title: Long Island Bloods Gang Member Sentenced to Life Plus Twenty Two Years in Prison for Racketeering, Murder, Sex Trafficking, and Other Crimes

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, United States District Judge Joanna Seybert sentenced Bloods gang member Lawrence Lewis, also known as “L Boogs,” to life plus 22 years imprisonment following his conviction for the July 29, 2017 murder of John Birt, the 2014 forcible rape and sex trafficking of a Suffolk County woman, narcotics possession and distribution and witness tampering, as well as various firearms charges. Lewis was convicted by a federal jury in November 2021 following a four-week trial. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Raymond A. Tierney, Suffolk County District Attorney, Christie M. Curtis, Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Ivan J. Arvelo, Special Agent-in-Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), and Rodney K. Harrison, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the sentence. “A mandatory life sentence is a fitting punishment for Lewis, a gang member who committed murder, rape, sex trafficking, and pushed drugs in our community,” stated Unites States Attorney Peace. “Through his allegiance to the Bloods, the defendant caused considerable harm to others, and that decision has now permanently cost him his freedom. I commend our prosecutors, and federal and local law enforcement partners for their collaborative work that has made Suffolk County safer as a result of the arrest and prosecution of this violent criminal.” "The terror and violence this defendant unleashed on to Suffolk County is deplorable. Defendant Lewis's greed and thirst for power prompted him to commit murder, spread dangerous drugs throughout our communities and exploit those who owed him money by sex trafficking," stated Suffolk County District Attorney Tierney. "Thanks to our strong partnership with U.S. Attorney Breon Peace and our local and federal law enforcement partners, the public will be protected from this defendant for life." “Today’s life sentence assures that Lawrence Lewis’ violent criminal behavior that plagued Long Island communities has been brought to a definitive conclusion,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo. “While nothing can erase the pain and suffering endured by his victims, no one else will be harmed by this unrepentant individual who has shown a wanton disregard for human life. I am especially grateful to the HSI special agents and task force officers, the FBI, SCPD, and the prosecutorial team whose dedication and professionalism ensured that justice prevailed in this case. “Lewis is a career criminal, who committed heinous acts without remorse, and caused irreparable damage to victims and their families," Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison said. "The Suffolk County Police Department will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure perpetrators like Lewis never see freedom again and I commend Eastern District of New York for this result.” Between January April 2004 and June 2019, Lewis utilized his membership in the Bloods street gang to distribute large quantities of cocaine base and heroin in Suffolk County. In order to protect his supply of narcotics, and secure his ability to distribute his narcotics, Lewis possessed a number of firearms, including an AR-15 assault rifle, a pistol-grip 12-gauge shotgun, a Mossberg .22 caliber rifle and a Ruger .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol. Lewis also engaged in acts of extreme violence on the gang’s behalf. In 2021, Lewis forced a Suffolk County woman into prostitution, forcing her to engage in commercial sex acts until she repaid a debt to him. During the same period of time, Lewis forcibly raped the same woman. In addition, on July 29, 2017, Lewis shot and killed John Birt, a member of the Crips gang, at the Illusions Gentlemen’s Club in Deer Park, New York. While Birt and several friends posed for pictures inside the club. Lewis and a fellow Bloods gang member approached, and Lewis’ associate attempted to display a Bloods hand signal. An argument ensued. Lewis produced a .25 caliber firearm and fatally shot Birt in the abdomen. Following the shooting, Lewis confessed to the murder to a number of close acquaintances, even sending text messages stating that he was “sleeping good” and would “do it again.” In the lead-up to his federal trial, Lewis and others acting on his behalf, made efforts to prevent several witnesses from testifying against him through the use of veiled and implicit threats of violence. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher C. Caffarone, Mark E. Misorek, Anthony Bagnuola and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kathleen A. Kearon are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Samantha Schroder. The Defendant LAWRENCE LEWIS (also known as “L Boogs”) Age: 41 Residence: Calverton, New York E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-CR-187 (S-1) (JS)


title: Orlando Man Sentenced To Federal Prison For Mail Fraud And Aggravated Identity Theft

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Orlando, FL – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza today sentenced Okechukwu Iwuji (38, Orlando) to three years and six months in federal prison for mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. The court also ordered Iwuji to pay $55,149 in restitution, which represents the loss amount. Iwuji had pleaded guilty on April 19, 2023. According to court documents, Iwuji acquired Personal Identifiable Information (PII) from the dark web and then accessed the Arizona Department of Economic Security/Unemployment Insurance Program’s (AZ-UI) website to create fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits on behalf of unsuspecting victims. As a part of his scheme, Iwuji used the PII to gain access to existing beneficiary accounts, changing the mailing address for where the benefits would be delivered. Some of the fraudulent benefits were sent to a post office box in Orlando that had been established as a part of the scheme. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ranganath Manthripragada.


title: Gresham Man Caught Transporting Methamphetamine to Central Oregon Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison

component: USAO - Oregon

body_text: EUGENE, Ore.—A Gresham, Oregon man with a lengthy criminal history was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Wednesday after he was arrested transporting methamphetamine in Deschutes County. Dennis Richard DeChenne Jr., 39, was sentenced to 130 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release. According to court documents, in April 2020, the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team began investigating DeChenne after learning he was involved in transporting large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin from the Portland area to Central Oregon for resale. Investigators determined that DeChenne, after transporting the drugs, would stay in a Bend, Oregon hotel for several days at a time and use local runners to sell the drugs. Near midnight on August 19, 2020, CODE team members located DeChenne at a casino in southern Oregon. He was arrested the next day by Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office deputies. The deputies located two pounds of methamphetamine and a loaded pistol in DeChenne’s vehicle. On July 28, 2021, DeChenne was charged by criminal information with possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine. On April 7, 2023, he pleaded guilty to the single charge. This case was investigated by CODE and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). It was prosecuted by Jeffrey S. Sweet, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. The CODE team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. CODE includes members of the Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Madras, Sunriver, and Black Butte Police Departments; the Warm Springs Tribal Police Department; the Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson County Sheriff and District Attorney’s Offices; the Oregon State Police; the Oregon National Guard; DEA; and the FBI.


title: Allianz Global Investors U.S. Sentenced In Connection With Multibillion-Dollar Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Allianz Global Investors U.S. LLC (“AGI”) was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon for a multi-year securities fraud involving a series of private investment funds managed by AGI. Those funds ultimately collapsed, leading to billions of dollars of investor losses. AGI previously pled guilty to one count of securities fraud. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Telling the truth to investors is the core duty of an investment adviser. AGI violated that central tenet and deceived investors by materially understating the risk to which their assets were exposed. This Office and our law enforcement partners will be relentless in protecting investors, and this sentence should send a message to the industry: companies will be held responsible when they fail to implement safeguards and ensure that they uphold their duties to investors.” According to court filings and statements made in court proceedings: From at least in or about 2014 up through and including at least in or about March 2020, AGI, an investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), headquartered in New York City, and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Allianz SE – one of the world’s largest financial services companies and one of the world’s largest insurance companies – engaged in a scheme to defraud investors in multiple private funds within AGI’s “Structured Alpha Funds.” The Structured Alpha Funds (the “Funds”) were among the most profitable groups of funds AGI managed and, at their height, held over $11 billion in assets under management. The Funds employed a complex options trading strategy that sought to provide investors with guaranteed returns, while managing risk. AGI deceived the Funds and their investors by understating the risk to which investors’ assets were exposed, and therefore how the returns they touted were actually generated. In particular, in order to generate the Funds’ positive returns and attract and retain capital, AGI fraudulently misled investors regarding the risk taken on by the funds. Among other things, AGI misrepresented the hedging and other risk-mitigation strategies that were undertaken to protect investor funds. Investors also received documents altered to hide the riskiness of the Funds’ investments. Instead of managing the Funds as promised to investors, AGI deployed an investment strategy that prioritized returns over risk management in ways that were fundamentally inconsistent with representations made to investors. As a result of this scheme to defraud, investors’ funds were exposed to higher risk than promised, and investors were deprived of information about the true risks to which their investments were exposed. After the market dislocations following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (the “COVID Crash”) in March 2020, the Funds lost in excess of $8 billion in market value and $3 billion in principal, faced margin calls and redemption requests, and ultimately were shut down. More than 100 investors were victims of this scheme, including, among others, pension funds for teachers, religious organizations, bus drivers, engineers, and other individuals, universities, and charitable organizations. * * * AGI was sentenced to financial penalties comprised of over $463 million in forfeiture, over $3.23 billion in restitution, and over $2.33 billion in fines. These amounts include restitution to the victims, the forfeiture of proceeds traceable to the fraud, and the forfeiture by AGI’s corporate parent of the dividends that were paid from AGI to its corporate parent that are traceable to the fraud. AGI has paid these financial penalties in full and has compensated victims of the conduct through settlements in civil litigation filed against AGI in an aggregate amount of over $5 billion. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Mr. Williams further thanked the SEC, which is pursuing parallel civil actions. This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Folly, Margaret Graham, and Allison Nichols are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Alaska Military Servicemember indicted for allegedly molesting teens on flights through Seattle

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Seattle – A 41-year-old Chief Warrant Officer in the Army, currently stationed in Alaska, was indicted last week for two counts of abusive sexual contact while on board an aircraft, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. James Benecke was taken into custody at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson outside of Anchorage, Alaska and will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Alaska today at 2:00 PM (Alaska Time – 3:00 Pacific Time). He will be scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Seattle later this month. According to the indictment, on April 12, 2023, on an Alaska Airlines flight from Anchorage to Seattle, Benecke allegedly intentionally touched the buttocks of a 16-year-old teen who was seated next to him. The indictment charges that the contact was intentional for his sexual arousal. Two months later, on June 12, 2023, on an Alaska Airlines flight from Dallas to Seattle, Benecke allegedly touched the buttocks and inner thigh of the 18-year-old woman who was seated next to him. In this instance, the contact was reported to the flight crew by the teen and her boyfriend and Benecke was moved to a seat at the rear of the plane. He was interviewed by law enforcement upon arrival in Seattle. Due to the heavy travel schedule of the defendant, the investigation is ongoing and law enforcement is interested in speaking with anyone who may have been seated near to Benecke on an aircraft. Those with information should call: 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) Abusive Sexual Contact is punishable by up to two years in prison. The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The case is being investigated by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jocelyn Cooney.


title: Cuban nationals sentenced in relation to sex trafficking in area strip clubs

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – Three Cuban nationals have been ordered to prison for sex trafficking and related crimes. Rasiel Gutierrez Moreno, 38, Hendry Jimenez Milanes, 39, and Rafael Mendoza Labrada, 29, were sentenced to 210, 120 and 34 months in federal prison, respectively. Moreno was ordered to pay $451,298 in restitution, while Milanes was ordered to pay $359,108. Gutierrez Moreno pleaded guilty to sex trafficking and interstate travel in aid of racketeering Oct. 28, 2021. As part of his plea agreement, he admitted to bringing women from Cuba to the United States and charging them inflated smuggling debts as high as $30,000. Gutierrez Moreno forced the women to work in Houston-area strip clubs, such as Michaels’ International, where they danced and engaged in commercial sex acts with club patrons. They then had to provide all the proceeds to Gutierrez Moreno to pay down their debt. Gutierrez Moreno further acknowledged smuggling and extracting a debt from approximately 20 other women in this manner. Gutierrez Moreno admitted that to keep a specific victim under his control while she worked for him, he bragged about his acts of violence against other women and their families. On one occasion, Gutierrez Moreno beat another woman shortly before the other victim arrived at his home and ensured she observed that woman’s injuries. When the first victim escaped Gutierrez Moreno, he contacted her family in both Miami and Cuba to demand she return to work and finish paying her debt to him. Jimenez Milanes pleaded guilty Jan. 10, 2022, to coercion and enticement, while Mendoza Labrada pleaded guilty April 30, 2021, to interstate travel in aid of racketeering. “These defendants cruelly used violence, threats of violence, and false debts to force vulnerable victims to engage in commercial sex,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This kind of sex trafficking scheme is unlawful, dehumanizing and terrorizing to the women unable to break free. The Justice Department is committed to the vigorous prosecution of those who prey upon, abuse, and exploit others for their own financial benefit.” “These human smugglers terrorized female migrants, using Houston’s strip clubs combined with psychological threats and sexual violence for their personal financial gain,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. “The victims came to the United States in search of a new life, were especially vulnerable, and the defendants took advantage of that. The sentences imposed today send a strong message that the Southern District of Texas will not tolerate those who smuggle, threaten and abuse the vulnerable.” “The court’s sentence today sends a strong message: The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is committed to making sure that those who commit sex trafficking face consequences for their criminal actions,” said Special Agent in Charge John Keith of the Department of State's DSS - Houston Field Office. “DSS’ strong relationship with the Department of Justice and other law enforcement agencies around the world continues to be essential in the pursuit of justice.” DSS conducted the investigation as part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA), with the assistance of the Homeland Security Investigations of Miami, Florida, and the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division. Established in 2004, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston formed HTRA to combine resources with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those survivors who the traffickers victimized. Since its inception, HTRA has been recognized as both a national and international model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Zack for the Southern District of Texas and Trial Attorney Kate Hill of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit prosecuted the case.


title: Barrio Azteca Gang Member Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Holding Migrants Hostage

component: USAO - New Mexico

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Francisco B. Burrola, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso, announced today that Alfredo Ochoa-Munoz was sentenced to 120 months years in prison. Ochoa-Munoz, 37, of Cuidad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, pled guilty to conspiracy to take a hostage and three counts of hostage taking on Jan. 10, 2023. According to court records, between Feb. 5 and Feb. 17 of 2022, three migrants were picked up after crossing illegally into the United States and dropped off at two trailers in Vado, New Mexico that were rented by Ricardo Barrientos-Noriega. En route, the driver took the migrants’ phones and transferred them to Ochoa-Munoz when they arrived at the trailers. Ochoa-Munoz, Barrientos-Noriega, and a third co-defendant, Luis Roberto Arturo Meza-Marin, informed the migrants that they were not allowed to leave the trailers until their families paid more money for their release. Ochoa-Munoz, at the order and direction of Barrio Azteca gang member, Eduardo Sarellano-Garcia, a.k.a. “Padrino,” contacted the migrants’ families and demanded payment for their release. The migrants were threatened with death, injury and continued detainment until such payments were received. On Feb. 17, after Ochoa-Munoz and his co-defendants received full payments from the migrants’ families, the migrants were picked up by Michael Ryan Ratliff and told that they would be driven to their next destination. En route, the group encountered Border Patrol agents at the I-10 checkpoint located between Las Cruces and Deming, New Mexico. Based on their knowledge and experience, agents detained the group for questioning at which time the migrants admitted to being in the United States illegally and had been held against their will at the location at which they were harbored. Ratliff was arrested at the checkpoint. During subsequent interviews, the three migrants were able to provide agents with the location of the trailers they had been held in. Agents went to the trailers where they encountered and arrested Ochoa-Munoz, Meza-Marin and Barrientos-Noriega. Ochoa-Munoz, Sarellano-Garcia, Meza-Marin, Barrientos-Noriega and Ratliff, were indicted by a federal grand jury on May 19, 2022. Meza-Marin, 33, of Chihuahua, Mexico, pled guilty to conspiracy to take a hostage and three counts of hostage taking on June 16, 2022, and will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. Barrientos-Noriega, 24, of Torreon, Mexico, pled guilty to conspiracy to take a hostage and three counts of hostage taking on Sept. 29, 2022, and will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. Ratliff, 33, of Corinth, Texas, pled guilty to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and three counts of transporting illegal aliens on June 9, 2022, and was sentenced to 12 months in prison or time served, whichever was longer, and three years of supervised probation. Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case with assistance from U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Ramirez is prosecuting the case. # # # 23-147


title: Two Bronx Men Sentenced To Prison For Throwing Molotov Cocktails At Neighbors’ Cars And Houses

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that NAYEEM AHMED CHOWDHURY and DAVID MENDEZ were sentenced by U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan to six years and 27 months in prison, respectively, in connection with using glass bottles with ignitable liquid and lit wicks, commonly known as “Molotov cocktails,” in an attempt to set a car and an apartment building on fire in the Bronx, New York. CHOWDHURY previously pled guilty to possession of unregistered Molotov cocktails and was sentenced on June 15, 2023. MENDEZ previously pled guilty to conspiracy to possess unregistered Molotov cocktails and was sentenced today. According to the allegations contained in the Complaint and court filings: Just after 2:00 a.m. on June 8, 2022, after circling the block for at least an hour, CHOWDHURY and MENDEZ approached a vehicle that was parked in the front yard of an apartment building in the defendants’ neighborhood in the Bronx, New York. CHOWDHURY lit a Molotov cocktail and placed it underneath the vehicle as MENDEZ looked on. The defendants drove off to let the fire burn. Approximately 30 minutes later, CHOWDHURY and MENDEZ returned to the vehicle. MENDEZ lit a second Molotov cocktail and placed it under the vehicle as CHOWDHURY looked on. Approximately 30 minutes after the defendants drove away from the vehicle the second time, the owner of the vehicle observed the fire and, together with other individuals from the neighborhood, threw buckets of water on and around the vehicle to put out the flames. Photographs of the June 2022 incident are below, with the defendants circled in green and the victims’ buckets of water circled in red: Around 7:00 a.m. on July 24, 2022, CHOWDHURY approached another residence in his neighborhood, lit a third Molotov cocktail, and hurled it at the residence. The Molotov cocktail hit a window and fell onto the front porch, where it burst into flames. The family that was sleeping inside the residence, including a husband, his pregnant wife, and their toddler, woke up from the loud crash against the window and immediately poured buckets of water onto the Molotov cocktail to put out the flames. Photographs of CHOWDHURY throwing the third Molotov cocktail at the residence in July 2022 are below: * * * In addition to their prison terms, CHOWDHURY, 36, and MENDEZ, 40, both of the Bronx, New York, were sentenced to three years of supervised release. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Fire Department, the New York City Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda C. Weingarten is in charge of the prosecution.


title: Former Georgia Used Motor Vehicle Dealer Pleads Guilty to  Conspiracy to Commit Securities Fraud  in Connection with Odometer Tampering Scheme

component: Civil Division

body_text: A Georgia man pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for his role in falsifying vehicle titles as part of a scheme to roll back odometers on used motor vehicles. According to court documents between 2011 and 2013, Andrew O. Elphic, 52, of Monroe, engaged in a scheme to sell high-mileage and used vehicles with false and low-mileage readings entered on the vehicles’ odometers and titles. Elphic purchased high-mileage vehicles from auctions outside the State of Georgia, altered or arranged to alter the vehicles’ odometers to reflect false and lower mileage readings, and then altered the vehicles’ titles to reflect false lower mileages for the vehicles. He then submitted the altered titles to co-conspirators employed at a Georgia Motor Vehicle Division office and made cash payments to the employees in order to obtain new motor vehicle titles reflecting the false and lower mileages. Elphic then used the fraudulent titles with the lower odometer readings to sell the vehicles at an automobile auction in Atlanta. By deceiving purchasers into believing the vehicles had fewer miles, Elphic was able to sell the vehicles at inflated prices — thereby causing unsuspecting buyers to pay more for vehicles than they would have paid had the buyers known the true mileages. Elphic’s scheme misrepresented the mileage to the Georgia Motor Vehicle Division on at least 305 vehicles, resulting in consumer losses of more than $550,000. Consumers who ultimately purchased the vehicles at dealerships did not know of the mileage discrepancies and, as a result, paid inflated sales prices. “The Department of Justice will continue to work with law enforcement partners to prosecute unscrupulous individuals who deceive consumers purchasing used motor vehicles,” said Principal Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Misrepresenting used car mileages defrauds buyers and conceals significant information about the safety and reliability of these vehicles.” “Our top priority is safety, and odometer fraud schemes not only scam consumers, but keep unsafe vehicles on our roads,” said Acting Administrator Ann Carlson of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). “By actively prosecuting these crimes, we send a strong message that odometer scams, which affect the livelihood of Americans across this country, will not go unpunished. I thank our partners at the Department of Justice for working with us to deter odometer fraud.” Elphic pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 24, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The NHTSA Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation investigated the case, with assistance from the Georgia Department of Revenue. Senior Litigation Counsel Linda I. Marks and Trial Attorney Kathryn Schmidt of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Krepp for the Northern District of Georgia prosecuted the case. NHTSA estimates that odometer fraud in the United States results in consumer losses of more than $1 billion annually. Individuals with information relating to odometer tampering should call NHTSA’s odometer fraud hotline at (800) 424-9393 or (202) 366-4761. More information on odometer fraud is available on the NHTSA website at www.nhtsa.gov/odometer-fraud , and tips on detecting and avoiding odometer fraud are available at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/811284.pdf . For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch . For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, visit www.justice.gov/usao-ndga .


title: South Bend Man Sentenced to 144 months in Prison

component: USAO - Indiana, Northern

body_text: SOUTH BEND – Kevin Roell, 40 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Robert L. Miller, Jr. on his plea of guilty to attempted sex trafficking of a minor, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson. Roell was sentenced to 144 months in prison followed by 8 years of supervised release. According to documents in the case, in August 2022, Roell communicated over the internet with a person he agreed to pay to facilitate him having sex with a 15-year-old girl. Roell used Bitcoin to pay a deposit, and then arrived at a hotel in South Bend with roses, jewelry, and cash planning to have sex with the 15-year-old. He was then arrested. This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of the Indiana State Police and Collin County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John M. Maciejczyk. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov . ###


title: Justice Department Challenges Racially Discriminatory Provisions of  New Mississippi Law Targeting Hinds County

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: The Justice Department filed a complaint today challenging portions of Mississippi House Bill 1020 (H.B. 1020), which mandates the appointment of special judges and prosecutors by Mississippi state officials in majority-Black Hinds County, which includes the City of Jackson. The complaint alleges that these provisions discriminate on the basis of race in violation of the U.S. Constitution by shifting authority over the county’s criminal justice system away from democratically-elected judges and prosecutors elected by Black voters. “Mississippi state lawmakers have adopted a crude scheme that singles out and discriminates against Black residents in the City of Jackson and Hinds County,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our complaint alleges that Mississippi has violated the U.S. Constitution by creating a new, two-tiered system of justice – which erodes the authority of Black elected local officials and creates a new system to be led by judges and prosecutors hand-picked and appointed by state officials. This thinly-veiled state takeover is intended to strip power, voice and resources away from Hinds County’s predominantly-Black electorate, singling out the majority Black Hinds County for adverse treatment imposed on no other voters in the State of Mississippi. The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice remains committed to identifying and challenging all acts of discrimination targeting Black communities.” “One of the hallmarks of justice and the United States Constitution is equal protection under the law,” said U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca for the Southern District of Mississippi. “We want to ensure that the citizens of Hinds County and Jackson, Mississippi, are treated equally in the support and operation of their criminal justice system.” Hinds County, which has a total Black population of 70%, includes the City of Jackson, which has a total Black population of over 79.5%. Voters elect Black officials to most positions in the city and county, including those affecting the criminal justice system. Hinds County voters elected four Black circuit court judges to its four elected circuit judge positions in 2018. With H.B. 1020, the state legislature singles out and radically changes Hinds County’s democratic approach to governance over its criminal justice system. The bill calls for the creation of a new court system for part of Jackson, called the Capitol Complex Improvement District Court, which will be served by a new state-appointed judge and new state-appointed prosecutors. H.B. 1020 also mandates appointment of four new special circuit judges by the Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court to serve alongside those judges elected to the Hinds County Circuit Court. The United States’ complaint contends that these provisions were adopted with a discriminatory purpose in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The complaint alleges that the state law discriminates against Hinds County’s Black residents by adding new officials who are not democratically accountable to local voters, including new state-appointed special circuit judges and a new justice system led by a judge and prosecutors who are appointed by state officials. These new appointments, which significantly change the form of government in Hinds County and the dynamic of power over the local criminal justice system, are intended to primarily benefit white residents in Jackson and to treat Black voters in Hinds County differently than white voters everywhere else in the state. The complaint alleges that H.B. 1020 was enacted on the heels of decades of failure by the Mississippi Legislature to provide Hinds County’s criminal justice system with the resources, funding, and personnel that it needs, making it harder for local police, prosecutors, judges, and other officials to do their work effectively and efficiently. The complaint asks the court to prohibit the appointment of the new judges and prosecutors by states officials and provide other necessary relief. Complaints about discriminatory practices may be reported to the Civil Rights Division through its internet reporting portal at www.civilrights.justice.gov or by calling (800) 253-3931. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division’s work to uphold and protect the voting rights of all Americans is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section .


title: U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Attorney’s Office Work to Combat Summer Violence

component: USAO - Illinois, Southern

body_text: EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Following a 12-week effort, federal authorities announced Wednesday the results of the latest multi-agency law enforcement operation in the Southern District of Illinois. Conducted over the last three months, “Operation Triple Beam Piasa” aimed to combat violence during the summer through the disruption of organized gangs and impact violent crime by apprehending fugitives and gang members as well as the seizure of illegal firearms, narcotics, and proceeds. In southern Illinois, enforcement operations were focused in Madison and St. Clair counties, in addition to the Centralia region. Officers made 407 felony arrests, with 128 of the arrests being confirmed or associated gang members. During the operation, law enforcement officers also arrested 29 individuals wanted for homicide, 72 individuals for aggravated assault, 16 individuals for armed robbery, and 130 individuals for weapons offenses. “By targeting, investigating and arresting fugitives throughout southern Illinois, the U.S. Marshals Service and its task force law enforcement partners worked to foster safer communities in the downstate region and improve public safety for the summer when families want to enjoy more time outdoors,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “Officers in this latest operation knew the dangers of interacting with and arresting criminals with violent histories—and yet, they persisted. I sincerely commend all who participated and contributed to this operation’s success.” “Throughout this operation, the Deputy U.S. Marshals and Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force Officers concentrated on arresting the most egregious defendants who were wanted for homicide, drug offenses, weapons offenses and other violent crimes. Obviously, we wouldn’t have been as successful without all our task force partners who participated in this operation and we are grateful for their ongoing support. It is essential that U.S. Marshals Service Regional Fugitive Task Forces continue to combine the efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate and apprehend the most dangerous fugitives and assist in high profile investigations. During this operation, the Deputy U.S. Marshals and Task Force Officers continued to exceed expectations while performing this inherently dangerous job” said U.S. Marshal David C. Davis. During the operation, agents also seized a total of 117 firearms, $47,023, 13 vehicles, and 149.68 kilograms of illicit narcotics. “Operation Triple Beam Piasa” was a collaborative effort led by the Southern District of Illinois and the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force. Participating agencies included the Illinois State Police, Belleville Police Department, Granite City Police Department, Alton Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, and Explosives, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Illinois Department of Corrections – Parole, St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, Effingham County Sheriff’s Department and the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois.


title: Operation Smoke and Mirrors Update:  Two More Kanawha County Men Plead Guilty to Role in Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Today John Paul Loudermilk, 60, of Charleston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, and Ryan Keith Kincaid, 46, of South Charleston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Loudermilk and Kincaid each admitted to their roles in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in the Charleston area. According to court documents and statements made in court, between January and March 2023, Loudermilk conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine by helping a co-defendant distribute methamphetamine to other customers. Loudermilk sometimes received fentanyl from the co-defendant in exchange for doing this. Loudermilk admitted to usually meeting with the co-defendant in the Charleston area to obtain methamphetamine and fentanyl. Loudermilk further admitted to receiving between one-half ounce and 1 ounce of methamphetamine at a time from the co-defendant along with 1 gram of fentanyl, delivering the methamphetamine to customers, and collecting money from customers in exchange. In March 2023, Kincaid conspired with other individuals to distribute quantities of cocaine in the Charleston area. During a search of Kincaid’s apartment, approximately 11 ounces of cocaine, used drug packaging consistent with approximately 26 kilograms of cocaine, a loaded pistol, and over $400,000 in cash were seized. Loudermilk is scheduled to be sentenced on November 13, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. Kincaid is scheduled to be sentenced on November 14, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. Loudermilk and Kincaid are among 30 individuals indicted as a result of Operation Smoke and Mirrors, a major drug trafficking investigation that has yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history. Law enforcement has seized well over 200 pounds of methamphetamine as well as 28 pounds of cocaine, 20 pounds of fentanyl, 18 firearms and $747,000 in cash. More than a dozen of the defendants have pleaded guilty. Indictments against the other defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department. Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case. The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-31. ###


title: Heart Butte man sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for murdering woman on Blackfeet Indian Reservation

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: GREAT FALLS — A federal district judge today sentenced a Heart Butte man to 15 years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised released, for murdering a woman during an argument on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. Terrance Travis Aimsback, 35, pleaded guilty in March to second degree murder as charged in an indictment. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. “Aimsback earned this significant sentence based on his violent conduct that led to murdering his romantic partner. We will, and we must, hold perpetrators of violence against Native American women accountable. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s movement is one of the most important causes of our time, which is why our office will continue to seek justice for victims to ensure Native women and girls are protected,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said. The government alleged in court documents and in court that Aimsback murdered the victim, identified as Jane Doe, by beating her to death with a stick and then initially lying to law enforcement to try to cover up the death. On Nov. 24, 2022, Aimsback called 911, claiming Jane Doe would not wake up, although she was still breathing. Law enforcement officers arrived and found that Jane Doe had died hours earlier. When interviewed, Aimsback admitted he killed Jane Doe during an argument and that he beat her with a stick. Aimsback and Jane Doe were in a romantic relationship at the time. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy J. Racicot and Ryan G. Weldon prosecuted the case. The FBI, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services and Pondera County Sheriff's Office conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Former Securities Attorney Sentenced for $1.3M Penny-Stock Scheme

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A former securities attorney was sentenced today to six years in prison and ordered to pay $1.385 million in restitution to victims for his role in a conspiracy to defraud over 1,000 investors in a penny-stock scheme. According to court documents, from at least November 2016 through October 2018, Phillip W. Offill, 64, of Dallas, and others conspired to misappropriate millions of shares of a publicly traded company, MCPI, using aliases and fake paperwork. The co-conspirators then fraudulently marketed MCPI shares to the public through call centers that made materially false statements to potential investors, including false claims that efforts were underway to list the stock on a national exchange. Employees at call centers also omitted material information, including the fact that the co-conspirators were paying large commissions to the callers to peddle the stock to victim investors. Offill and his co-conspirators also pumped up demand by manipulating the market so that MCPI stock appeared to be trading more actively than it actually was, and by causing the publication of false press releases regarding millions of dollars in funding that the co-conspirators knew would never come. As a result of the scheme, victim investors lost over $1.3 million. “This serial offender defrauded over 1,000 investors, including many who entrusted him with their retirement funds and life savings,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s sentence and restitution demonstrate the Justice Department’s commitment to protecting victims from financial predators, securing the integrity of our public markets, and obtaining restitution for victims of fraud.” Offill was previously employed as an attorney for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for over 14 years. After leaving the SEC, in 2010, he was convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for participating in multimillion-dollar pump-and-dump stock manipulation schemes. In April 2010, Offill was sentenced to eight years in prison and three years of supervised release. While on supervised release for his 2010 conviction, Offill committed the current offense involving MCPI stock. “This case is unique because of the defendant’s greed and disregard for the rule of law, even after serving a federal prison sentence for fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “While still on supervised release from his last offense, Mr. Offill and his co-conspirators used their stock market expertise to swindle unsuspecting average investors in order to enrich themselves. I’m grateful to our attorneys and investigative agents who identified and put an end to this flagrantly exploitative scheme.” As part of a civil case that the SEC brought in 2011, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan entered a final judgment against Offill that permanently barred him from participating in penny stock offerings. As part of another SEC case, in 2012, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas entered another permanent bar against him. Notwithstanding these bans, Offill committed the current offense. “The FBI and its partners work relentlessly to ensure that those who violate fair market practices face justice,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division. “The manipulation of investors seen in this case will not be tolerated, and we will continue to collaborate to put conspiracies like this one to an end.” The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Andrew Tyler and Amanda Fretto Lingwood of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Pedersen for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case. Former Trial Attorney Blake C. Goebel provided significant contributions to this prosecution.


title: Andover Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Northern New England Fentanyl Trafficking Operation

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – An Andover man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in connection with a fentanyl trafficking operation that spanned across northern New England. Randell Starlin Medina Rodriguez, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and p-Fluorofentanyl, a fentanyl analogue. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Oct. 5, 2023. Medina Rodriguez was arrested and charged in February 2022 along with five other co-defendants. All six defendants were subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2022. Beginning in mid-2021, Medina Rodriguez conspired with others to deliver hundreds of grams of fentanyl throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. Specifically, Medina Rodriguez and others served as Massachusetts-based dealers who delivered large quantities of fentanyl to wholesale customers who in turn would distribute those substances in Maine and/or New Hampshire. The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and p-Fluorofentanyl, a fentanyl analogue, provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Hassink and Lauren Graber of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case. The operation was conducted by a multi-agency task force through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. More information on the OCDETF program is available here: https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Two New Haven Men Charged with Offenses Stemming from Multiple Gunpoint Robberies in 2022

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging CHRISTIAN BORRERO, 20, and ROBERT SMITH, also known as “Robbie,” 20, both of New Haven, with offenses related to the gunpoint robberies of Connecticut convenience stores and an armed carjacking last summer. As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, ATF and the New Haven Police Department have been investigating a series of gunpoint robberies and a carjacking that occurred in late June and early July 2022. The investigation revealed that Borrero committed an armed robbery of a Citgo Gas Station located at 957 Foxon Road in East Haven on June 29, 2022; an armed carjacking followed by an armed robbery of a 7-Eleven Convenience Store located at 1089 Campbell Avenue in West Haven on July 3, 2022; and an armed robbery on an Xpress Mart Gas Station located at 180 Wakelee Avenue in Ansonia on July 7, 2022. In addition, on July 6, 2022, Borrero and Smith committed an armed robbery of a Shell Gas Station located at 195 State Street in North Haven. The indictment, which was returned on June 28, 2023, charges Borrero with four counts of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery), an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count; one count of carjacking, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years; and two counts of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, an offense that mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of at least seven years. The indictment charges Smith with one count of aiding and abetting Hobbs Act robbery and one count of aiding and abetting the carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Borrero and Smith appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and entered pleas of not guilty. Borrero has been detained in state custody since July 13, 2022, and Smith has been detained in state custody since January 3, 2023. U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), with the assistance of the New Haven, East Haven, West Haven, Ansonia, and North Haven Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel J. Gentile. U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the State’s Attorneys for the Judicial Districts of New Haven and Ansonia/Milford for their cooperation in investigating and prosecuting this matter. The prosecution 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. In May 2021, the Justice 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: Former Securities Attorney Sentenced for $1.3 Million Penny-Stock Scheme

component: Criminal - Criminal Fraud Section

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former securities attorney was sentenced today to 72 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to defraud over 1,000 investors in a penny-stock scheme. “This case is unique because of the defendant’s greed and disregard for the rule of law, even after serving a federal prison sentence for fraud,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “While still on supervised release from his last offense, Mr. Offill and his co-conspirators used their stock market expertise to swindle unsuspecting average investors in order to enrich themselves. I’m grateful to our attorneys and investigative agents who identified and put an end to this flagrantly exploitative scheme.” “This serial offender defrauded over 1,000 investors, including many who entrusted him with their retirement funds and life savings,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s sentence and restitution demonstrate the Justice Department’s commitment to protecting victims from financial predators, securing the integrity of our public markets, and obtaining restitution for victims of fraud.” “Phillip Offill engaged in a fraudulent criminal scheme to inflate stock prices through false information, causing victims to lose over $1.3 million of their hard-earned money,” said David Sundberg, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Pump-and-dump schemes, such as this one, deteriorate the integrity of the market. The FBI will work to hold accountable those who choose to break the law and swindle unsuspecting victims.” According to court documents, from at least November 2016 through October 2018, Phillip W. Offill, Jr., 64, of Dallas, Texas; Justin Wallace Herman, 52, of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania; and others conspired to misappropriate millions of shares of a publicly traded company, MCPI, that held mining claims in Arizona and Idaho. The defendants then fraudulently marketed the shares for sale through third parties, including call centers, who made materially false statements to potential investors, while manipulating the market so that the stock falsely appeared to be trading more actively than it actually was. Offill coordinated the co-conspirators, created and submitted fraudulent documents to gatekeepers such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and knowingly caused two materially false press releases to be issued to pump up demand for MCPI stock. As a result of the scheme, victim investors lost approximately $1.3 million. Offill was previously employed as an attorney for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for over 14 years. After leaving the SEC, in 2010, he was convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for participating in multimillion-dollar pump-and-dump stock manipulation schemes. In April 2010, Offill was sentenced to eight years in prison and three years of supervised release. While on supervised release for his 2010 conviction, Offill committed the current offense involving MCPI stock. As part of a prior civil case brought by the SEC, in 2011, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan entered a final judgment against Offill that permanently barred him from participating in an offering of penny stock. As part of another SEC case, in 2012, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas entered a final judgment against Offill that permanently barred him from participating in an offering of penny stock. Notwithstanding these bans, Offill committed the current offense. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Emily Odom, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly R. Pedersen of the Eastern District of Virginia, and Trial Attorneys Andrew Tyler and Amanda Fretto Lingwood of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section at the Justice Department, are prosecuting the case. Former Trial Attorney Blake C. Goebel provided significant contributions to this prosecution. 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. 1:22-cr-152.


title: Six Arrested for Multi-State Drug Conspiracy Spanning Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Texas

body_text: BOSTON – Six individuals were arrested today for their alleged involvement in a drug trafficking organization that distributed oxycodone pills obtained from a source in the Houston area, across Southeastern Massachusetts and beyond. John Campbell, a/k/a Jizz, 40, of Taunton, Mass. was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Kenneth Veiga, 33, of Abington, Mass. was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Michael Atwood, 36, of Carver, Mass. was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Austin Gonsalves, 36, of Fall River, Mass. was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Scott Lambert, 55, of Falmouth, Mass. was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; and Christan Russell, a/k/a Christian Russell, a/k/a Bear, 32, of Tomball, Texas was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. The defendants will appear in U.S. District Court later today. According to the charging documents, an investigation into John Campbell began in April 2022 after receiving information that he was allegedly distributing oxycodone pills. A series of controlled buys were conducted and Campbell’s telephone calls and text messages were intercepted. Those interceptions allegedly revealed that Campbell redistributed oxycodone pills to Michael Atwood and Scott Lambert. It is further alleged that Atwood and Lambert re-distributed the oxycodone pills they obtained from Campbell to others. On Feb. 24, 2023, law enforcement stopped Lambert in Bourne, Mass after he allegedly met with Campbell, and 73 oxycodone pills were found hidden in a Krazy Glue container. Kenneth Veiga’s telephone calls and text messages were also intercepted and revealed that he allegedly obtained and distributed oxycodone pills that he received from Christan Russell and that re-distributed oxycodone pills to Austin Gonsalves. It is further alleged that Russell obtained and brought oxycodone pills from pharmacies in the Houston area to the Boston area for distribution to Veiga. Specifically, it is alleged that in February 2023, flight records show that Russell travelled to Boston and met with Veiga; during a meeting in March 2023, Veiga met with Russell at the Twin River Casino, in Lincoln, R.I., where Russell allegedly distributed oxycodone pills to Veiga; and in May 2023, Veiga and Russell met again for an oxycodone pill exchange at a hotel in Brookline, Mass. “Massachusetts continues to suffer from the devastating effects of the lethal opioid crisis and overdose deaths are far too common. Stemming the opioid crisis is one of this office’s highest priorities including stemming the flow of illegally diverted narcotics as alleged in this case from Texas to Massachusetts,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Illegally distributed opioids leave a trail of violence and death as they course through the black market. We will never cease in our efforts to penetrate these drug rings and do everything in our power to protect the people of Massachusetts.” “The state of Massachusetts is faced with an opioid crisis unlike ever before,” said Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Agency. “Those responsible for distributing oxycodone pills illegally to the citizens of Massachusetts need to be held accountable for their actions. DEA will aggressively pursue Drug Trafficking Organizations and individuals who distribute drugs in order to profit and destroy people’s lives. This investigation demonstrates the strength and continued commitment of our local, state and federal law enforcement partners.” “Traffickers of Oxycodone pills are among the main culprits behind the opioid epidemic, and investigation and interdiction of these criminals rightfully remains a major priority of law enforcement. The Massachusetts State Police and our partners at the US Attorney’s Office and federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies are committed to disrupting the drug trafficking organizations that facilitate the influx of illegal narcotics into our state, or communities, and our neighborhoods,” said Massachusetts State Police Interim Colonel John E. Mawn Jr. “The opioid crisis has a very real and very harmful impact on our communities. Today’s charges illustrate that those involved in illicit opioid trafficking and those employing money laundering schemes to move their illegal proceeds will be held accountable. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed, working with our law enforcement partners, to identifying those who place our communities at risk through the illicit opioid trade and dismantling their operations through enforcement actions such as these,” said Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division. “The Falmouth Police Department is committed to working with our Local, State and Federal Partners in a unified effort to hold those accountable bringing this poison into our Communities and Commonwealth,” said Falmouth Police Chief Jeffrey Lourie. The charge of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. Acting U.S. Attorney Levy; DEA SAC Boyle; MSP Interim Colonel Mawn Jr.; USPIS INC Larco-Ward; Chief Lourie; and Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation made the announcement today. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; United States Coast Guard Investigative Service; the Barnstable, Dennis, Bourne, Mashpee, Yarmouth, Sandwich and Falmouth Police Departments; and the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office provided valuable assistance in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys John Mulcahy of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit and Alexandra Amrhein of the Asset Recovery Unit are prosecuting the case. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.


title: Jamaican National Pleads Guilty to Mail and Wire Fraud Charges in Connection with Fraudulent Sweepstakes Scheme that Targeted Elderly Victims

body_text: A Jamaican national, who was extradited to the United States, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on charges relating to his participation in a phony sweepstakes scheme that targeted elderly victims in the United States. According to court documents, Damone D. Oakley, 41, of the Point District, St. James Parish, Jamaica, pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud and two counts of wire fraud. As part of his plea agreement, Oakley admitted that he sought to unlawfully enrich himself through a fraudulent sweepstakes scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable victims. Oakley’s victims received mailings, text messages, or phone calls in which they were falsely told that they had won millions of dollars and luxury vehicles in a sweepstakes, but first needed to pay taxes and fees in order to claim their winnings. Oakley used a variety of names during the scheme, including “Officer Alex Logan” and “Officer Stan Valentine,” and instructed his victims on how to send their money. His victims used wire transfers, direct bank deposits, the U.S. Postal Service, and private commercial mail carriers to send money directly to Oakley, as well as to individuals in the United States and elsewhere who served as intermediaries and transmitted the money to Oakley. In addition to sending cash or wire transfers, Oakley’s victims were directed to purchase electronics, jewelry, and clothing, which were sent to mail forwarding services in Florida, and then on to Oakley in Jamaica. Victims never received any “winnings.” Oakley defrauded his victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars during the course of the scheme. “The Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch remains committed to pursuing criminals who defraud elderly and vulnerable U.S. consumers and to prosecuting them to the full extent of the law,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Oakley was the first individual whose extradition was requested by the United States under Jamaica’s revised Extradition Act, and we are confident that we will continue our efforts to root out fraud that targets vulnerable consumers, wherever the fraudsters are located.” “Oakley targeted the most vulnerable people in our society and defrauded them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars," said U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. “Today’s guilty plea reflects our office’s commitment to protecting elderly victims and punishing individuals who engage in this type of behavior.” “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to investigating scammers, domestically and internationally, who use the U.S. mail to enrich themselves by targeting and financially exploiting vulnerable American consumers, including the elderly,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Criminal Investigations Group. “Today’s plea exemplifies the Postal Inspection Service’s efforts to collaborate with foreign and domestic law enforcement partners to bring these criminals to justice.” The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Jamaica to secure the arrest and extradition of Oakley. The U.S. Marshals Service also provided significant assistance. The case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Linda I. Marks of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division, Consumer Protection Branch, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Haugsby for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. eastern time. English, Spanish, and other languages are available. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch . For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania visit their website at www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa . Information about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice .


title: Previously Convicted Felon Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Federal Drug Trafficking, Firearms Offenses

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

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Brendan Iber, Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, announced today that Gabriel Villasenor was sentenced to a term of 115 months in prison. Villasenor, 29, pled guilty on Sept. 2, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. According to court documents, in May of 2021, Villasenor drove his co-defendant, Gabriel Blea, to a meeting which Blea had set up in exchange for payment. With Villasenor’s knowledge, Blea had set up a deal to trade approximately half a pound of methamphetamine for five firearms. Unbeknownst to Villasenor or Blea, the other parties in the transaction were undercover agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Blea arrived at the meeting location with the methamphetamine in a backpack and a loaded .45 caliber pistol in his waistband. Agents took Blea into custody at the scene, but Villasenor attempted to flee on foot before he was apprehended. Villasenor was previously convicted of unlawful possession of a handgun by a person, resisting/evading/obstructing an officer, receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, possession of methamphetamine, attempt to commit a felony, to wit: felon in possession of a firearm, trafficking by possession with intent to distribute, and possession of a controlled substance. Villasenor was on state probation at the time of these events. Blea pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, being in possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on July 13, 2022. On Dec. 9, 2022, Blea was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release. Upon his release from prison, Villasenor will be subject to 4 years of supervised release. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Jaymie L. Roybal prosecuted the case. # # # 23-148


title: Lame Deer man sentenced to prison for sexually abusing minor

body_text: BILLINGS — A Lame Deer man who admitted to sexually abusing a minor boy on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 22 months in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. Loy Matthew Bryant, 51, pleaded guilty in March to sexual abuse of a minor. U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. In court documents, the government alleged that Bryant sexually abused the victim, identified as John Doe, who was between the ages of 12 years and 16 years, for several years. In September 2022, John Doe, age 17, disclosed that Bryant started sexually abusing him when he was in about the sixth grade. When interviewed by law enforcement, Bryant admitted to having sexually abused the victim. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Oxford Man Who Filmed Himself Sexually Abusing Two Young Children Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison

component: Criminal - Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: An Oxford man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Portland today for sexually exploiting two young children. Chief U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Travis Kimball, 22, to 25 years in prison followed by 25 years of supervised release. Kimball pleaded guilty on January 17, 2023. According to court records, in April 2022, Kimball sexually abused a young child, filming the abuse to create child sexual abuse material. In June 2022, Kimball sexually abused a toddler, again using his iPhone to capture and produce a video of the abuse. “First, Travis Kimball committed the devastating act of sexually abusing trusting, young children, then went further to memorialize that abuse on video and attempt to capitalize on it by sharing the child sexual abuse material he produced with others,” U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee said. “Mr. Kimball is a 22-year-old who will be a middle-aged man by the time he gets out of prison, but his traumatized young victims and their families will be dealing with the scars from his unconscionable acts far longer. My office will continue to use every tool at our disposal to bring to justice predators like Mr. Kimball who prey on Maine’s most vulnerable victims.” The FBI investigated the case. U.S. Attorney McElwee praised the FBI for their quick action which resulted in limiting the distribution of the child sexual assault material and prevented additional victimizations. To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer re-victimization every time the images are viewed. File a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at https://report.cybertip.org/ or 1-800-843-5678 . If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741 . Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc . # # #


title: Clinton Man Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax Fraud, Mail Fraud and False Statements; Leominster Man Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Returns

body_text: BOSTON – A Clinton man and Leominster man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester in connection with their involvement in tax and mail fraud, and other offenses. Juliano Fernandes, 42, of Clinton, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of employment tax fraud, two counts of mail fraud, and two counts of making false statements to a federal agency. Anderson Dos Santos, 39, of Leominster, pleaded guilty to four counts of filing a false tax return. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencings for October 2023. Fernandes exercised financial control over Force Corporation and AB Construction, both Massachusetts-based construction companies. Between 2015 and 2017, Fernandes willfully failed to account for and pay over employment taxes for these companies to the United States Internal Revenue Service. In addition, from approximately April 2013 through January 2017, Fernandes defrauded worker’s compensation insurance companies by misrepresenting the number of employees at Force Corporation and AB Construction, and the amount of wages paid to the employees. Fernandes also, in August 2017, made materially false statements to the U.S. Department of Labor regarding the value of property he owned in Lunenburg, Mass., and that he never had responsibility or control over the payroll of Force Corporation. These statements related to the Department of Labor’s efforts to collect funds from Fernandes and his businesses in connection with alleged civil wage violations. Dos Santos, who worked for AB Construction, signed and filed individual tax returns for tax years 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017, in which he materially under-reported his income. The charge of mail fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charges of failure to pay over employment taxes and making a false statement each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of filing a false tax return provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $100,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations, Boston Field Office; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Labor Racketeering and Fraud, Northeast Region; and Anthony DiPaolo, Executive Director of the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brendan D. O’Shea and Danial Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office, and John T. Mulcahy of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit, are prosecuting the case.


title: Florida Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Jacksonville, Florida, man convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet. The sentencing took place on July 7, 2023. James Dean Hanapel, 22, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Hanapel will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. Hanapel was indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2021. He was found guilty by a jury on April 13, 2023. Evidence at trial established that Hanapel was arrested as a result of an undercover sex trafficking operation conducted during the 2021 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, targeting internet predators. Following multiple chats and sexually explicit text messages with a person Hanapel believed to be a 14-year-old girl, but who was in fact an undercover agent, Hanapel proceeded to negotiate a time and place he would meet the minor to engage in unlawful sex acts. When Hanapel went to the pre-determined location to meet the minor, he was instead met by law enforcement agents and placed under arrest. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, Homeland Security Investigations, Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case. Hanapel was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Hampton, Iowa, Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Distributing Methamphetamine

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A man who distributed methamphetamine was sentenced June 28, 2023, to 8 years in federal prison. Santiago Ramirez, age 38, from Hampton, Iowa, received the prison term after a February 9, 2023, guilty plea to one count of distribution of a controlled substance. In a plea agreement, Ramirez admitted he distributed methamphetamine in Hampton, Iowa. Ramirez sole ounce level quantities on four separate occasions in the spring and summer of 2022. Ramirez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Ramirez was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 4-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Ramirez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jack Lammers and investigated by the Cerro Gordo Sheriff’s Office, Clear Lake Police Department, Mason City Police Department, Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement, and the North Central Iowa Drug Task Force. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 22-CR-3031. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Rosebud Man Found Not Guilty of Assault

body_text: PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that a Rosebud, South Dakota, man was acquitted of Assault by Striking, Beating, or Wounding as a result of a federal jury trial in Pierre, South Dakota, on July 7, 2023. Mario Lopez, age 22, was charged by a complaint filed in January of 2023. The charge related to an alleged incident that occurred on January 20, 2023, in Todd County, South Dakota. This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case.


title: Crystal Lake Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine

body_text: A woman who conspired to distribute methamphetamine in the Crystal Lake area was sentenced June 29, 2023, to more than 5 years in federal prison. Ashley Dawn Henken, age 39, from Crystal Lake, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 5, 2023, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. At the plea hearing, Henken admitted that between 2020, and continuing to May 2021, she did knowingly and intentionally conspire with others to distribute 500 grams or more of a methamphetamine mixture, and/or 50 grams of actual (pure) methamphetamine, commonly called “ice” methamphetamine. Henken was stopped by law enforcement on May 10, 20221, with a pound of methamphetamine. Henken was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Henken was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment. She must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Henken is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jack Lammers and investigated by the Cerro Gordo Sheriff’s Office, Clear Lake Police Department, Mason City Police Department, Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement, and the North Central Iowa Drug Task Force. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 22-CR-3032. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Rapid City Man Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota man convicted of Obscene Visual Representations of the Sexual Abuse of Children. The sentencing took place on July 10, 2023. Michael David Quincy, 38, was sentenced to six years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and order to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Quincy will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. Quincy was indicted for Receipt of Child Pornography and Obscene Visual Representations of the Sexual Abuse of Children by a federal grand jury in May of 2022. He pleaded guilty on March 29, 2023. Quincy was federally indicted following a Cybertip from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children in relation to suspected child pornography from Google. The Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce executed a search warrant on Quincy’s home and located multiple devices. A forensic examination of those devices found hundreds of images of computer-generated child pornography. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . This case was investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case. Quincy was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Rapid City Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of an Unregistered Firearm. The sentencing took place on July 10, 2023. Ryan Reausaw, age 39, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Reausaw was indicted for Possession of an Unregistered Firearm by a federal grand jury in November of 2021. He pleaded guilty on May 12, 2023. In August of 2021, in Rapid City, Reausaw was found by law enforcement to be illegally in possession of a Remington Arms 12-gauge shotgun having a barrel length of less than 18 inches, which was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by law. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case. Reausaw was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Federal jury convicts Billings man of trafficking meth

body_text: MISSOULA — A federal jury on Tuesday convicted a Billings man accused of possessing over 50 grams of pure methamphetamine for resale hidden in false bottom cans and illegally possessing ammunition, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today. After a two-day trial that began on July 10, the jury found Shane Edward Johnson, 54, guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth, possession with intent to distribute meth and prohibited person in possession of ammunition. Johnson faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years to life in prison, a $20 million fine and at least 10 years of supervised release on the conspiracy conviction. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factor. Sentencing was set for Dec. 6. Johnson was detained pending further proceedings. “The jury’s verdict is yet another example of our office’s efforts to hold accountable those who seek to poison our communities with drugs, in this instance, methamphetamine. These convictions make Laurel and Billings safer, as another dangerous drug dealer like Johnson won’t be on our streets for a long period of time. I am grateful to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie R. Patten and Zeno B. Baucus, along with the U.S. Postal Service, FBI, Billings Police Department and Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office for investigating and prosecuting this case,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said. In court documents and at trial, the government alleged that from about April 2020 until October 2021, Johnson, who has a prior federal drug conviction, conspired to distribute meth in the Laurel and Billings communities. In October 2021, law enforcement intercepted a package shipped through the U.S. Postal Service from California to Laurel. Officers executed a search warrant on the package and found two pounds of meth inside four plastic candles. Law enforcement made a controlled delivery of the package to a Laurel residence, and a co-defendant took possession of the package. Law enforcement converged on the residence to execute a search warrant and encountered Johnson and the co-defendant. Agents located a backpack, belonging to Johnson, that contained baggies of meth, a digital scale, approximately $1,000 and two loaded handgun magazines. Johnson was prohibited from possessing ammunition because of his prior felony conviction. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie R. Patten and Zeno B. Baucus are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Postal Service, FBI West, Billings Police Department and Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. xxx


title: Mason City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

body_text: A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine in the Mason City area was sentenced on July 10, 2023, to 11 years in federal prison. Felix Allen Arp, age 31, from Mason City, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 2, 2023, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. In a plea agreement, Arp admitted to conspiring with others to distribute methamphetamine from 2020 to May 2022, in the Mason City area. He was receiving methamphetamine from multiple sources and distributing it. He also fronted drugs to multiple people and collected money after they were able to sell the drugs. Arp was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Arp was sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Arp is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jack Lammers and investigated by the Cerro Gordo Sheriff’s Office, Clear Lake Police Department, Mason City Police Department, Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement, and the North Central Iowa Drug Task Force. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 22-CR-3022. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Montville Man Charged with Federal Firearms Offenses

body_text: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment yesterday charging NICHOLAS DeFELICE, 31, of Montville, with engaging in the business of dealing in and manufacturing firearms, and possession of unregistered National Firearms Act firearms. As alleged in the indictment, between approximately January 2020 and February 2022, DeFelice manufactured and sold firearms without a license to do so. On February 17, 2022, DeFelice possessed two rifles with barrels of less than 16 inches, and one silencer, which were not registered pursuant to the National Firearms Act. The charge of engaging in the business of dealing in and manufacturing firearms carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, and the charge of possession of unregistered National Firearms Act firearms carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of more than 50 additional firearms seized from DeFelice on February 17, 2022. DeFelice appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and entered a pleas of not guilty to the charges. He was released on a $100,000 bond. U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel J. Gentile.