly committed to securing justice for victims of human trafficking.” “The defendants lured the victim to travel from India to Virginia to work at their gas station where they exploited him for over three years,” said Assistant Director Michael Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI will continue to work in all communities to stop forced labor trafficking and the psychological and physical violence that comes with it.” Following a two-week trial in January, a federal jury in the Eastern District of Virginia convicted Singh and Kaur of conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, harboring for financial gain, and document servitude. The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that, in 2018, the defendants enticed the victim, Singh’s cousin and then a minor, to travel to the United States from India with false promises of helping enroll him in school. After arriving in the United States, the defendants took the victim’s immigration documents and instead forced him to provide labor and services at Singh’s store for over three years, between March 2018 and May 2021. According to the evidence presented at trial, Singh and Kaur compelled the victim to work at the store — including cleaning, cooking, stocking and handling the cash register and store records — between 12 to 17 hours a day, nearly every day, for minimal pay. Singh and Kaur used various coercive means, including subjecting the victim to physical abuse and, at times, degrading living conditions to compel him to continue working. The evidence showed that the defendants left the victim at the store to sleep in a back office for days at a time on multiple occasions, limited his access to food, refused to provide medical care or education, used surveillance equipment to monitor the victim both at the store and in their home, refused his requests to return to India and made him overstay his visa. The defendants also forced the victim to marry Kaur and used that marriage to threaten to take the victim’s family’s properties or falsely report him to the police if he left. The evidence showed that Singh pulled the victim’s hair, slapped and kicked him when he requested his immigration documents back and tried to leave and, on three different occasions, threatened the victim with a revolver for trying to take a day off and for trying to leave. The FBI Richmond Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Avi Panth and Peter S. Duffey for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit prosecuted the case. Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-92.


title: Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A Tennessee man pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. According to court documents, from December 2021 through March 2022, Charles Cunigan, 31, and his girlfriend, Latesha Gardner, transported the victim, who was a minor throughout the timeframe of the conspiracy, across state lines from Tennessee to Illinois, Louisiana, and Texas for the purpose of causing her to engage in commercial sex acts. Cunigan advertised the victim for commercial sex on websites, kept the money the victim made from commercial sex transactions, required the victim to earn a daily quotas from commercial sex, and restricted the victim’s access to food. Cunigan also tracked the victim’s location using a cell phone application and told her that he would find and kill the victim if she ever tried to leave. Cunigan used violence to accomplish the scheme. For example, if the victim did not comply with Cunigan’s demands, he would beat the victim, which Cunigan did when he punched and kicked the victim during an altercation in February 2022. On occasion, Cunigan also directed Gardner to use physical force against the victim. Cunigan is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 24. If the court accepts the guilty plea, the government and Cunigan have agreed that Cunigan will be sentenced to 22 years and six months’ imprisonment. Cunigan has also agreed to pay $48,750 in restitution to the victim. As a result of his conviction, Cunigan must participate in the sex offender registration and notification program upon his release from custody. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana; and Deputy Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans made the announcement. HSI New Orleans investigated the case. Trial Attorney Melissa E. Bücher of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria M. Carboni for the Eastern District of Louisiana are prosecuting the case.


title: Convicted Felon Sentenced to Over 23 Years in Federal Prison for Firearm Offenses

component: USAO - Tennessee, Western

body_text: Jackson, TN – A federal judge has sentenced a Benton County man to over 23 years in federal prison for committing new firearm offenses while being on supervised release for a prior federal firearm sentence. United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced the sentence today. According to information presented in court, Jason Autry , 49, who was a 16-time convicted felon, was in possession of a rifle, a handgun, and ammunition on December 3, 2020. Autry was previously convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm arising out of a Decatur County, Tennessee incident that occurred on January 15, 2012. He was released to a federal supervised release term of three years on September 16, 2020. Autry’s eight-year state prison sentence for Solicitation of First-Degree Murder and Facilitation of Especially Aggravated Kidnapping also expired on September 16, 2020. These convictions resulted from Autry’s role in the kidnapping and murder of Holly Bobo, a Decatur County nursing student, on April 13, 2011. Bobo’s body was found over three years later. It was presented in court that approximately 25 days after the beginning of his supervised release term, Autry had possession of a Smith and Wesson, Model M&P shield, 9mm caliber pistol, which he had stolen. He was in possession of a Marlin, 30-30 caliber rifle and ammunition within 78 days of his release. On November 22, 2022, Autry pled guilty to three counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. On June 24, 2024, United States District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Autry to a total of 279 months in federal prison for the firearm violations and the supervised release violation. There is no parole in the federal system. This case was investigated for federal prosecution by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as the Benton County Sheriff’s Department. United States Attorney Kevin Ritz thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Beth Boswell, Josh Morrow and Naya Bedini, who prosecuted this case, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the case. ### For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov . Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.


title: Natick Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Natick man was sentenced yesterday in connection with fentanyl trafficking. During a search of the defendant’s apartment the body of a missing 24-year-old woman who had died of a drug overdose was discovered. Rafael Ashworth, 29, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to six years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The government recommended a sentence of 10 – 12 years in prison. In February 2024 , Ashworth was convicted following a six-day jury trial of one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. “This case serves as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of drug trafficking on our communities. Mr. Ashworth’s conduct not only exposed our communities to dangerous drugs, it contributed to the tragic loss of a vibrant young woman,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to combat drug trafficking and keep our neighborhoods safe.” “Fentanyl is causing deaths in record numbers in Massachusetts and DEA’s top priority is to aggressively pursue anyone who distributes this poison,” said Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. “This sentence not only holds Mr. Ashworth accountable for his crimes but serves as a warning to those traffickers who are fueling the opioid epidemic.” Police found a deceased woman in Ashworth’s apartment after receiving a report of an overdose death. Approximately 100 grams of a substance containing fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin, counterfeit Xanax pills containing etizolam, an illegal benzodiazepine, a large metal press used for pressing counterfeit narcotic pills, kilograms of pill-making material and other paraphernalia associated with drug packaging and distribution were also located in the apartment. When police found the deceased woman, she had been dead for several days. Ashworth made no effort to contact police or paramedics. When police first entered Ashworth’s apartment, he told police officers that he had not seen the deceased woman in weeks. Acting U.S. Attorney Levy and DEA Acting SAC Belleau made the announcement. Special assistance was provided by the Natick Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leah Foley and Stephen Hassink of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.


title: Repeat Gastonia Drug Trafficker Is Sentenced To 15 Years For Drug Distribution

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. –Kenter O’Neal Ruff, 45, of Gastonia, N.C., was sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by six years of supervised release for drug distribution, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Trent Conard of the Gastonia Police Department join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement. According to filed court documents, evidence presented at Ruff’s trial, and witness testimony, over the course of an investigation into drug trafficking in Gaston County law enforcement identified Ruff as a local drug distributor. Trial evidence established that, on multiple occasions between October 2020 and April 2021, Ruff sold cocaine base to an individual cooperating with law enforcement. At the time, Ruff was on supervised release stemming from a prior federal drug conviction and had additional state convictions related to drug trafficking and drug possession. On January 5, 2023, a federal jury convicted Ruff of four counts of distribution of cocaine base. Ruff will remain in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles criminal organizations using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf . U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI and the Gastonia Police Department for their investigation of the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas Kent and Steven R. Kaufman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte and Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) William Wiseman prosecuted the case. Mr. Wiseman is a state prosecutor with the office of the 26 th Prosecutorial District and was assigned by District Attorney Spencer Merriweather to serve as a SAUSA with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte. Mr. Wiseman is sworn in both state and federal courts. The SAUSA position is a reflection of the partnership between the office of the 26 th Prosecutorial District and the United States Attorney’s Office.


title: Reno Man Sentenced To Prison For Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Nevada

body_text: RENO – A Reno resident was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge Anne R. Traum to 36 months in prison to be followed by lifetime supervised release for possessing over 600 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to court documents, between December 11, 2022 and February 14, 2023, Carl Baker (78) possessed and accessed computers and hard drives that contained CSAM. He admitted that he possessed more than 600 images of minors younger than 12 years of age. In January 2024, Baker pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. In addition to imprisonment, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), Baker must register as a sex offender and keep the registration current. United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson and Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI made the announcement. The FBI and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Penelope Brady and former Assistant United States Attorney Richard Casper 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 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 Justice.gov/PSC . ###


title: Monroe Woman Is Sentenced To Prison For Embezzling Nearly $2.3 Million From Employer

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Kristy Lawrence, 45, of Monroe, N.C., was sentenced today to 36 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for embezzling nearly $2.3 million from her employer, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney also ordered Lawrence to pay $$2,224,086 in restitution. Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Sheriff Eddie Cathey of the Union County Sheriff’s Office, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement. According to filed court documents and court proceedings, from 2016 to April 2022, Lawrence was employed by a small family business located in Monroe. Over the course of her employment, Lawrence worked in a purchasing and accounting function for the business and handled the company’s books and records. Court records show that Lawrence misused her position to embezzle millions of dollars from the company. Lawrence carried out the scheme by making multiple unauthorized electronic transfers from the company’s bank account to pay outstanding balances on her credit card and to make other payments for her personal benefit. Lawrence covered up the fraud by using her position and access to falsify documents and make fraudulent accounting entries in the company’s books and records. Lawrence’s embezzlement scheme was uncovered after the defendant was on extended leave and another employee took over her responsibilities. In reaching its sentence, the Court highlighted, among other things, the long-running nature of the scheme and the significant economic and emotional harm that Lawrence caused to her employer and her coworkers. On December 19, 2023, Lawrence pleaded guilty to wire fraud. She remains free on bond and will be ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons to begin serving her sentence upon designation of a federal facility. In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI in Charlotte and the Union County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Ryan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.


title: Multi-Convicted Felon Is Sentenced To Eight Years In Prison For Illegal Firearms Possession

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Princess Houghton, 34, of Salisbury, N.C., was sentenced today to 96 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement. According to documents filed in the case and court proceedings, on August 13, 2022, at approximately 3:52 p.m., CMPD Officers were dispatched to East 4th Street and South Brevard Street in reference to a service call for shots fired in the area, which is a short distance from the Transit Center in Uptown Charlotte. While enroute, another call for service came in for the Omni Hotel at 132 East Trade Street, for a victim that had been shot and sustained a gunshot wound. The officers located the victim and began rendering medical assistance. The victim was then transported to the hospital. According to court documents, law enforcement reviewed surveillance footage from cameras in the area and were able to identify Houghton’s vehicle as it fled the area as well as the address where the vehicle was registered. On August 23, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Houghton’s residence. Law enforcement searched a safe inside the residence, where they found Houghton’s semi-automatic pistol, loaded with 18 rounds of ammunition plus one additional round in the chamber. Law enforcement also recovered a separate extended magazine loaded with additional ammunition. Court records show that Houghton had used the illegal firearm to shoot the victim. On October 25, 2023, Houghton pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Houghton has multiple prior convictions, to include assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, accessory after the fact – robbery with a dangerous weapon, and charges related to breaking and entering. As a result of the criminal conviction, she is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Houghton is in federal custody. She will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the ATF and CMPD for their investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Kent of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte 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: Michigan Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Methamphetamine Charge

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Bacarre H. Curtis, age 23, of Eastpointe, Michigan, was sentenced today to 120 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fifty grams or more of methamphetamine. According to court documents and statements made in court, Curtis, also known as “TJ,” was transporting methamphetamine from Michigan to Harrison County, West Virginia, and selling it with a network of others. A search of his vehicle yielded methamphetamine and a firearm. The investigation connected 1.2 kilograms of methamphetamine to Curtis. Curtis will serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Cogar prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Greater Harrison Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office investigated. Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.


title: WikiLeaks Founder Pleads Guilty and Is Sentenced for Conspiring to Obtain and Disclose Classified National Defense Information

component: Criminal - Office of International Affairs

body_text: Julian P. Assange, 52, the founder of WikiLeaks, pleaded guilty today to conspiring with Chelsea Manning, at that time a U.S. Army intelligence analyst, to unlawfully obtain and disclose classified documents relating to the national defense. After obtaining classified national defense information from Manning, and aware of the harm that dissemination of such national defense information would cause, Assange disclosed this information on WikiLeaks. The guilty plea concludes a criminal matter that dates back to March 2018, when Assange was first indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia. There, and in superseding indictments, Assange was charged with conspiring with Manning, then a “Top Secret” U.S. security clearance holder, to further Manning’s unlawful acquisition and transmission of bulk classified information, including Manning’s use of a government computer to illegally download hundreds of thousands of classified documents and transmit them without authorization to WikiLeaks. Assange was detained in the United Kingdom based on the U.S. charges for the last 62 months, while he contested extradition. As part of the plea agreement, Assange was transported to the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands to enter his felony guilty plea and be sentenced on the morning of June 26 (Saipan local time) in a U.S. courtroom, with the venue reflecting Assange’s opposition to traveling to the continental United States to enter his guilty plea and the proximity of this federal U.S. District Court to Assange’s country of citizenship, Australia, to which he will return. At today’s proceeding, Assange admitted to his role in the conspiracy to violate the Espionage Act and received a court-imposed 62-month time-served sentence, reflecting the time he served in U.K. prison as a result of the U.S. charges. Following the imposition of sentence, he will depart the United States for his native Australia. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Assange is prohibited from returning to the United States without permission. Beginning in late 2009, Assange and WikiLeaks actively solicited United States classified information, including by publishing a list of “Most Wanted Leaks” that sought, among other things, bulk classified documents. As set forth in the public charging documents, Assange actively solicited and recruited people who had access, authorized or otherwise, to classified information and were willing to provide that information to him and WikiLeaks—and also solicited hackers who could obtain unauthorized access to classified information through computer network intrusions. Assange publicly encouraged his prospective recruits to obtain the information he desired by any means necessary, including hacking and theft, and to send that information to Assange at WikiLeaks. Between January 2010 and May 2010, in the course of the conspiracy with Assange, Manning used U.S. government computer systems to download hundreds of thousands of documents and reports, many of them classified at the SECRET level and relating to the national defense, which signified that unauthorized disclosure could cause serious damage to United States national security. In total, Manning downloaded four nearly complete U.S. government databases that contained, among other things, approximately 90,000 Afghanistan war-related significant activity reports, 400,000 Iraq war-related significant activity reports, 800 Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF GTMO) detainee assessment briefs, and 250,000 U.S. Department of State cables. Manning also downloaded files regarding rules of engagement in the Iraq war, most of which were classified at the SECRET level and which delineated the circumstances and limitations under which United States forces would initiate or conduct combat engagement with other forces. After downloading digital reams of classified documents and files, Manning electronically sent them to Assange to be publicly posted on WikiLeaks’s website. During Manning’s bulk exfiltration and passage of classified materials to WikiLeaks, Manning and Assange communicated regularly via online platforms about Manning’s progress and what classified information Assange wanted. For example, after sending the classified JTF GTMO detainee assessment briefs to Assange, Manning told Assange “thats [sic] all I really have got left.” To encourage Manning to continue to take classified documents from the United States and provide them to Assange and WikiLeaks without authorization, Assange replied, “curious eyes never run dry in my experience.” In or about 2010 and 2011, Assange publicly disclosed via the WikiLeaks website hundreds of thousands of documents that Manning had taken without authorization and given to him, including approximately 75,000 Afghanistan war-related significant activity reports, classified up to the Secret level; 400,000 Iraq war-related significant activity reports, classified up to the Secret level; 800 JTF GTMO detainee assessment briefs, classified up to the Secret level; and over 100,000 State Department cables, some of which were classified up to the Secret level. Unlike news organizations that published redacted versions of some of the classified documents that Assange obtained from Manning and then shared with those organizations, Assange and WikiLeaks disclosed many of the raw classified documents without removing any personally identifying information. Specifically, in many instances, the classified documents Manning unlawfully provided to Assange were later released publicly by Assange and WikiLeaks in a raw or unredacted form that placed individuals who had assisted the U.S. government at great personal risk. Assange’s decision to reveal the names of human sources illegally shared with him by Manning created a grave and imminent risk to human life. For example, the State Department cables that WikiLeaks disseminated included information from journalists, religious leaders, human rights advocates, and political dissidents who had chosen to provide information to the United States in confidence at significant risk to their own safety. By publicly releasing these documents without redacting the names of human sources or other identifying information, Assange subjected these individuals to serious harm and arbitrary detention. Assange even acknowledged in public statements that he knew that publicly disclosing unredacted classified documents containing the names and other identifying information of people who had shared information with the U.S. government in confidence could put those people at risk of harm. The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing Assange’s arrest and in litigating Assange’s extradition. The United Kingdom’s Crown Prosecution Service, National Extradition Unit (and its predecessor in the Metropolitan Police Service), and Central Authority also provided significant assistance to the extradition proceedings over the past five years. Logistical support was also provided by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency’s Joint International Crime Centre, U.K. law enforcement agencies, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES), U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI), and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia handled the case. U.S. Attorney Shawn N. Anderson for the District of Guam and NMI, CES Deputy Chief Matthew McKenzie, and National Security Cyber Section Trial Attorney Jacques Singer-Emery represented the United States in the NMI proceedings. CES Trial Attorneys Nicholas Hunter and Adam Small, and Trial Attorney Rachel Yasser and Legal Advisor/International Affairs Coordinator Amanda June Chadwick of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided substantial assistance. Link to Criminal Information Link to Plea Agreement


title: Former Florida Keys Resident Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Distributing Child Pornography

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI –Yesterday, Eric Edward Cadogan, a/k/a “livelife4fun69,” 39, of La Crosse, Wis., formerly of Marathon, Fla., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore to 240 months in federal prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, after previously pleading guilty to distributing child pornography. According to the factual proffer in support of the plea and information presented in court, Cadogan uploaded and distributed child pornography using a social media messaging platform. Cadogan also offered to sell child pornography and said he had “100 of videos n pictures.” In messages with an online undercover agent, Cadogan indicated he had engaged in sexually explicit conduct with minor children. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the sentence. FBI Miami Key West Resident Agency investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine W. Guthrie prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC 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 the PSC initiative and for information regarding Internet safety, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . Anyone with information regarding suspected child abuse (to include physical and sexual abuse) is encouraged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-CR-10017. ###


title: Stilwell Resident Pleads Guilty To Possessing Material Involving The Sexual Exploitation Of Minors

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Geoff Edward Luethje, age 46, of Stilwell, Oklahoma, entered a plea of guilty to one-count of Possession of Certain Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. The Indictment alleged that between April and August of 2023, Luethje knowingly possessed, and accessed with an intent to view, visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, including depictions of children under the age of twelve. The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Residence Agencies in Atlanta, Georgia, and Muskogee, Oklahoma. The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Luethje will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service pending sentencing. Assistant United States Attorney Caila M. Cleary represented the United States.


title: Omaha Man Sentenced for Possessing Child Pornography

component: USAO - Nebraska

body_text: United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Calvin Dugan, 35, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced June 25, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for possession of child pornography with a prior conviction. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Dugan to 132 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Dugan’s release from prison, he will begin a 15-year term of supervised release. Dugan will also continue to be required to register as a sex offender. Dugan was previously convicted in October 2018 in the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska for possession of child pornography and was on supervised release after serving his prison sentence. During a polygraph exam which was a required condition of his supervised release, Dugan admitted to being in possession of multiple unapproved electronic and internet capable devices. The following day, in August 2023, probation arrived at Dugan’s residence, where he advised probation officers he had the devices ready to be turned over and handed over an Xbox console and a Samsung Galaxy S9 phone. Previously, Dugan had also told his supervised release officer that he had SD cards. When asked about those, Dugan initially advised they must have fallen out of his bag, but when pressed, ultimately turned over three SD cards hidden inside a deck of playing cards. Three additional thumb drives were observed in plain view and seized by probation. Dugan admitted there would be “pictures of teens” on one of the SD cards. The electronics were turned over to law enforcement for forensic evaluation. That evaluation revealed over 650 images that constituted child pornography. 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 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.justice.gov/psc . This case was investigated by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.


title: Omaha Man Sentenced to 120 Months Prison for Attempted Access with Intent to View Child Pornography

body_text: United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Angel Garcia, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on June 24, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for attempting to access with intent to view child pornography after having previously been convicted of a child pornography offense. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Garcia to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Garcia is released from prison, he will begin a 7-year term of supervised release. In 2023, Garcia was on supervised release, following a federal conviction for receiving and distributing child pornography. Concerned about how Garcia was doing on supervised release, probation conducted a search of his residence, which located internet capable devices Garcia was not allowed to possess per the terms of his supervision. A forensic review of those devices located evidence that Garcia was attempting to access child pornography online. Several keywords, associated with child pornography, were located on websites Garcia had accessed, as well as specific websites dedicated to conversations about child sexual abuse. The forensic review also found that a media player application on the device had played videos with names indicative of child pornography. This case was investigated by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Probation Office.


title: Foreign National Sentenced to 7 Years and 3 Months for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

body_text: United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Francisco Ramirez-Vasquez, 22, of Guatemala, was sentenced on June 25, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for one count of possession of meth with the intent to distribute. Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon sentenced Ramirez-Vasquez to a total of 87 months’ imprisonment for both counts. There is no parole in the federal system. After Ramirez-Vasquez’s release from prison, he will begin a 2-year term of supervised release. On March 15, 2023, the United States Postal Service (USPS) discovered a suspicious package in the mail. A drug dog alerted to the presence of narcotics in the package and inside the package, investigators found three bundles of suspected meth that weighed approximately seven pounds. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the residence in Hastings and completed a controlled delivery of the package on March 16, 2023. While searching the residence, investigators located the package used during the controlled delivery, a second USPS box containing meth, additional meth in other locations in the residence, cocaine, a suspected drug ledger, $8,026 in U.S. currency, a digital scale, unused sandwich baggies consistent with packaging narcotics, and drug paraphernalia. Ramirez-Vasquez’s phone was seized and searched. The phone contained messages related to drug distribution. The State Patrol Crime Lab confirmed the substance seized in the USPS boxes was meth, with a total weight over 2665 grams. A sample weighing 443 grams was tested for purity. The lab confirmed that the sample contained at least 420 grams of meth actual. This case was investigated by the Tri-City Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT). TRIDENT is a task force with law enforcement personnel from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Grand Island Police Department, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Hastings Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Kearney Police Department, and the Nebraska State Patrol.


title: Convicted Felon Sentenced For Unlawful Possession Of A Firearm

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced Aaron Diggs (25, Tampa) to 30 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The court also ordered Diggs to forfeit a semi-automatic firearm, which is traceable to the offense. Diggs entered a guilty plea on March 20, 2024. According to court documents, during a traffic stop, Diggs was found to be in possession of a semi-automatic firearm which was located under the front driver’s seat. At the time, Diggs had a prior felony conviction in Florida. As such, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria Guzman. 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: U.S. Marine Sentenced To More Than 17 Years In Prison For Attempted Online Enticement Of Child To Engage In Sexual Activity

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Schyular Quinton Willis (24, Sebastian, Florida) to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison for attempted online enticement of a minor child to engage in sexual activity. Willis entered a guilty plea on January 31, 2024. Willis has been in custody since his arrest on October 10, 2023, at Camp Pendleton, California. According to court documents, on October 4, 2023, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) was contacted by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) regarding a report of child exploitation. On October 1, 2023, JSO responded to a residence regarding a call for service. Minor Parent 1 (MP1), father of Minor Victim 1 (MV1), had located nude images of the child on her cellphone along with a text message thread between MV1 and Willis. The thread contained multiple nude images of MV1 and Willis. During a later conversation with MP1, JSO learned Willis had access to MV1, recently spent time with MV1 while in Florida, and was an active-duty Marine. Based on the information received from MP1, JSO concluded Willis was likely a member of the military. NCIS was contacted and verified Willis was an active-duty lance corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps and stationed at Camp Pendleton. NCIS reviewed MV1’s cellphone and located a text message thread between Willis and MV1, which began on July 31, 2023, and continued through September 26, 2023. Throughout the text thread, sexual intercourse and the production of child sexual abuse materials were discussed on several occasions. On October 10, 2023, Willis was arrested at Camp Pendleton. He consented to an interview and a search of his devices. Willis admitted to talking to MV1 sexually and that it was a mistake. A review of Willis’s cellphone uncovered additional text messages between him and MV1, dating back as early as July 25, 2023, which appeared to reference possible sexual activity between Willis and MV1. This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington. This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.


title: International Gun Smuggler Sentenced To More Than Three Years In Federal Prison

body_text: Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza has sentenced Chrissie Fier Williams (39, Kissimmee) to three years and one month in federal prison for smuggling firearms internationally. Williams entered a guilty plea on January 2, 2024. According to court documents, on five separate occasions from January 28, 2021, through October 4, 2022, Williams prepared packages with household items to be sent to Trinidad and Tobago. Williams concealed numerous firearms, firearm parts, and ammunition inside those packages, prepared fake shipping manifests to conceal the contents, and paid “straw shippers” to deliver the packages under their names. Inside these packages, Williams concealed completed pistols and AR-style rifles, parts that could be readily assembled into completed guns, extended magazines including a 65-round drum magazine and a 100-round drum magazine, and ammunition to match the firearms being smuggled. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill. 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: Serial Bank Robber Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison for 2023 Bank Robbery

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: FLORENCE, S.C. — John Henry Stack, 76, of Myrtle Beach, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison after being convicted of committing a 2023 bank robbery. At the time of the 2023 robbery, Stack was on supervised release from previous federal bank robbery convictions. Evidence presented by the Government at a two-day jury trial in March established that around midday on March 10, 2023, Stack entered the Anderson Brothers Bank in Aynor wearing a blue medical scrub shirt over a black jacket, a winter hat, sunglasses, and a medical-style mask. Stack placed a pillowcase on the teller’s counter, and pulled a long-handled lighter from his pocket. Stack concealed the lighter under his hand to look like a gun, pointed it at the teller, and demanded money. The teller placed $2,130 in cash in the pillowcase, and Stack took the money and left the bank. Following the robbery, local, state, and federal law enforcement worked together to identify and apprehend the suspect. Law enforcement identified the vehicle the robber drove to and from the robbery as a Ford Focus with significant passenger side damage; Stack had recently purchased the Focus. About 10 p.m. on March 10, an officer with Myrtle Beach Police Department stopped the Focus driven by Stack. On the rearview mirror of the Focus was hang tag for a nearby hotel. Hotel records showed Stack had rented a room that afternoon and paid in cash. Law enforcement searched the Focus and the hotel room and found clothing consistent with that worn by Stack during the robbery, including a blue medical scrub shirt, pillowcases like the one Stack placed on the teller’s counter, a bag that contained Stack’s medications and $765 in cash, and a red long-handled lighter. Following the traffic stop, Stack confessed to law enforcement that he robbed the bank. He detailed for them how he robbed the bank, what he wore while robbing the bank, and explained that he concealed the lighter under his hand to make it look like a gun and “fake out” the teller, so that she would hand over the money. Stack previously served time in federal prison for multiple bank robberies in South Carolina and North Carolina. He was released in 2022. “Even after a significant sentence for the same crime, Mr. Stack continued to threaten the safety of the community by committing another bank robbery,” said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “We commend the work of Aynor and Myrtle Beach Police Departments in responding to this incident and the assistance of SLED and the FBI Columbia Field Office to bring this defendant to justice.” “Stack’s actions put innocent lives in harm’s way,” said Steve Jensen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “This sentence reflects the weight of the crime and should serve as a reminder that such criminal behavior will be met by swift justice. The FBI, along with our local, state, and federal partners, reaffirm our commitment to maintaining public safety and upholding the rule of law.” “South Carolina local and state law enforcement agencies and our federal team members continuously show how we work together to make a difference within our communities,” Chief Prock said. “From start to finish this is what we do to help. We care, we are focused, and we will continue to work to ensure that those that endanger the lives and take advantage of our community members, will be held accountable. This case is a perfect example of how communication and partnerships work hand and hand.” Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie presided over the trial and sentenced Stack to 120 months in prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. As part of the sentence, the Court also ordered Stack to pay $2,130 in restitution – the amount he stole from the bank. In imposing the sentence, the Court noted that Stack violated the Court’s trust by committing a new bank robbery while on supervised release. The case was investigated by Aynor Police Department, Myrtle Beach Police Department, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the FBI Columbia Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Flynn and Lauren Hummel prosecuted the case. ###


title: Readout of Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco’s Trip to Brussels

component: Office of the Deputy Attorney General

body_text: Deputy Attorney General (Deputy AG) Lisa Monaco traveled to Brussels last week to lead the U.S. delegation at the U.S.-EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial and reaffirm the Justice Department’s commitment to a critical alliance that combats shared risks to global security. The Ministerial brings together leadership from the Justice and Home Affairs Ministries of the European Union and the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to strengthen transatlantic collaboration. The Ministers focused on addressing persistent threats to our nations, including organized crime, terrorism, cybercrime, and foreign malign influence — especially by nation-states seeking to sow discord and further their autocratic agendas amid this year’s global elections, when over four billion people are expected to vote. They also discussed international law enforcement collaboration to disrupt trafficking of cocaine and synthetic drugs, particularly fentanyl, as well as AI — including AI’s potential to enhance law enforcement operations and the risk that it could supercharge criminal activity. During the Ministerial, the officials reaffirmed their resolute support for Ukraine and unwavering resolve to hold Russia accountable for war crimes, atrocities, and the crime of aggression. They reiterated the need for sustained coordination between the U.S. and EU to deprive the Russian war machine of funding and supplies — with the Deputy AG underscoring the successful efforts of the Department’s Disruptive Technology Strike Force and Task Force KleptoCapture to enforce export controls and the sweeping sanctions imposed on Russia for its unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. The officials also emphasized their commitment to supporting anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine. While in Brussels, the Deputy AG convened an international meeting of the Justice Department’s Justice AI Initiative with Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Eva Maydell and leaders from the European Parliament, which recently passed the EU AI Act—the first comprehensive legislative framework to govern the integration of AI into society. Launched by Deputy AG Monaco earlier this year, Justice AI brings together stakeholders across civil society, industry, academia, and government to share expertise and a wide range of perspectives on both the promise of AI and the perils of its misuse. The Deputy AG and MEPs discussed how AI is changing the way crimes are committed in the United States and in Europe — from intensifying cyberattacks, to making fraud scams more believable, to creating child sexual abuse material. They also focused on the threat of malign state actors using AI to undermine global elections this year, and the MEPs shared observations and lessons learned from recent European elections. The Deputy AG underscored that the Justice Department will remain vigilant to foreign adversaries abusing AI to accelerate online hate and disinformation, imitate trusted sources of information, and proliferate deepfakes. During her trip, the Deputy AG also held bilateral meetings with European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson and Belgian Minister of Justice Paul Van Tigchelt to highlight areas for continued collaboration between the Justice Department and our European partners. She met with United States Ambassador to the European Union Mark Gitenstein and United States Ambassador to Belgium Michael Adler, and also visited the U.S. Mission to the European Union and the U.S. Embassy in Belgium for a briefing with U.S. officials on their work with our European allies and to thank them for their service.


title: Final Of Four Defendants Sentenced For Grand Rapids-Based Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

component: USAO - Michigan, Western

body_text: Defendant Linked to Fatal Fentanyl Poisoning, Operation Distributing Drugs to Prisoners Using Fake Mail from Defense Attorneys GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that the last of four defendants, Anthony Martell Sanders, 30, of Grand Rapids, was sentenced to 300 months in prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout the Grand Rapids area, including fentanyl laced with xylazine. “Illicit street drugs are extremely dangerous and claim more lives across Michigan and the United States than ever before,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten . “Everyone who uses illegal substances takes their life in their own hands. Only a speck of fentanyl can kill. And so often it laces other drugs. A user who thinks they’re taking one drug doesn’t realize they’re also taking a lethal dose of fentanyl and is dead in minutes. Moreover, the addition of xylazine means naloxone cannot reverse the effect of fentanyl. My office is committed to disrupting the pipelines that distribute these poisons in our communities, causing so much devastation.” The following individuals have been convicted and sentenced as part of this investigation: Name Age City Sentence Anthony Martell Sanders 30 Grand Rapids 300 months Amon Sudan Sanders-Outlaw 23 Grand Rapids 168 months Marquan Demond Staffney 28 Grand Rapids 75 months Javon Bridgeforth House 32 Grand Rapids 54 months On January 14, 2023, officers with the Holland Department of Public Safety responded to an overdose death. Investigators discovered text messages that linked Sanders as a drug supplier of the decedent. Investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) then completed six undercover buys of fentanyl and methamphetamine from Sanders and others. The investigation culminated with the execution of three search warrants in Grand Rapids on April 4, 2023. At one apartment occupied by members of Sanders’ family, agents seized over five pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl. The fentanyl that Sanders and others had previously distributed to the undercover officer had been laced with xylazine or “tranq,” a veterinary tranquilizer not approved for human use, the effects of which are irreversible by naloxone. In addition, at an Airbnb apartment where law enforcement arrested Sanders on April 4, agents found significant evidence of the defendant mailing drugs into the prisons through a scheme to falsify envelopes to make them appear as if they were sent from criminal defense firms as “legal mail” in the hope of evading law enforcement detection. Specifically, investigators found fake return labels and return stamps for three Grand Rapids law firms and a roster of prisoners throughout the nation. Investigators had previously linked Sanders, and related defendant Marquan Staffney, to a package seized on July 22, 2022, at the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Branch County, purporting to be legal mail and containing a hallucinogenic controlled substance known as “K2.” “These sentences will ensure these individuals can no longer endanger lives in west Michigan,” said Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge of Detroit Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration . “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to rid communities of drug traffickers who threaten the safety and well-being of the general public.” “I am pleased to see this successful prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan,” said Michigan Department of Corrections Director Heidi Washington . “These drugs present a serious danger to our prisons, placing staff and prisoners at risk. I’d like to thank the MDOC staff involved in this investigation, as well as our partners in law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their work to end this drug trafficking effort and protect our staff.” Throughout the entire scope of the conspiracy, Sanders was on federal supervised release from a prior federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. During the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker found as an “aggravating factor” that after Sanders pled guilty, he shared discovery material with a third-party who then posted it on Facebook in an attempt to intimidate a cooperating witness. Specifically, investigators discovered a February 10, 2024, recorded video call with Sanders from the Newaygo County Jail where Sanders divulged cooperation materials and encouraged the third-party to disseminate the materials on social media. Judge Jonker also found that Sanders was a leader of the drug trafficking conspiracy as he directed others to deliver drugs on his behalf. Sanders even directed his brother, Amon Sanders-Outlaw, on a promotional offer to provide drug users with free drugs in exchange for introductions to other drug customers. This case was investigated by DEA, Michigan State Police, Michigan Department of Corrections, West Michigan Enforcement Team, Kent Area Narcotic Enforcement Team, Kent County Sheriff’s Office, Holland Department of Public Safety, Grand Rapids Police Department, Wyoming Department of Public Safety, Walker Police Department, and Grandville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vito S. Solitro and Stephanie M. Carowan prosecuted the case. ### MEDIA NOTE: For more information on Xylazine, see the October 2022 DEA Joint Intelligence Report: The Growing Threat of Xylazine and its Mixture with Illicit Drugs . For more information on Fentanyl, see the Drug Enforcement Administration’s factsheet on the substance.


title: Possession of multi-kilos of meth lands three in prison for significant time

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: McALLEN, Texas – Three residents of San Antonio have been sentenced following their convictions of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute a total of approximately five kilograms of meth, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Lucille Nicole Mendoza, 43, Debra Ann Sauceda, 54, and Julian Santiago Espinoza Jr., 32, pleaded guilty Jan. 5, 2022. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Mendoza and Espinoza to serve a total of 70 months each, while Sauceda received a 60-month-term of imprisonment. All were further ordered to serve three years of supervised release following their term of incarceration. On May 31, 2020, law enforcement encountered the three as they attempted to cross into the United States from the Pharr Port of Entry in a GMC Yukon. At that time, authorities sent them to secondary inspection, which resulted in the discovery of approximately five kilograms of meth hidden in the battery. All have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Phelps prosecuted the case.


title: Frederick County Man Sentenced To Twelve Years In Federal Prison For Committing Two Armed Robberies

component: USAO - Maryland

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – On Friday, June 21, 2024, United States District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Anthony Young, age 38, of Jefferson, Maryland, to twelve years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the armed robberies of an American Legion Post and a bank, both located in Frederick County, Maryland. The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office, and Chief Jason Lando of the Frederick Police Department. According to his plea agreement, on November 18, 2019, Young and another suspect entered the American Legion, Francis Scott Key Post 11, in Frederick, Maryland. The two men entered the bar of the Post, brandishing a black handgun. The men grabbed an employee, struck him in the mouth twice, and then restrained him with zip ties. The men then stole a large sum of U.S. currency. Witnesses observed the suspects entering a car that was determined to be registered to Young. On December 5, 2019, the Woodsboro Bank in Frederick reported an armed robbery. The suspect matched the description of Young. Employees and witnesses stated that a man entered the bank, armed with a small black handgun, and was able to steal a large sum of U.S. currency. The suspect then left the bank, entered a car, and left the area. The car was traced back to Young. On December 16, 2019, search warrants were executed at Young’s home. During the search, law enforcement officers seized clothing and items that matched the description of one of the suspects from the American Legion robbery, and the suspect from the bank robbery. Young was arrested and taken into custody. He waived his rights and confessed to committing both robberies. 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. U.S. Attorney Barron commended the FBI and the Frederick Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Sippel, Jr., 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 https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Justice Department to Monitor Compliance with Federal Voting Rights Laws in New York

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in Queens, New York, for the June 25 primary election. The Justice Department enforces the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot. The department regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities all across the country. In addition, the department deploys federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, where authorized by federal court order. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, working with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Civil Rights Act and Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. More information about voting and elections is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/voting . Learn more about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section . Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s website at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931.


component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in Queens, New York, for the June 25 primary election. The Justice Department enforces the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot. The department regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities all across the country. In addition, the department deploys federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, where authorized by federal court order. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, working with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Civil Rights Act and Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. More information about voting and elections is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/voting . Learn more about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section . Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s website at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York will also be available to receive complaints on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at the following number (718) 254-7000 for Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Nassau and Suffolk counties.


title: Pharmacy Owners Sentenced for $18M COVID-19 Health Care Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme

component: Criminal Division

body_text: Two pharmacy owners were sentenced for using New York-area pharmacies to submit millions of dollars in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and then laundering the proceeds, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Peter Khaim, 44, of Forest Hills, New York, was sentenced today to eight years and one month in prison, and his brother and co-defendant, Arkadiy Khaimov, 41, also of Forest Hills, was sentenced on April 3 to six years in prison. According to court documents, Khaim and Khaimov engaged in a complex money laundering conspiracy to launder the proceeds of a fraudulent health care scheme involving 16 New York-area pharmacies that they and their co-conspirators owned and controlled. Khaim, Khaimov, and their co-conspirators exploited the COVID-19 emergency for their own financial gain by using COVID-19-related “emergency override” billing codes to submit fraudulent claims for expensive cancer medications Targretin Gel 1% and Panretin Gel 0.1% that were not prescribed by physicians or dispensed to patients, and that were purportedly dispensed during periods when certain pharmacies were closed. To conceal over $18 million of their criminal proceeds, Khaim, Khaimov, and their co-conspirators funneled money through several shell companies, including sham pharmacy wholesale companies designed to look like legitimate wholesalers. Khaim and Khaimov typically sent the funds from the pharmacy bank accounts they controlled to the sham wholesale companies. The funds were then typically sent to companies in China for distribution to individuals in Uzbekistan. The defendants then received a corresponding amount of cash from a co-conspirator, minus a commission. At other times, the fraudulent proceeds were sent from the sham wholesale companies to Khaim, Khaimov, their relatives, or their designees, in the form of certified cashier’s checks and cash. Khaim and Khaimov used the proceeds of the scheme to purchase real estate and other luxury items. Khaim pleaded guilty on Nov. 3, 2022 to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Khaimov pleaded guilty on Nov. 16, 2022 to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. At sentencing, Khaim was ordered to pay more than $18 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $2.7 million. Khaimov was ordered to pay more than $18 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $9.6 million. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York; Assistant Director in Charge James Smith of the FBI New York Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Thomas M. Fattorusso of the IRS Criminal Investigation; Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG) made the announcement. HHS-OIG, the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and FDIC-OIG investigated the case. Trial Attorney Arun Bodapati of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section’s Northeast Strike Force prosecuted the case, with assistance from Principal Assistant Chief Jacob Foster and Assistant Chief Patrick Mott of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit .


body_text: Today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Peter Khaim was sentenced by United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly to 97 months in prison for using New York-area pharmacies to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and then laundering the criminal proceeds. Khaim’s brother and codefendant, Arkadiy Khaimov, was previously sentenced on April 3, 2024 to six years in prison for his role in the money laundering scheme. Khaim and Khaimov pleaded guilty in November 2022 to conspiracy to commit money laundering. As part of their sentences, Khaim was ordered to pay more than $18 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $2.7 million; Khaimov was ordered to pay more than $18 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $9.6 million. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Nicole M. Argentieri, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; Thomas M. Fattorusso, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation; Naomi Gruchacz, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General; and Patricia Tarasca, Special Agent-in-Charge, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General, announced the sentences. According to court documents, Khaim and Khaimov engaged in a complex money laundering conspiracy to launder the proceeds of a fraudulent health care scheme involving over a dozen New York-area pharmacies that they, and their co-conspirators, owned and controlled. Khaim and Khaimov used the New York pharmacies to submit millions of dollars in fraudulent claims to Medicare, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Khaim, Khaimov, and their co-conspirators exploited the COVID-19 emergency for their own financial gain by using COVID-19-related “emergency override” billing codes to submit fraudulent claims for expensive cancer medications Targretin Gel 1% and Panretin Gel 0.1% that were not prescribed by physicians or dispensed to patients, and that were purportedly dispensed during periods when certain pharmacies were closed. Khaim and Khaimov concealed over $18 million of their criminal proceeds by funneling money through several shell companies, including sham pharmacy wholesale companies designed to look like legitimate wholesalers. Khaim and Khaimov typically sent the funds from the pharmacy bank accounts they controlled to the sham wholesale companies. The funds were then typically sent to companies in China for distribution to individuals in Uzbekistan, and the defendants received some of these funds in cash. At other times, the fraudulent proceeds were sent from the sham wholesale companies to Khaim, Khaimov, their relatives, or their designees, in the form of certified cashier’s checks and cash. Khaim and Khaimov used the proceeds of the scheme to purchase real estate and other luxury items. Trial Attorney Arun Bodapati of the Fraud Section’s Northeast Strike Force prosecuted the case. Fraud Section Principal Assistant Chief Jacob Foster and Assistant Chief Patrick Mott assisted with the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Claire Kedeshian of the Eastern District of New York’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters. Defendants: PETER KHAIM Age: 44 Forest Hills, Queens ARKADIY KHAIMOV Age: 41 Forest Hills, Queens E.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 20-CR-580 (AMD)


title: Violent Evansville Felon Sentenced to Over Eight Years in Federal Prison After Threatening a Neighbor with the Gun he Illegally Possessed

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

body_text: EVANSVILLE- Christopher Scott Poodry, 33, of Evansville, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to court documents, on June 5, 2023, Poodry got into an argument with a neighbor outside of his residence in Evansville. During the argument, Poodry went inside his home and retrieved a rifle. He pointed the rifle and threatened the neighbor, who called 911. Poodry hid the rifle in the tile ceiling his bed before police arrived. Police later searched the residence and located Poodry’s rifle and more than 71 rounds of ammunition. Poodry is prohibited from legally possessing a firearm because of his multiple prior felony convictions in Warrick County, including dealing methamphetamine and battery against a public safety official. “This defendant’s actions underscore the risk that violent, illegally armed criminals pose to our communities,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Far too many routine disputes escalate into deadly violence when guns are in the hands of folks who have no legal business having them. Working alongside our partners in the Evansville Police Department, Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office, and ATF, we will continue to make Evansville safer by removing dangerous, armed criminals from our neighborhoods.” The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Evansville Police Department, and Vanderburgh County Prosecutors Office investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Young. U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, who prosecuted this case. ###


title: U.S. Attorney's Office Summer Law Camp Introduces High School Students To A Career In The Law

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – This week, 24 high school students are participating in the U.S. Attorney’s Office Summer Law Camp, a program that introduces students to the American Criminal Justice System. The program is designed to help students gain a greater understanding of a career in the law and experience the work of practicing litigators. The camp will conclude with students engaging in mock trials that will be held at the federal courthouse in Charlotte, before by U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler. “Our Summer Law Camp offers young people an excellent introduction to the criminal justice system and the wide range of career opportunities in the legal field,” said U.S. Attorney Dena J. King. “The mock trials provide students with a hands-on understanding of legal proceedings and trial advocacy, allowing them to experience the role of a lawyer in an engaging, fun, and interactive environment.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office Summer Law Camp is free of charge, and it is available to high school students interested in learning more about the legal profession. The program is taught by career federal prosecutors and helps students explore the justice system, learn about the Federal Rules of Evidence, gain basic advocacy skills, and encourage students to think as lawyers. In addition, participating students receive instruction on evidence collection and trial preparation and learn from guest speakers representing law enforcement agencies and the legal defense bar. During the mock trials, students actively participate in the court proceedings, with assigned roles as prosecutors, defense attorneys, and witnesses, tasked with delivering opening statements and closing arguments, providing testimony, and conducting cross examinations. “Our law camp gives students from all backgrounds the chance to explore the legal profession, understand the legal process, and learn about career options in the field,” said U.S. Attorney King. “However, the camp goes beyond civics education and career preparation. The ultimate goal is to help young people recognize the power and responsibility they hold as citizens, and the important role they play in ensuring the criminal justice system is a place where they can make a meaningful impact for themselves, their community, and justice” King added. Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office Summer Law Camp can be found here .


title: Espanola Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – An Espanola man was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for his role in the brutal 2018 kidnapping, assault and murder of a woman in retaliation for allegedly stealing from another woman. There is no parole in the federal system. According to court documents, on January 14, 2018, Luis Mariscal-Lopez , 26, Jorge Dominguez, Crystal Ramos and another individual conspired to retaliate against Jane Doe for allegedly stealing and using Ramos' ATM card. The group lured the victim to Ramos' residence in Espanola. Upon Jane Doe's arrival, the group brutally assaulted her over an extended period of time until she ultimately died from the vicious attack. In an attempt to cover up their crime, the group wrapped Jane Doe's body in plastic, loaded it into a vehicle and transported it to a remote area near Velarde, N.M. There, they tried to dismember her remains before digging shallow pits to burn the body. The group spotted a helicopter, so they extinguished the fire, gathered the remains and returned to Ramos' home where they attempted to conceal the remains in a toolbox. Later, Black and another individual took the toolbox with the remains to a location near Ojo Caliente, N.M. There they buried the toolbox in a shallow grave near the river. Johnny Black pleaded guilty to federal firearms offenses and being an accessory after the fact and was sentenced to 171 months in prison. Jorge Dominguez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and remains in custody pending sentencing which is currently scheduled for August 6, 2024. Crystal Ramos died in a shootout with police in Denver, Colorado on June 14, 2018. Upon his release from prison, Mariscal-Lopez will be subject to five years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Espanola Police Department, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Bureaus of Indian Affairs, and New Mexico State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicholas J. Marshall and Caitlin L. Dillon are prosecuting the case. # # #


title: Prisoner Who Escaped from Bloomfield Halfway House Sentenced to Additional Prison Time

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that HECTOR SANTIAGO, 29, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to four months of imprisonment for escaping from a halfway house in Bloomfield. According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 18, 2019, Santiago was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 69 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for a narcotics trafficking offense. On June 23, 2023, he was transferred from the U.S. Penitentiary in Lee County, Virginia, to the Drapelick Center, a Residential Reentry Center (halfway house) in Bloomfield, to complete his custodial sentence. On September 27, 2023, Santiago walked away from the Drapelick Center and never returned. He was located and arrested in Hartford on February 9, 2024. On March 11, 2024, Santiago pleaded guilty to escape from the custody of the Attorney General. Santiago’s four-month prison term began on May 13, 2024, and he will be on supervised release for four years when he released from prison. This matter was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean P. Mahard.


title: U.S. Attorney Announces Consent Decree With Westchester Drinking Water Provider And Three Municipalities For Violating The Federal Safe Drinking Water Act

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Todd Kim, the Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Justice Department; David M. Uhlmann, the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance of the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”); and Lisa F. Garcia, the Regional Administrator for Region 2 of the EPA, announced today that the United States filed a civil lawsuit against the WESTCHESTER JOINT WATER WORKS (“WJWW”), the TOWN/VILLAGE OF HARRISON, the VILLAGE OF MAMARONECK, and the TOWN OF MAMARONECK (collectively, “the defendants”), along with a Consent Decree resolving the case. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants violated the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (“SDWA”) in 2019 due to the presence of contaminants in the public water system in excess of the level set by EPA, and thereafter WJWW violated an EPA administrative order requiring the construction of a water filtration plant by specified deadlines. The Consent Decree requires the defendants to construct a drinking water filtration plant projected to cost $138 million, take steps to protect source water quality, and pay a $600,000 civil penalty to the United States. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Public water systems have the critical responsibility of ensuring that our communities have safe drinking water. Thanks to today’s settlement, Westchester Joint Water Works will finally construct a long-delayed drinking water filtration facility to protect the Westchester County communities it serves.” Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim said: “Today’s agreement kickstarts a path to ensuring a reliable and healthy source of water for 120,000 residents of Westchester County. The building of a much-needed water filtration plant will address the source of the Safe Drinking Water Act violations and will help secure the area’s long-term needs.” EPA Assistant Administrator David Uhlmann said: “Everyone living in the United States deserves safe drinking water. Today’s agreement requires Westchester Joint Water Works to construct a new filtration system to prevent contaminated drinking water and to protect the quality of the water for a water system that serves multiple communities, including at least one that has been overburdened by environmental impacts. Westchester residents should expect nothing less.” EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia said: “WJWW will build a drinking water filtration plant that will ensure clean and safe drinking water for 120,000 people in Westchester County, immediately pay a $600,000 civil penalty to the federal government and implement a $900,000 Supplemental Environmental Project to improve source water quality through decreased stormwater discharge into the Kensico Reservoir. We are happy to partner with the State of New York to address this long-standing violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act and protect public health.” According to the allegations of the Complaint, the Consent Decree filed with the Court, and other public records: The defendants failed to ensure that the drinking water they supply to approximately 120,000 Westchester County residents complies with federal limits on potentially cancer-causing disinfection byproducts resulting from water treatment. Specifically, the defendants own and/or operate a public water system (the “WJWW Water System”). During the first, second, and third quarters of 2019, the WJWW Water System violated the SDWA and its Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (“Stage 2 DBPR”) because it supplied water exceeding legal limits for certain chemicals resulting from the disinfection process — specifically, five regulated haloacetic acids known as “HAA5.” Although the WJWW Water System has taken certain short-term measures to mitigate risk to its consumers, defendants have failed to implement necessary corrective actions — including WJWW’s failure to construct and operate a filtration plant required by an EPA administrative order. Compliance with the SDWA is not only a public health necessity but also a matter of environmental justice. At least one of the municipalities relying on defendants’ drinking water is overburdened and underserved, facing disproportionate environmental and other burdens. The United States’ lawsuit seeks an injunction compelling defendants to comply with the SDWA and EPA’s administrative order, including by constructing a filtration plant, and civil monetary penalties. The State of New York is contemporaneously joining the lawsuit to assert its own claims under state law and a previously entered state court judgment requiring the construction and operation of a filtration plant. In the Consent Decree, the defendants admit, acknowledge, and accept responsibility for the following, among other matters: WJWW directly supplies water to approximately 60,000 individuals in the Town/Village of Harrison, the Village of Mamaroneck, and the Town of Mamaroneck, as well as portions of the City of Rye and the City of New Rochelle, and indirectly supplies drinking water to an additional approximately 60,000 residents of the Village of Larchmont, the City of Rye, the Village of Rye Brook, and the Village of Port Chester. EPA has set the “maximum contaminant level” for the five regulated disinfectant byproducts known as HAA5 at the level of 0.060 mg/L. In the first, second, and third quarters of 2019, the WJWW Water System contained water with levels of HAA5 in excess of 0.060 mg/L, as determined by testing performed by WJWW and reported to EPA. EPA issued an administrative order dated November 26, 2019, which required, among other things, that WJWW ensure the WJWW Water System’s compliance with the Stage 2 DBPR by constructing and operating a filtration plant by certain milestone dates. The administrative order required construction to commence by January 1, 2022. WJWW has not yet commenced construction of, and does not operate, a filtration plant. The Consent Decree requires defendants to build and commence operation of a filtration plant by July 1, 2029. WJWW has publicly estimated the cost of the project to be $138 million. The Consent Decree also establishes various interim deadlines for the construction project and requires WJWW to continue to implement measures to ensure the safety of its water supply until the filtration plant is operational. The Consent Decree also requires WJWW to pay a $600,000 civil penalty to the United States and to spend at least $900,000 on a supplemental environmental project to modify an extended detention basin in the Rye Lake portion of the Kensico Reservoir and manage invasive species in the area. This supplemental environmental project is expected to improve source water quality in the Reservoir by decreasing natural organic material and turbidity. The Consent Decree resolves claims by New York to enforce a previous state judgment against WJWW for violating separate regulations requiring the implementation of filtration. In addition to the construction of the filtration facility, the defendants will pay New York a $650,000 civil penalty and spend at least $6,800,000 on two state water quality benefit projects. * * * The Consent Decree is subject to public comment and approval by the Court. Notice of the proposed Consent Decree will be published in the Federal Register, and the public will have the opportunity to submit comments on the Consent Decree for a period of at least 30 days before the parties seek the Court’s approval. Mr. Williams thanked the attorneys and enforcement staff at EPA Region 2 for their critical work on this matter. He also thanked the New York State Department of Health and the New York Attorney General’s Office for their collaboration. This case is being handled by the Environmental Protection Unit of the Office’s Civil Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel Dolinger and Tomoko Onozawa are in charge of the case.