title: Drug Coordinator Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: TUCSON, Ariz. – Enrique Heriberto Nunez-Tiznado, 45, of Sasabe, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 63 months in prison. Nunez-Tiznado pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, Heroin, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine, and Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments on December 13, 2023. Nunez-Tiznado admitted he was a Mexico-based leader of an organization that supplied drugs that were mailed throughout the United States. Nunez-Tiznado used individuals to smuggle drugs into the United States through ports of entry. He then coordinated the mailing of those drugs from Tucson to various locations throughout the United States. Finally, he coordinated the laundering of drug proceeds through a co-defendant’s bank account. Colombian authorities apprehended Nunez-Tiznado in February 2022, pursuant to an Interpol Red Notice, and Nunez-Tiznado was extradited from Colombia to the United States on April 12, 2023. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Judicial Attaché’s Office at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Colombian law enforcement authorities provided critical assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Nunez-Tiznado. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution. CASE NUMBER: CR 21-2667-TUC-SHR RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-020_Nunez-Tiznado # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: St. Louis Woman Admits Aiding $291,000 Pandemic Fraud

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis, Missouri on Friday admitted conspiring to defraud a COVID-19 pandemic relief program. Jeannine Buford, 45, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and admitted submitting a fraudulent loan application to the Paycheck Protection Program with Porshia L. Thomas. In April of 2020, Buford changed the name of an existing company to Couture Trading Inc. with the Montana Secretary of State’s Office. She listed herself as the company president and Thomas as the director, vice president, secretary and treasurer, the indictment says. On July 15, 2020, Thomas, with Buford’s help, completed and submitted a fraudulent PPP loan application for Couture Trading. Buford admitted that she and Thomas falsely claimed the company was an operating business located in California, had 15 employees and an average monthly payroll of $120,000. They claimed the loan would be used for salaries and business expenses and submitted fake company bank records. The bank issued a $291,000 PPP loan on Sept. 8, 2020. Thomas then wired $10,000 to Buford and wrote her a $65,000 check. Buford spent the money on personal expenses, including food, clothes, the $14,000 deposit on a 2017 BMW X6, a $5,000 couch and other furniture and $1,855 to rent a luxury apartment in downtown St. Louis. The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Thomas pleaded guilty to a bank fraud charge and is scheduled to be sentenced March 11. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek J. Wiseman is prosecuting the case.


title: Former Senior Executive at Chinatown-Based Bank Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charge for Embezzling More Than $700,000

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – The former chief financial officer at a downtown Los Angeles bank has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $700,000 of his employer’s funds and admitted stealing bank employees’ identities to open life insurance policies in their names to benefit his wife, the Justice Department announced today. Sammy Sims, 61, of West Covina, pleaded guilty Thursday afternoon to one count of bank fraud. According to his plea agreement, the Chinatown-based Eastern International Bank hired Sims in September 2017 as the lender’s CFO. As a condition of his employment, Sims agreed that he would not use the bank’s confidential information for his personal benefit or for others. The bank’s policy also required Sims to promptly disclose any conflicts or appearances of conflict with the bank’s interests. Sims’s scheme to defraud his employer lasted from February 2018 until at least April 2021. From August 2018 to October 2020, Sims wired $86,000 in bank funds to the United States Treasury and California Franchise Tax Board to make payments towards the personal federal and state income taxes for himself and his wife. Sims concealed these transactions by creating false entries in the bank’s general ledger that falsely represented that the payments were for the bank’s tax accounts. In April 2019, Sims used approximately $14,161 in bank funds to a debt collection agency to help pay off a debt that he had incurred. Sims concealed this transaction by creating a false entry in the bank’s general ledger that falsely stated the payment was for data processing software. From April 2019 to December 2020, Sims took approximately $113,264 in money belonging to the bank to pay the balances on his personal credit card. Sims hid these expenses in the bank’s general ledger by falsely labeling them as bank expenses. During this time, he also siphoned approximately $81,815 from the bank by using a bank credit card, meant for work purposes, for his personal expenses, including steak dinners and a trip to Las Vegas. Sims, from February 2020 to April 2021, also lied to several bank employees by telling them they had to switch their bank-funded life insurance policies because of their age. What neither the employees nor the bank knew was these policies were obtained through Sims’s wife, a licensed life insurance broker who received a commission for each life policy she sold. For some employees, Sims obtained their personal identifying information without their consent and then used this information to purchase life insurance policies from his wife. Sims used a checking account belonging to the bank to wire approximately $311,608 of the bank’s money to several life insurance companies to partially pay for the premiums for these policies. When Sims was later confronted about the life insurance policies opened using bank employees’ personal identifying information, he lied by saying the employees’ identities could have been stolen through a cybersecurity hack or by unauthorized disclosures by the bank’s personnel department. Sims resigned from the bank shortly after being confronted about the life insurance policies. In total, Sims unlawfully took at least $737,849 of bank funds for his personal use and benefit. United States District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong scheduled a May 10 sentencing hearing, at which time Sims will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison. The FBI and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jason C. Pang of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.


title: Dauphin County Man Indicted On Drug Trafficking And Firearms Charges

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Ewhnik Proctor, age 26, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was indicted on February 7, 2024, by a federal grand jury for drug trafficking and firearms offenses. According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that, on separate dates in 2022, Proctor distributed a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine and possessed a firearm while he was prohibited by law from doing so. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General. Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Wesley (Wes) Mishoe is prosecuting the case. The maximum penalty under federal law for the indicted offenses is a combined 35 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court. 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: Bridgeport Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Charge

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ALEXIS A. VALLEJO, also known as “Boobie” and “Boobie Porter,” 33, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 29, 2021, Vallejo attempted to flee from Bridgeport Police officers. Officers apprehended Vallejo and found him in possession of a loaded SCCY 9mm semiautomatic handgun. Vallejo’s criminal history includes felony convictions in state court for firearm possession, robbery, larceny, and failure to appear offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce. Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for June 4, at which time Vallejo faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years. Vallejo has been detained since his federal arrest on June 30, 2022. This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Weingarten and Karen L. Peck through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.


title: Jacksonville Man Sentenced To 15 Years In Federal Prison For Narcotics And Firearms Offenses

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Edgar Guintivano (52, Jacksonville) to 15 years in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Guintivano entered a guilty plea on November 16, 2023. According to court documents, on February 21, 2023, officers from the Jacksonville Beach Police Department conducted a traffic stop due to Guintivano not having a valid driver license. Guintivano had 256 grams of methamphetamine in his vehicle. In addition to the narcotics, Guintivano had a loaded Glock pistol on his person, as well as two batons. Inside the vehicle, there was an additional firearm, as well as seven knives in the driver’s door panel. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Jacksonville Beach Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro. 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: Two companies in Alaska seafood shipping industry to pay  $9.5M to U.S. in settlement for Jones Act violations

component: USAO - Alaska

body_text: ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Two companies in the Alaska seafood shipping industry recently settled a lawsuit challenging penalties and fines levied by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for violating the Jones Act, a law that requires merchandise be transported by U.S. flagged vessels between U.S. ports. An exception to the U.S. flagged vessel requirement allows seafood from Alaska to be transported to the mainland U.S. if it travels via Canadian rail. The companies challenged the penalties and fines in the U.S. District Court of Alaska, saying they did not violate the Jones Act while transporting seafood from Alaska to the mainland U.S. because it was “transported” by Canadian rail. According to court documents, Kloosterboer International Forwarding LLC (KIF) and Alaska Reefer Management LLC (ARM) arranged transportation and related services to move frozen seafood from Alaska to the East Coast via maritime shipping. For over a decade, the companies moved seafood from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to a port in New Brunswick, Canada, on foreign-flagged vessels. Once in Canada, KIF arranged for the seafood to be offloaded from the vessel onto trucks in the port. The trucks were then driven onto a flatbed rail car on the Bayside Canadian Railway (BCR), a roughly 100-foot length of railroad track located entirely within the Port of Bayside, where they rode the length of the rail and back before being driven off the train cars and proceeding directly to a border crossing in Maine for final transport to the mainland U.S. The BCR was specifically built and exclusively used to move the seafood in this manner so the companies could claim they met the Canadian rail exception to the Jones Act. CBP began investigating the companies’ use of foreign-flagged vessels to transport merchandise in this manner, including over the BCR. Investigators determined the companies were in violation of the Jones Act because using the BCR did not meet the Canadian rail exception. CBP issued numerous penalty notices to KIF, and other companies involved in the shipping route, and the companies responded with a lawsuit against the federal government claiming they did not violate the Jones Act and that the penalties were unlawful. The parties filed for summary judgement in the U.S. District Court of Alaska, and the Court ruled the companies’ utilization of the BCR for part of the transport of seafood from Alaska to the mainland U.S. was unlawful because there was no actual “transportation” of goods on the BCR, which is a requirement to meet one of the exceptions under the Act. A settlement agreement was finalized between the companies and the U.S. in January 2024. The agreement requires KIF and ARM to pay $9.5 million to the U.S. The companies also stopped using the BCR to transport seafood to the U.S. after this ruling. “This is the second largest settlement of a case brought under the Jones Act in the history of our Nation,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “Our prosecutors and law enforcement partners did a tremendous job successfully investigating and litigating this complex case. Our office will continue to dedicate resources to ensuring the laws in place to protect fair maritime commerce are followed by all industries in Alaska.” “The resolution of this case sends a clear signal that CBP will use its law enforcement powers to detect and deter schemes that are designed to circumvent laws – such as the Jones Act -- which are intended to protect U.S. industries,” said AnnMarie R. Highsmith, Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. CBP investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dustin Glazier and Seth Beausang, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Siobhan McIntyre prosecuted the case, with significant assistance from Senior Trial Counsel Monica Triana with the Justice Department’s International Trade Field Office and Senior Attorney Marc Matthews with CBP. UPDATE: The quote from S. Lane Tucker has been amended from the original publication. ###


title: Felon Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Trafficking Firearms and Narcotics in Brooklyn

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, United States District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall sentenced Ronald Delaespada to 10 years in prison for his role in a firearms trafficking scheme and for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine. Delaespada pleaded guilty to the charges in February 2023. Delaespada’s co-defendant Rayon Lovett pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking charges in February 2023 and was sentenced to 85 months’ imprisonment in October 2023. Delaespada’s co-defendant and brother Owen Welch pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking charges in July 2023 and is currently awaiting sentencing. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Bryan DiGirolamo, Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York (ATF), and Edward A. Caban, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the sentence. “Delaespada is a career criminal who sold illegal guns, including an assault-type rifle, near a school, a church and on bustling streets in the heart of Brooklyn, without regard for how these lethal weapons could be used,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Today’s sentence will keep the defendant off the street for years, a punishment he deserves for his blatant disrespect for the law and his dangerous conduct. I commend the brave NYPD undercover officer, along with the Special Agents of ATF, whose excellent work kept 17 lethal weapons off the streets of our community.” “While communities across this country are coming together in grief because of the devastation of gun violence — some people are unlawfully selling firearms to others with blatant disregard for the impact on the lives of others. ATF will continue to do all we can to reduce gun violence by stopping the traffickers who flood our communities with illegal firearms. Crime gun intelligence enhances our ability to identify both amateur and prolific traffickers,” stated ATF Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge DiGirolamo. “Every crime gun off the streets is a potential life saved. Excellent work by the men and women of ATF NY Joint Firearms Task Force, our partners at NYPD and EDNY.” “This kind of meaningful prison sentence shows our courageous police officers that New Yorkers will not tolerate such lawless behavior in our neighborhoods,” stated NYPD Commissioner Caban. “I commend our dedicated undercover officer, and I thank our colleagues at the ATF and the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York for continuing to be highly effective partners in our public safety mission.” Between February and June 2022, Delaespada, Lovett and Welch were jointly responsible for selling 17 firearms, including the semi-automatic weapons depicted above, to an undercover NYPD officer in Brooklyn. The defendants conducted these firearms sales in vehicles outside of homes in the Prospect Park South neighborhood of Brooklyn, including in locations near Prospect Park, across from a church, and near an elementary school. The firearms sales often occurred in the middle of the afternoon and in broad daylight, with the defendants brazenly walking down public streets carrying bags of dangerous firearms. On June 15, 2022, Lovett and Welch sold the undercover officer a KelTec KS7 shotgun and an American Tactical AR-15-style rifle, with a high-capacity magazine attachment, for several thousand dollars. Delaespada, who was convicted in 2015 in the Eastern District of Virginia for narcotics trafficking and possessing a firearm as a felon, was on federal supervised release when he committed the instant offense and has multiple felony convictions in the State of New York. When Delaespada was arrested, he possessed more than 80 pills containing fentanyl, more than 38 grams of a heroin/fentanyl mixture, and more than 50 grams of cocaine and more than 30 grams of crack cocaine. Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin Weintraub and Andrew Reich are in charge of the prosecution. The Defendants : RONALD DELAESPADA Age: 48 Brooklyn, New York RAYON LOVETT Age: 37 Brooklyn, New York OWEN WELCH Age: 44 Brooklyn, New York E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-341 (LDH)


title: Altamont Man Accused of Unlawful Gun Possession and Manufacturing

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

body_text: EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – An Effingham County man is facing criminal charges in southern Illinois for illegally possessing firearms even though he’s prohibited under federal law. James R. Kraus, II, 42, is facing one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, one count of illegal possession of a machine gun, two counts of possession of an unregistered firearm and one count of illegal importation of a firearm. "Individuals with domestic violence and other abusive convictions cannot lawfully possess firearms due to the increased safety risks to our communities, and offenders will be held accountable," said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. According to the charging document, Kraus is accused of possessing the firearms in November 2023. Due to a prior domestic violence conviction, Kraus is unable to legally possess firearms. The Government alleges that Kraus illegally possessed dozens of firearms including an automatic weapon, multiple short-barreled rifles and silencers. “Individuals convicted of Domestic violence cannot possess firearms and will face serious consequences for manufacturing, possessing, or importing these firearms. Privately Made Firearms (PMFs) are commonly referred to as ghost guns and can be difficult to trace. Manufacturing devices to convert firearms to automatic weapons is a tremendous threat to our communities,” stated Kansas City Field Division, Special Agent in Charge, Bernard Hansen. “Identifying and prosecuting persons unlawfully converting and possessing machine guns, as well as unregistered silencers, is a focus of the ATF and persons will face serious consequences for possessing them.” As outlined in the indictment, the Government is seeking forfeiture of Kraus’ nine commercially manufactured firearms, seven silencers and thousands of rounds of ammunition. In addition, Kraus is accused of manufacturing unregistered ghost guns with a 3D-printer and if convicted must forfeit 11 privately made firearms including four pistols and seven rifles. “ISP is committed to ensuring those who are prohibited from possessing a firearm don't have guns illegally and we will continue to work with our federal partners to protect the public and combat gun trafficking,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. The Government is also seeking forfeiture of Kraus’ computer, 3D-printer and other firearm manufacturing tools. An indictment is merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury. If convicted, Kraus could face up to 15 years’ imprisonment and/or fines up to $250,000. ATF is leading the investigation with assistance from ISP, HSI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Trippi is prosecuting the case.


title: St. Louis County Man Wounded in Drug-Linked Shootout Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Friday sentenced a man who was shot while dealing drugs to seven years in prison. Jeremiah Hill was selling drugs outside a market in the 12000 block of Bellefontaine Road in St. Louis County on Dec. 10, 2021. During a dispute with two men in a vehicle about the amount of marijuana he sold them Hill pulled out a 9mm pistol and pointed it at the driver. The passenger pulled his own gun and the driver tried to grab his. Hill and the driver were both hit in the exchange of gunfire. ShotSpotter indicated 30 shots had been fired. When police arrived, Hill was lying on the ground, injured, and was taken to the hospital. Police found drugs including marijuana, fentanyl and oxycodone in Hill’s belongings at the scene. Hill, 21, of Bellefontaine Neighbors, Missouri, pleaded guilty in November to one count of possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hoag prosecuted the case.


title: Indiana Man Charged with Impersonating Federal Officials and Making a False Statement

component: USAO - Vermont

body_text: Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on February 22, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Brandon Anderson, 34, of Greenwood, Indiana, with two counts of impersonation of an officer or employee of the United States and one count of making a false statement to a department or agency of the United States. Anderson entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on February 23, 2024 before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Following his arraignment, Anderson remained on pretrial supervision subject to conditions of release. According to court records, Anderson, while wearing a tactical uniform with black body armor and a holstered firearm, impersonated a federal law enforcement official on two occasions. Anderson was not in fact a federal law enforcement official during either occasion, but instead was a privately contracted security guard for a federal agency. In addition, investigation of Anderson revealed that, in becoming a security guard for the federal agency, he falsely stated that he had served in the United States Marines and received an honorable discharge, when in fact he had not served in the Marines at all. The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Anderson is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Anderson faces up to five years of imprisonment if convicted of false statement and up to three years of imprisonment if convicted of false personation. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors. United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Burlington Police Department. The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Gilman. Anderson is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Sara Puls.


title: Michigan Man Charged with Interstate Sexual Exploitation of Children

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: ERIE, Pa. – A resident of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on federal charges relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. The three-count Indictment named Matthew James Chantelois, 45, as the sole defendant. According to the Indictment presented to the Court, from in and around October 2023 to in and around January 2024, Chantelois used, persuaded, induced, and enticed a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct. The Indictment also charges Chantelois with possessing and transporting child sexual abuse material in interstate commerce. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 15 years and up to 60 years in prison, a fine of up to $750,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania State Police, New York State Police, and Dearborn Heights Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to 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 . An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Offenses

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A registered sex offender was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) via multiple groups on a messaging app. Angel Figueroa, 51, of Fall River, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution to several victims. In October 2023, Figueroa pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Figueroa was identified as an active member of at least four messaging applications where CSAM was being disseminated. A forensic examination of Figueroa’s cell phone revealed approximately 523 images and 72 videos of CSAM depicting children as young as infants. At least one image depicted bondage of a child younger than two years old. Figueroa admitted that he downloaded, saved, and viewed CSAM using apps on his cell phone and had been doing so for one or two years. Figueroa is a registered sex offender based upon a 2013 Massachusetts state court conviction for indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years old. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, in New England; and Fall River Chief of Police Paul Gauvin made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Soto and Meghan C. Cleary of the Major Crimes Unit and J. Mackenzie Duane of the Criminal Division 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Final Corporate Defendant Sentenced In Major Clean Air Act Case

component: USAO - Michigan, Western

body_text: Court Orders $750,000 Fine for Disabling Emissions Controls on Semi-Trucks GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that a company and several individuals have been sentenced for violating the Clean Air Act by engaging in an aftermarket scheme to disable the emissions control systems of semi-trucks. U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Maloney confirmed the felony convictions of corporate defendant Diesel Freak, LLC, of Gaylord, and ordered the business to pay a fine of $750,000 and serve a term of probation. It was the largest fine imposed over the course of the case in which the Court ordered over $1.8 million in fines. Judge Maloney also sentenced the owner of the business, Ryan Lalone, and two employees, Wade Lalone and James Sisson, each to 1-year probation. Today’s hearing concludes sentencing for all 14 defendants charged in the case. In imposing the sentences, Judge Maloney commented on the “systematic violations” of the Clean Air Act that occurred in this case. “Holding corporations responsible for environmental crimes is tremendously important,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten . “This case is one of the largest of its kind ever charged in the United States and today’s sentences send a clear message that polluters who break environmental laws will be held accountable. Environmental rules safeguard the water we drink, the lakes we fish, and the air we breathe. It’s critical that we protect our people and our planet from harmful pollutants.” The company and the individual defendants pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act. Diesel Freak, LLC, is a diesel repair and electronics modification facility headquartered in Gaylord, Michigan. Diesel Freak designs and builds electronic monitoring and modification kits that adjust engine power and fuel efficiency through Wi-Fi connections with trucks on the road. During the conspiracy period, which ran from approximately 2015 through November 2018, when Diesel Freak was searched by the EPA, Diesel Freak conducted remote reprogramming, or tuning, of on-board diagnostic systems (“OBD”), including deletions of environmental controls, allowing diesel engines for large open-road trucks to work cheaper, without environmental restrictions, causing pollution beyond that allowed by law. Mr. Lalone estimated that 70 percent of Diesel Freak’s business was full emissions control deletions. This process is sometimes referred to as a “deletion,” that is, “deleting” the emissions controls from the vehicles. “Deleting” emissions controls from the vehicles can improve performance and fuel economy and save maintenance costs but is unlawful and causes significant environmental harm. Tampering with or removing emissions controls can drastically increase the emissions of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and non-methane hydrocarbons found in vehicle exhaust. Exposure to and inhalation of these chemicals at greater levels is associated with serious health risks. “Exposure to diesel exhaust can lead to serious health conditions, such as asthma and respiratory illness, and contributes greatly to poor air quality -- concerns the defendants in this case ignored in favor of financial profit,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Lisa Matovic of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division (“EPA-CID”). “The sentencings in this case show that EPA and our law enforcement partners will hold accountable individuals who disregard health and environmental laws designed to protect our communities from dangerous air pollution.” The purpose of the Clean Air Act is, among other goals, “to protect and enhance the quality of the Nation’s air resources so as to promote the public health and welfare and the productive capacity of its population.” In passing the Act, Congress found that “the increasing use of motor vehicles[] has resulted in mounting dangers to the public health and welfare.” U.S. Attorney Totten also noted that those with information about other companies and individuals involved in tampering with emissions controls in connection with this investigation can contact EPA-CID at (734) 214-4913. General environmental violations can be reported to EPA through the website https://echo.epa.gov/report-environmental-violations . EPA-CID investigated the matters with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General; and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Investigation Section. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin M. Presant and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Baker and Meagan Johnson prosecuted the cases. ###


title: Salt Lake City Resident Accused of Robbing a Credit Union is Arrested and Charged

component: USAO - Utah

body_text: SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, returned an indictment February 21, 2024, charging a Salt Lake City man for allegedly robbing a credit union in West Valley City, Utah. According to court documents, Joey Shaun Symond, 44, of Salt Lake City, entered Cyprus Credit Union in West Valley City on February 10, 2024, and passed the teller a handwritten note that read, “I got a gun hand over the money or your dead.” The teller complied. Symonds then took the money and left the bank on foot, leaving the note behind. Management at Cyprus Credit Union then called 911 and a West Valley City Police officer responded. That same evening, at 4:18 p.m. Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake received a phone call from a person identifying themselves as a relative of Symonds. The caller reported that Symonds had been at their residence and claimed to have robbed Cyprus Credit Union two hours prior. UPD responded to the area and located Symonds a short distance from the caller’s residence. West Valley City Police also responded and Symonds was identified as the same person in the robbery using a suspect description and surveillance images from inside Cyprus Credit Union. Symonds was taken into custody and a large amount of cash was seized during his arrest. Symonds is charged with credit union robbery. His initial court appearance on the indictment was held on Feb. 23, 2024, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. A two-day jury trial is scheduled for April 26, 2024. U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement. An FBI Task Force Officer with the West Valley City Police Department is investigating the case. Assistant United States Attorney Carlos Esqueda of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: U.S. Attorney's Office Hosts Fourth Community Event as Part of DOJ's United Against Hate Initiative

number: 2024-021_United Against Hate Event

body_text: PHOENIX, Ariz. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona held its fourth United Against Hate event on Wednesday at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. The event provided an opportunity for an informative and robust discussion with leaders from Arizona’s Jewish community. Over 150 invited guests, including community members, local leaders, and law enforcement, were in attendance. The event focused on establishing a dialogue between the community and law enforcement and on increasing community understanding and reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents. “We remain committed to investigating and pursuing charges against those who induce fear and trauma through acts of hate directed at our fellow citizens based on their religious beliefs,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “We are appreciative of the Jewish community and its leaders for convening with us, and thankful most of all for the energetic participation of many students from Arizona State University: they are our next generation of leaders and a critical voice in the community.” Wednesday’s event featured a panel discussion among community leaders, local law enforcement, and the U.S. Attorney. The discussion allowed attendees to hear directly from members of the local Jewish community, who shared their thoughts, concerns, and experiences with hate crimes and hate incidents. This fourth United Against Hate event follows similar meetings between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and leaders of Arizona’s African American, LGBTQ+, and Hispanic communities. The District of Arizona will hold additional United Against Hate events in the coming months to engage with communities across the state. These events will further encourage collaboration, support hate crimes prevention efforts, and encourage more Arizonans to report hate crimes and hate incidents. RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-021_United Against Hate Event # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Chicago Man Convicted on Federal Carjacking and Firearm Charges

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been convicted in federal court of carjacking a vehicle at gunpoint on the city’s West Side and firing a handgun while attempting to carjack another vehicle. The jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago on Tuesday convicted KIAR EVANS, 24, on all four counts against him, including one count of carjacking, one count of attempted carjacking, one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. The convictions are punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a maximum of life. U.S. District Judge Martha M. Pacold has not yet set a sentencing date. The guilty verdicts were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paige A. Nutini and Jimmy L. Arce. According to evidence presented at the week-long trial, the carjacking and attempted carjacking occurred within minutes of each other on the afternoon of May 20, 2021. In the attempted carjacking, Evans approached a Chevrolet Impala near the intersection of Independence Boulevard and Congress Parkway in Chicago and fired shots through a window while attempting to get inside. The driver of the Impala was able to drive away from the scene. Evans then approached the driver-side window of a Nissan Altima, pointed a firearm at the driver and demanded that the driver exit the vehicle. The victim complied and Evans drove off in the Nissan. A short time later, Evans was driving the stolen vehicle when he was involved in a multi-vehicle crash at the intersection of Harrison Street and Ogden Avenue in Chicago. Chicago Police officers arrested Evans and discovered a loaded semi-automatic handgun in his possession. As a previously convicted felon, Evans was not lawfully allowed to possess a firearm.


title: Operation Fraud Street Mafia Results Announced:  Nine Arrested for Drug Trafficking and Committing More Than $550 Million in Attempted Tax Fraud

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: FRESNO, Calif. — As a result of Operation Fraud Street Mafia, a Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) inmate has been charged in two separate federal complaints with drug trafficking and COVID-19 fraud. Seven defendants in California and Maryland are also charged in the two schemes. Making the announcement today are U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert, DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian M. Clark, Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily of the FBI Sacramento Field Office, and IRS Criminal Investigation Oakland Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Mosley. “It is remarkable that a prison inmate coordinated with others on the outside to distribute over 100 pounds of methamphetamine into the community,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “But that apparently was not enough: he also conspired to pursue over half a billion dollars in federal tax credits that were meant to help struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to combatting organized crime whether it is drug trafficking or theft of taxpayer money, and whether it is committed inside or outside of prisons.” “This extensive drug trafficking investigation exposed a massive fraud operation being conducted from behind bars. As a prison inmate engineered a criminal network from coast to coast to peddle poison, law enforcement put their collective authorities together to dismantle this organization brick by brick,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Clark. “Strong law enforcement partnerships built on action are an invaluable tool to ensure prison is no longer a place where violent criminals can operate without consequence.” “I applaud the work of our California COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force and the hard-working prosecutors, agents, and analysts in the Eastern District of California who conducted this investigation,” said Michael C. Galdo, Department of Justice Director of COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement. “The Department will continue to work with our law enforcement partners around the country to uncover these schemes and hold those accountable who attempt to steal from the American people—whether they are hiding overseas or, like the allegations in this investigation, operating conspiracies from behind bars.” “The criminal enterprises we battle today are more sophisticated than ever before,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Remily. “From interstate drug trafficking rings to massive fraud schemes aimed at stealing pandemic relief funds meant for struggling American businesses, the criminal conspiracies we face are complex and ever-changing. Despite these challenges, the dedicated men and women of the FBI and our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners will continue to diligently investigate these criminals. We will use every investigative technique at our disposal to disrupt their activities and bring them to justice.” “Kristopher Thomas and his associates being in federal custody are a result of an incredibly detailed, multi-agency OCEDTF investigation and is a critical milestone in this case,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Mosley. “While incarcerated and with the help of his associates, Thomas is accused of leading a conspiracy to defraud taxpayers of over $550 million by falsely claiming COVID-19 Employee Retention Credits. CI agents specialize in financial investigations and remain on the front lines of fighting fraud.” According to court documents, in August 2022, the DEA began a wiretap investigation into a methamphetamine trafficking operation that was run out of the Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, California, by inmate Kristopher Thomas, 36. Thomas has been incarcerated since December 2010 after being convicted of a gang-related first-degree murder. Thomas is a long-time member of the Main Street Mafia Crips, a street gang located in South Los Angeles. Agents reviewed recorded jail calls placed by Thomas on a prison-issued tablet to numerous romantic partners, family members, and other individuals believed to be involved in drug trafficking. Agents also intercepted Thomas sending and receiving text messages about what appeared to be a tax fraud scheme. The intercepted text messages contained screenshots of tax information for many businesses with tax refund amounts. This triggered the DEA to request assistance from IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI. The drug trafficking and the tax fraud scheme are being prosecuted separately, and Thomas is charged in both cases. The Methamphetamine Trafficking Scheme According to court documents, Thomas was the head of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that was responsible for the shipment of large quantities of methamphetamine to Hawaii, Oklahoma, Alabama, New Jersey, and elsewhere, as well as the smuggling of fentanyl into Kern Valley State Prison. The investigation began after DEA agents identified Thomas as a source of methamphetamine supply in Hawaii. Subsequent recorded negotiations with Thomas resulted in the seizure in Oahu, Hawaii, of more than 90 pounds of methamphetamine. These seizures became the basis for the initiation of the wiretap investigation into multiple contraband cellphones in Thomas’s possession at KVSP. The wiretap investigation revealed that Thomas orchestrated the interstate shipment of more than 54 pounds of methamphetamine to other states, including Oklahoma, Alabama, and New Jersey. Thomas was assisted by other gang associates. In addition, wire intercepts led to the seizure of an additional 40 pounds of methamphetamine, over 14 pounds of fentanyl, 9.5 pounds of heroin, and 8.5 pounds of cocaine. A half a pound of fentanyl was seized after it was smuggled into KVSP at Thomas’s direction. Charged with Thomas in the drug trafficking scheme are Justin Damonte Mitchell, 31, of Los Angeles; Derrick D. Charles, 41, a former inmate at KVSP; Natasha Michelle Bailey, 44, of Bakersfield; Antrell Maeshack Sr., 41, of Santa Clarita; and Marie Joo-Yeon Choi, 29, of Los Angeles. The IRS Employee Retention Credits Scheme According to court documents, from January 2022 through at least July 2023, Thomas led a multi-million-dollar tax refund fraud scheme whereby Thomas and his co-conspirators filed payroll tax returns with the IRS that claimed Employee Retention Credits (ERC) for businesses that were not entitled to receive the credits so that they would receive large tax refunds. Others charged with Thomas in the ERC scheme are Thomas’s mother, Kettisha Thompson-Dozier, 55, and her spouse Charmane Dozier, 44, both of Waldorf, Maryland, and Sharon Vance, 36, of Hawthorne, California. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ERC became available as a refundable federal tax credit for employers as a way to encourage businesses to keep employees on their payrolls. The credit was available to eligible employers that paid wages to some or all employees during the pandemic. IRS records show Thomas and his co-conspirators filed hundreds of payroll tax returns that claimed over $550 million in tax refunds. The payroll tax returns were for fake business entities, actual businesses with overstated wages and numbers of employees, and businesses that were defunct at the time the payroll tax returns were filed. The defendants used the proceeds for improper personal expenditures. For example, in December 2022, Thomas celebrated his birthday by paying for his family members and friends to be driven to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, party for the night at a luxury penthouse, and then fly back to Los Angeles on a private jet. The drug trafficking case is the product of an investigation by the DEA with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case. The ERC tax fraud case is the product of an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton and Jeffrey Spivak are prosecuting the case. The crimes charged today carry the following penalties: (1) conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and distribution of methamphetamine – both of which carry a 10-year mandatory minimum prison term and maximum penalty of life in prison; and (2) conspiracy to defraud the United States by submitting fraudulent ERC claims – which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about OCDETF, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF . 24mj7.crmp_.thomas.fsm_.pdf 24mj6.crcmp_.thomas.pdf


title: Mexican National Sentenced to 25 Years for Leading Meth, Heroin Conspiracy

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for leading a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Panfilo Acuna, Jr., 29, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Thursday, Feb. 22, to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Acuna to forfeit to the government $550,603, which represents the proceeds he received from the drug-trafficking conspiracy. On Oct. 13, 2022, Acuna pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, conspiracy to commit money laundering, 42 counts of money laundering, and one count of international money laundering. Acuna admitted that he was the leader of a drug-trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine and heroin throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area from 2016 until his arrest in 2020. Acuna was the primary source of methamphetamine and heroin distributed to a dozen co-defendants in this case. Acuna also admitted he distributed approximately 250 pounds of methamphetamine and laundered more than $500,000 in drug-trafficking proceeds. Acuna received methamphetamine and heroin from sources in California and Mexico. Acuna coordinated shipments of bulk methamphetamine and heroin from California to his associates in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Acuna utilized different methods to transport drugs from California to Kansas City, including drug couriers, parcel carriers, and commercial delivery services where drugs would be hidden in furniture and other consumer items. The drugs would then be distributed to a network of street-level dealers in this area who then sold the drugs to other dealers and addicts. Acuna conducted 1,046 financial transactions between 2015 and 2020, nearly all of them to individuals in California and Mexico, that were related to his drug trafficking. The aggregate amount of money deposited was $305,109. Other wire transfers were also conducted that totaled $246,494. Additionally, Acuna transferred $20,060 to individuals in Mexico through 22 money transfers as part of the conspiracy. The financial investigation revealed his associates also laundered money through a variety of means. On Oct. 1, 2020, the FBI and the Jackson County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at Acuna’s apartment. Investigators recovered 19 firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, magazines, drug ledgers, 10 grams of heroin, and nearly three kilograms of methamphetamine. Acuna is the ninth defendant to be sentenced in this case. Two co-defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Moeder and Megan A. Baker. It was investigated by the FBI and the Jackson County Drug Task Force. Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .


title: Bristol Man Sentenced on Drug, Firearms Charges

component: USAO - Virginia, Western

body_text: ABINGDON, Va. – A Bristol, Virginia man, who possessed approximately 100 firearms while conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, was sentenced today to 10 years in federal prison. In addition, Stout is forfeiting all of the firearms and ammunition he possessed. Zachary Stout, 26, pled guilty in September 2023 to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of possession with the intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to court documents, on April 19, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence of Robert Hockett in Bristol, Virginia. During that search, law enforcement recovered more than 1,600 grams of nearly pure methamphetamine, 135 grams of heroin, 40 pills of fentanyl, approximately $28,000 in cash, firearms, ammunition, and two cellphones. In addition, investigators learned that Hockett was being supplied methamphetamine from Tyshawn Blackwell and Zachary Stout. On July 27, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Stout’s residence in Bristol, Virginia. During that search, authorities recovered approximately 30 grams of methamphetamine, digital scales, four cell phones, and approximately 100 firearms—many of which were loaded. The firearms included semiautomatic rifles, pistols, and three sawed-off shotguns. Numerous high-capacity magazines and more than 3,300 rounds of ammunition were also seized. In August 2023, Hockett was sentenced to 127 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy. Blackwell is awaiting sentencing in the Eastern District of Tennessee. United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement. The investigation of the case was handled by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Bristol, Virginia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whit D. Pierce is prosecuting the case for the United States.


title: Virginia Beach Man Sentenced to Seven Years for Credit Union Fraud and Counterfeit Currency

component: USAO - Virginia, Eastern

body_text: NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced yesterday to seven years in prison for his role in a fraudulent scheme to defraud Navy Federal Credit Union and for passing counterfeit currency at Wal-Mart stores. According to court documents, between April and July 2018, Malcolm McKinney, 32, engaged in an identity theft scheme to defraud the Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU). McKinney provided stolen identities to a co-conspirator who would use the identities to create accounts at NFCU and apply for wholly fictitious auto loans. Once the loans were approved, other conspirators would collect the loan check, cash it, and distribute the money to members of the conspiracy. In this manner, the conspiracy caused over $300,000 in loss to NFCU. After pleading guilty to his role in the NFCU conspiracy, and while released on bond awaiting sentencing, McKinney embarked on a counterfeit currency spree in the spring of 2023. McKinney passed approximately $25,000 in counterfeit U.S. currency to at least 10 different Wal-Mart stores located in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. McKinney used counterfeit fifty- and twenty-dollar bills to purchase items such as video game consoles, kitchen mixers, sewing machines, and breast pumps. McKinney was identified by Wal-Mart security camera footage and arrested in the Western District of Virginia. Four co-conspirators from this case previously pleaded guilty and received sentences ranging from 45 to 81 months in prison. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-78.


title: Farmington Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced that Willard Haven Dedios pleaded guilty in federal court to sexual abuse of an incapacitated person. Dedios, 60, of Farmington, and an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Tribe, will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. A federal grand jury indicted Dedios on Nov. 9, 2022. In his plea agreement, Dedios admitted that on May 26, 2022, he engaged in a sexual act with Jane Doe while she was unconscious and that he took photos of his acts and Jane Doe’s condition. At sentencing, Dedios faces up to life in prison. The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander F. Flores is prosecuting 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. View the Plea Agreement # # # 24-79


title: U.S. Attorney's Office Hosts Fraud and Abuse Prevention Seminars for Seniors

body_text: BOSTON – This week, the United States Attorney’s Office partnered with the Winchester and Waltham Police Departments to host financial fraud awareness seminars for older adults at the Winchester Senior Community Center and the Waltham Council on Aging. The seminars provided education and awareness to local seniors about financial fraud and featured a number of presentations from seasoned professionals, including Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Deputy U.S. Attorney Mary Murrane; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Elder Justice Coordinator, with assistance from members of the Internal Revenue Service and United States Postal Service. Topics covered included common scams directed at older adults; ways to avoid being victimized; what to do if victimized; and available local, state and federal resources. This week’s events were in support of the Department of Justice’s ongoing commitment to fighting for justice for older adults and stopping elder abuse and financial fraud by actively promoting public awareness. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center 2022 report, victims over 60 experienced an 84% increase in loss from 2021. The total loss reported was over $3 billion, including nearly 5,500 victims who lost over $100,000. Millions of older Americans fall prey to various financial scams, including tech support schemes; romance scams; and sweepstakes scams just to name a few. Perpetrators establish trust through online, phone, or mail communication, as well as indirectly through TV and radio. The financial exploitation of older adults often leads to a diminished quality of life through the potential loss of independence, declined health and psychological or emotional distress caused by the victimization. “Protecting seniors from abuse and exploitation is one of my top priorities. Outreach activities like this are essential to raise awareness and educate communities about potential threats, how to report them, steps people can take to protect themselves from being victimized and available resources,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Levy. “Scams targeting seniors are not just about the money lost – they also rob victims of their dignity and self-confidence. Our office would much rather prevent criminal conduct than prosecute it. Nonetheless we are committed to continue our will strong track record of prosecuting individuals who prey on vulnerable members of our communities.” “Preventing the perpetration of fraud against our elderly community is a top priority of IRS CI,” said Harry Chavis, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Boston. “This week’s seminars mark a key milestone in our efforts to educate the community and provide them with the tools they need to identify fraud schemes before they are victimized. We appreciate the opportunity to partner with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners for this awareness seminar and we will continue that collaboration as we investigate financial fraud schemes that prey on our most vulnerable populations.” “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to protecting one of our nation’s most vulnerable populations, our senior citizens. We know that many elderly Americans are specifically targeted by scammers who aim to steal pensions and life savings through deceptive and manipulative tactics. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service takes every opportunity to conduct public outreach and educate seniors on the various ways they can safeguard themselves from becoming a scammer’s next target. We are proud to partner with our federal and local law enforcement partners on the topic of elder fraud and abuse prevention to continue this important work of protecting American seniors” said Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division. “Protecting our seniors is one of our highest priorities and something we take very seriously. Bringing awareness to these scams is essential to reducing victimization. One way we accomplish this is through partnerships. We are pleased to partner with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and look forward to future collaborations that will enhance the lives and safety of all Waltham residents” said Waltham Police Chief Daniel O’Connell. “Since 2020, the Winchester Police Department has seen a rise in “grandchildren in need” scams, IRS fraud claims, contracting scams and fraudulent “government official” phone scams. It is through educational programs like this, that we can help prevent and protect our vulnerable residents from theft,” said Sergeant Michael DeRosa, Community Resource Officer of the Winchester Police Department. To learn more about common elder fraud schemes and ways to protect yourself, please visit: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-frauds-and-scams/elder-fraud . You can also visit https://www.justice.gov/file/1172351/download to learn more about warning signs of elder abuse and reporting resources in Massachusetts. For more information and resources from the Department of Justice's Elder Justice Initiative, please visit https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice . If you need assistance or to report elder abuse, please contact your local adult protective services agency through the Eldercare Locator or by call the helpline at 1-800-677-1116 Monday – Friday 9am – 8pm EST. To report elder fraud, please visit the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center or contact the dedicated National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833–FRAUD–11 or 833–372–8311 Monday – Friday, 10am – 6pm EST.


title: Denver Man Charged in Five Denver Bank Robberies

component: USAO - Colorado

body_text: DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Samuel Richard Ruthstrom, age 41, has been charged by federal complaint in connection with a series of bank robberies in the city and county of Denver. According to allegations in the criminal complaint, in the month of January 2024, Ruthstrom robbed a series of banks around the city and county of Denver. The Defendant had his initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Kathryn A. Starnella on February 8. The case is being investigated by the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force, and the Denver Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Brian Dunn is handling the prosecution. The charges in the complaint are allegations and the Defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Case Number: 1:24-mj-00025-KAS


title: Federal Jury Convicts Arizona Man of Child Exploitation Crimes

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – After two days of trial, a federal jury convicted Alan J. Disomma Jr., 60, of Payson, Arizona, today of two counts of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of traveling in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual activity Evidence at trial proved that on December 10, 2021, Disomma began messaging a woman located in West Virginia whom he believed to be the mother of two minor girls. Disomma stated in his messages to the individual that he wished to engage in sexual relations with both girls. Disomma also brought up possibly traveling to West Virginia to meet the girls during this online conversation. From December 21, 2021 to December 18, 2022, Disomma exchanged text messages with the woman and continued to express his interest in engaging in sexual relations with both girls. During this text messaging, Disomma asked about flying to West Virginia to visit them and also stated that he had previously engaged in sexual relations with a prepubescent girl and subjected her to bestiality. Disomma also expressed interest in having the woman and the girls move to Arizona to live with him. On December 18, 2022, Disomma flew from Arizona to Charleston, West Virginia, where he planned to meet the individual and travel with her to her residence where he intended to engage in sexual activity with both girls. Upon his arrival in Charleston, Disomma was arrested by law enforcement officers. Disomma faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $750,000 fine when he is sentenced. Disomma must also register as a sex offender. “Over the course of one year, Mr. Disomma repeatedly communicated his desire to engage in sexual relations with two minor girls and then traveled more than 1,800 miles to act on that desire,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “I commend the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) West Virginia Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force and the West Virginia State Police for their investigation of this case, and Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Lesley C. Shamblin and our trial team for prosecuting the case and securing guilty verdicts on all three counts in the indictment.” United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the jury trial. This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-227. ###


title: Longmont Man Charged in Four Denver Area Bank Robberies

body_text: DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Nicholas Alfonso Archuleta, age 40, has been charged in connection with a series of bank robberies in the Denver metro area. Archuleta is charged with four counts of bank robbery. According to allegations in the indictment, during the months of December 2023, and January 2024, Archuleta robbed three banks and attempted to rob a fourth in the cities of Thornton, Denver, Boulder, and Greenwood Village, Colorado. The Defendant had his initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter on February 21. This case is being investigated by the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force, the Thornton Police Department, the Denver Police Department, the Boulder Police Department, and the Greenwood Village Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Brian Dunn is handling the prosecution. The charges in the indictment are allegations and the Defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Case Number: 1:24-cr-00052-CNS


title: Armed Carjacking Added to a 55-Count Superseding Indictment Charging Members of the Violent KDY Drug Crew

body_text: WASHINGTON – A superseding indictment adds 22 new charges – including armed carjacking, armed robberies, and weapons offenses involving machineguns –against the alleged core members of the violent Kennedy Street drug trafficking organization. The superseding indictment also names a 17th co-defendant, Adebayo Adediji Green, 29, of Hyattsville, MD., who was arrested on February 22, 2024. The superseding indictment charges defendants Keion Michael Brown, 20, and Jovan “Chewy” Williams, 19, in a November 17, 2023, spree of armed carjackings and robberies; defendants Tristan Ware and Keion Brown with illegal possession of a machine gun in furtherance of drug trafficking; defendants Khali Brown, Aaron Mercer, Angel Suncar, and David Penn with illegal possession of firearms; defendants Brown, Ware, and David Penn with possession with intent to deliver marijuana; defendants Penn, Aaron Mercer, and Angel Suncar with possession with intent to deliver cocaine; and defendant Adebayo Adediji Green with conspiracy to distribute cocaine base and marijuana, and illegal possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Defendants Warren Fields and Antonio Reginald Bailey previously pleaded guilty. A chart of the remaining defendants and their charges can be found below. According to the original indictment, KDY members operated open-air drug markets in the 100-1200 blocks of Kennedy Street in Northwest, as well as surrounding streets. The organization’s members are charged with conspiring to distribute fentanyl, oxycodone, cocaine base, and marijuana, and using firearms, including fully automatic weapons, to enforce and protect the crew’s territory, including through intimidation and acts of violence. The original indictment further alleges that KDY crew members conspired to establish shell companies to launder their illegal proceeds. During the investigation, law enforcement seized more than 40 firearms (including eight suspected machineguns). The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, the DEA’s Washington Division, ATF’s Washington Field Division, with assistance from FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation Washington, D.C. Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey and Sitara Witanachchi, of the of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by former Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Lynch. KDY DEFENDANTS NAME AGE CHARGES Kenneth Ademola Olugbenga 27 Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute One Hundred Kilograms or More of Marijuana, Four Hundred Grams or More of Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base, and Detectable Oxycodone Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana (2 Counts) Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense (2 Counts) Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Person Convicted of a Crime Punishable by Imprisonment Exceeding One Year (2 Counts) Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering (2 Counts) Khali Ahmed Brown, AKA “Migo Lee” 22 Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 100 Kilograms or More of Marijuana, 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, and Detectable Oxycodone Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Aiding and Abetting (1 Count) Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl (2 Counts) Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana (3 Counts) Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Machinegun and Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense (3 Counts) Unlawful Possession of a Machinegun (2 Counts) Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number (2 Counts) Keion Michael Brown 20 Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base, and Detectable Oxycodone Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense (4 Counts) Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana (2 Counts) Armed Robbery, Aiding and Abetting Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence (2 Counts) Carjacking while Armed and Aiding and Abetting Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Oxycodone Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by an Individual Under Felony Indictment Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Machinegun in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense Miasiah Jamal Brown, AKA “Michael Jamal Crawford” 21 Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 100 Kilograms of Marijuana, 400 Grams of Fentanyl, a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base, and Detectable Oxycodone Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense Tristan Miles Ware, AKA “Greedy” 23 Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 100 Kilograms of Marijuana, 400 Grams of Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana (3 Counts) Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Person Convicted of a Crime Punishable by Imprisonment Exceeding One Year (2 Counts) Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense (2 Counts) Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Machinegun in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense Jovan Williams, AKA “Choo Choo” and “Chewy” 19 Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 100 Kilograms of Marijuana, 400 Grams of Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana (2 Counts) Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Machinegun and Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense (2 Counts) Unlawful Possession of a Machinegun (2 Counts) Unlawful Shipment, Transportation, and/or Receipt of a Firearm and Ammunition to Commit a Felony Offense Armed Robbery and Aiding and Abetting (2 Counts) Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence Carjacking while Armed and Aiding and Abetting Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence Juwan Demetrius Clark, AKA “Squirrel” and “Juan Clark” 23 Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, 40 Grams or Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering (2 Counts) Aaron Deandre Mercer, AKA “Curby,” 27 Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl (2 Counts) Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense David Penn, AKA “Turtle” 30 Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, 40 Grams or Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl (2 Counts) Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana (2 Counts) Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Machinegun in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense (2 Counts) Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense Engaging in the Business of Dealing in Firearms without a License (2 Counts) Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Person Convicted of a Crime Punishable by Imprisonment for a Term Exceeding One Year (2 Counts) Angel Enrique Suncar, AKA Coqui” 29 Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, 40 Grams or Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Person Convicted of a Crime Punishable by a Term Exceeding One Year Carrying and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense Adebayo Adediji Green 29 Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense Defendant Cameron Reid is from Falmouth, VA; and defendant Green is from Hyattsville, MD. The 15 remaining defendants are from Washington, D.C. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Colorado Springs Woman Sentenced to 30 Years for Distributing Fentanyl Which Killed Teenager

body_text: DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Marlene McGuire, 59, of Colorado Springs was sentenced to 30 years in prison for her role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl resulting in the death of a juvenile. McGuire was found guilty by a federal jury in Denver in September of 2023. According to the facts established at trial, on January 30, 2022, McGuire sold four pills which contained fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl to the three juveniles near a fire station in the Security-Widefield area of Colorado Springs. On January 31, 2022, the father and stepmother of one of the juveniles—a 16-year-old boy—discovered the boy deceased in his bedroom in their home. The boy’s parents and paramedics attempted to resuscitate him, but the boy had already died. Police and a deputy coroner found paraphernalia used for smoking fentanyl pills in the boy’s room and near his body, as well as two remaining blue pills in a baggie in his dresser drawer. After an autopsy, the El Paso County Coroner’s Office determined the otherwise healthy boy’s cause of death was acute fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl toxicity. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Western Laboratory tested the two pills found in the boy’s dresser drawer. Both pills contained para-fluorofentanyl, a dangerous chemical analogue of fentanyl. One of the two pills also contained fentanyl, lidocaine, and xylazine. An investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) identified McGuire and a co-defendant as the individuals who sold the blue pills that killed the boy. The investigation also revealed that they had been engaged in a conspiracy to sell various controlled substances—including methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and blue pills—since at least May 2020. On February 21, 2022, the FBI and CSPD executed a federal search warrant at McGuire’s long-time residence in Colorado Springs. In addition to finding both McGuire and a co-defendant in the residence, law enforcement officers located and seized methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and a blue pill which contained fentanyl. “Fentanyl again has ended the life of someone far too soon, and it is infuriating that an adult contributed so strongly to a young person’s untimely death,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. “We are grateful to our agency partners for their perseverance in getting this drug off the street.” “Sadly, communities continue to grapple with the effects of fentanyl sales and deaths. Law enforcement alone can’t solve the latest drug crisis, but the FBI will continue to work with partners like the Colorado Springs Police Department to target the worst offenders and hold them accountable,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek. “This sentence should send a strong message to those who choose to sell fentanyl.” “I am saddened by the tragic loss of a young member of our community to the fentanyl epidemic,” said Colorado Springs Police Department Chief Adrian Vasquez. “Fentanyl is having deadly consequences here in Colorado Springs. This case underscores the effectiveness of our collaborative efforts with our federal partners, including the FBI, and demonstrates our unwavering commitment to holding accountable those in our community who prey on others. This sentence also highlights the reason CSPD continues to advocate for stricter state laws that could be used to increase accountability for these crimes.” United States District Court Judge Regina M. Rodriguez sentenced the defendant on February 22, 2024. After serving her custodial sentence, the defendant will have six years of supervised release. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Colorado Springs Police Department conducted the investigation. The prosecution as handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Peter McNeilly and Alyssa Mance. CASE NUMBER: 1:22-cr-00080-RMR


title: February Federal Grand Jury 2023-B Indictments Announced

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Northern

body_text: United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the February Federal Grand Jury 2023-B Indictments. The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence. Cesar Arvizo. Drug Conspiracy; Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Arvizo, 44, of Burlington, Colorado, is charged with conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine in Feb. 2024. He is further charged with knowingly possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and Texas Department of Public Safety are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Bailey is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-059 Marco Dionte Atkins. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. Atkins, 19, of Tulsa, a Muscogee (Creek) Nation member, is charged with intentionally assaulting the victim with a dangerous weapon in Nov. 2023. He is further charged with knowingly carrying and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Dowdell is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-051 Jason Nathaniel Daugherty. Involuntary Manslaughter in Indian Country. Daugherty, 38, of Broken Arrow, a Cherokee Nation member, is charged with involuntary manslaughter after driving left of center line under the influence of alcohol, killing Sherrie Tucker in Mar. 2023. The Tulsa Police Department is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Brandon is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-052 Juan Adolfo De Lira-Davila. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Lira-Davila, 31, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed in Oct. 2015, at or near Del Rio, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ammon Brisolara is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-061 Christopher Glenn Drake. Drug Conspiracy; Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; Felon in Possession of a Firearm; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises. Drake, 43, of Tulsa, is charged with conspiring to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine in Jan 2024. He allegedly possessed fentanyl and methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Drake possessed a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, knowing he was previously convicted of a felony in Wagoner County. He is further charged with maintaining a residence for distributing drugs. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Bailey is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-058 Sarah Elizabeth Neighbors; Roselinde Faith Serna; Kylie Raeanne Clarkson. Drug Conspiracy (Counts 1 and 2); Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute (Count 3); Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute (Count 4); Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises (Count 5). Neighbors, 33, of Choteau, Serna, 29 and Clarkson, 35, of Tulsa, are charged with conspiring to distribute and knowingly possessing more than 400 grams of fentanyl with intent to distribute in Jan. 2024. Neighbors is further charged with intentionally possessing more than 500 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and maintaining a residence for distribution of drugs in Jan. 2024. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Bailey is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-054 Jorge Luis Peres Ambriz. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Perez Ambriz, 32, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed in Sep. 2018, at or near El Paso, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ammon Brisolara is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-060 Greg Allen Reddout. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country. Reddout, 44, of Tulsa, a Cherokee Nation member, is charged with intentionally assaulting the victim with a dangerous weapon in Feb. 2024. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Valeria Luster is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-055 Luis Gerardo Trejo-Zambrano; Luis Antonio Soria; Bryan Ulysses Martinez; Darmel Dashun Batemon Jr.; Marcos Zamrano-Rivera Jr.; Kalob Nathaniel Burton; Christopher Yahir Martinez. Conspiracy and Attempt to Traffick Firearms (Counts 1 and 3); Kidnapping (Count 2); Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition (Counts 4, 9 and 10); Possession of an Unregistered Silencer (Count 5); Receipt of a Firearm While Under Indictment for a Felony (Count 6); Transporting Firearms in Interstate Commerce While Under Indictment (Counts 7 and 8) (superseding). Trejo-Zambrano, 22, of Watts, Soria, 21, of Siloam Springs, AR, Bryan Martinez, 18, of Springdale, AR, are charged with conspiring to dispose of one or more firearms on Sep. 10, 2023. Trejo-Zambrano, Soria, Bryan Martinez, and Zamarbrano-Rivera, 22, of Springdale, AR, knowingly kidnapped someone on Sep. 10, 2023. Trejo-Zambrano, Batemon, 21, of North Little Rock, AR, Burton, 23, Maumelle, AR, and Christopher Martinez, 20, of Little Rock, AR, allegedly conspired to dispose of one or more firearms between Sep. 15 and Sep. 16, 2023. Trejo-Zambrano purportedly possessed an unregistered silencer and willfully received a firearm knowing he was under indictment. Soria and Batemon are also charged with transporting firearms while under indictment. Trejo-Zambrano, Zambrano-Rivera, and Burton are further charged with possessing a firearm after being convicted of one or more felonies in various states. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elmore and John Brasher are prosecuting the case. 24-CR-045 Morgan Cole Womack. Drug Conspiracy; Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Womack, 40, of Tulsa, is charged with conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. He is further charged with intentionally possessing methamphetamine for distribution. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Bailey is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-057


title: Hartford Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking Charge

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAHQUAN BLACKWIN, also known as “Mula,” 27, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to a fentanyl trafficking offense. According to court documents and statements made in court, in June 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force began investigating Blackwin and others for distributing fentanyl and cocaine in the Hartford area. In July and August 2022, investigators made four controlled purchases of fentanyl from Blackwin. Blackwin was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on August 17, 2022. On that date, a search of Blackwin’s Judson Street apartment revealed approximately 750 grams of fentanyl, 500 grams of cocaine, 32 grams of crack cocaine, 700 grams of psilocybin, and five kilograms of marijuana. Investigators also found and seized two loaded Polymer 80 handguns (“ghost guns”), one of which was fitted with a high-capacity magazine, and a loaded Glock 43X handgun. Blackwin pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years. Judge Dooley schedule sentencing for June 6. Blackwin has been detained since his arrest. The DEA Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Keefe.


title: Boynton Beach man found guilty of threatening a member of Congress

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – On Feb. 22, following a two-day trial, a federal jury in Ft. Lauderdale convicted a man for calling the office of a Congress member in Washington, D.C. and threatening to kill the member of Congress and another. On Jan. 29, 2023, Frank Stanzione, 53, of Boynton Beach, Florida, made a telephone call from his residence in Boynton Beach to the office of a member of the United States House of Representatives. Stanzione left a voice message for the member that stated the following: [Victim 1] you fat f------ piece of s--- f-----. You better watch your mother f------ back because I’m gonna bash your mother f------ f----- head in with a bat until your brains are splattered across the f------ wall. You lying, disgusting, disgraceful, mother f------ f-----. You mother f------ piece of s---. You’re gonna get f------ murdered you goddamn lying piece of garbage. Watch your back you fat, ugly, piece of s---. You and [Victim 2] are dead. The Congress member’s chief of staff reported the message to the United States Capitol Police (USCP) the next morning. The USCP began investigating the voice message as a threat and determined that it was made from a telephone number assigned to Stanzione. On Jan. 31, 2023, USCP special agents went to the address associated with the telephone number and interviewed Stanzione. USCP confirmed that Stanzione had left the voice message for the Congress member. Stanzione found the telephone number on an online search engine. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Chief J. Thomas Manger of USCP announced the guilty verdict. USCP – Threat Assessment Section investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Dispoto and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Wheeler are prosecuting it. 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-80064. ###