title: Greensburg Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Exploiting an 11-Year-Old Girl Via Kik and Snapchat

body_text: INDIANAPOLIS- Matthew Hostetler, 26, of Greensburg, Indiana, has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor. According to court documents, on January 16, 2020, a Winnebago County, Oklahoma Sheriff’s Department investigation uncovered Matthew Hostetler’s involvement in a Kik Messenger group chat created for individuals interested in child sexual abuse material. Hostetler hid behind the username “WARRIORHEART1997” and sent graphic sexual abuse videos and images of a then 11-year-old girl he referred to as “Lola.” On April 16, 2021, FBI agents and Greensburg Police Department Officers executed a search warrant at Hostetler’s Indiana home and seized his cell phone. Many of the images Hostetler traded over Kik were coerced from the minor via Snapchat. Hostetler bragged to other members of the group chat that “it took two months to get to this point with her (Lola), you gotta be patient and kind and sweet,” and “she’s in love with me. She literally jumps to do what I ask.” “Lola” told investigators that she met Hostetler on the internet. She told him that she was 13 years old and lived with her grandparents in Oklahoma. Hostetler instructed her not to tell her Grandparents she was talking to him, or she would get in trouble. “Lola” stated that Hostetler routinely threated her if she did not send him sexually explicit images and videos. Further, Hostetler coached the 11-year-old on where to touch herself during the videos. United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zachary A. Myers and Herbert J. Stapleton, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office, and Chief Mike McNealy of the Greensburg Police Department made the announcement. “It has long been the case that many pedophiles like this defendant use online platforms such as Kik and Snapchat to prey on children, and even preteens,” said United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zachary A. Myers. “These criminals use lies, manipulation, and threats to sexually exploit children with utter disregard for the lasting trauma they inflict. I urge parents and guardians to talk to the children in their lives about what they’re doing online and make sure they have trusted adults they can turn to for help. I commend the FBI, the Winnebago County (Oklahoma) Sheriff’s Department, and the Greensburg Police Department for their work to seek justice for this victim and protect other children from this online predator.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department, and Greensburg Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge, James R. Sweeney. Judge Sweeney also ordered that Hostetler be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 30 years following his release from prison. Hostetler must also register as a sex offender where he lives, works, and goes to school. U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Bradley P. Shepard, who prosecuted this case. If you are a victim of child sexual exploitation, please contact your local police department. Resources for victims of child exploitation can be found on our website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/project-safe-childhood This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc ###


title: Leader of Savannah-area drug trafficking conspiracy sentenced to decades in federal prison

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: SAVANNAH, GA: The leader of a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed kilos of cocaine and large amounts of other illegal drugs throughout the coastal Georgia area has been sentenced to more than 25 years in federal prison, concluding prosecution of Operation Deadlier Catch. Joseph Bulloch, a/k/a “Lil Joe,” 34, of Savannah, was sentenced to 310 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 5 Kilograms or More of Cocaine, 28 Grams or More of Crack Cocaine, and Quantities of Heroin and Marijuana; Possession of a Firearms by a Convicted Felon; and Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker also ordered Bulloch to serve five of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. “Our law enforcement partners in Operation Deadlier Catch did outstanding work in identifying and shutting down this large-scale drug trafficking network, removing a threat of illegal drugs and its attendant violence from our community,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We will continue to coordinate our efforts to protect our neighborhoods from dangerous drugs.” Operation Deadlier Catch, as described in court documents and the December 2020 indictment in USA v. Bulloch et al., infiltrated the drug trafficking network to trace the source of supply and points of distribution in the greater Savannah area. The operation, led by investigators from the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team, and the Savannah Police Department, culminated in a series of searches in which agents seized more than 24 kilograms of cocaine, more than 180 pounds of marijuana, 3 kilograms of heroin, and more than a dozen firearms – many of them illegally possessed by previously convicted felons. The indictment named 29 defendants on 27 felony counts, and with the exception of one defendant who remains a fugitive, all of the defendants pled guilty to felony charges and have been sentenced, most of them to substantial prison terms. In addition to Bulloch, key figures sentenced in the operation include: Ildelfonso Sanchez-Inzunza , 32, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States, sentenced to 125 months in prison followed by deportation after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Heroin; Possession of a Firearm by an Illegal Alien; and Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises. The investigation identified Sanchez-Inzunza as a representative of the California-based source of supply for the drug traffickers. Agents who searched Sanchez-Inzunza’s Savannah residence found large quantities of drugs including more than 16 kilograms of cocaine and three kilograms of heroin, along with nearly $200,000 in cash. Kashif Collins , a/k/a “Fat Boy,” 36, of Savannah, sentenced to 220 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Cocaine; and, two counts of Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises. Collins managed “stash houses” and coordinated deliveries to lower-level drug dealers. Jontae Keel, a/k/a “Blyha,” 31, of Savannah, sentenced to 151 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 50 Kilograms of More of Marijuana. Keel’s mother, Joann Keel Robinson , a/k/a “Ma Dukes,” 55, of Savannah, and three brothers, Javontae Parrish , 32, Joseph Parrish III , 31, and Jashavious Keel , 29, all of Savannah, also were sentenced after pleading guilty to charges in the conspiracy. One defendant, Jarnard Williams , 32, of Savannah, remains a fugitive. He is charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 5 Kilograms or More of Cocaine, 28 Grams or More of Crack Cocaine, and an Amount of Marijuana. He is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. “Thanks to the hard work and collaboration of our law enforcement partners, one of the leaders of this extensive drug distribution network will spend significant time behind bars,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Bulloch and his co-defendants were a plague in the community with their drugs, guns, and violence and the FBI is committed to removing every single one of these predators from our streets.” Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division, said “This career criminal can no longer distribute dangerous drugs as he now faces serious time for both his drug crimes and violent criminal conduct.” “This investigation is a prime example of what happens when law enforcement agencies pool their resources together to achieve a common goal of protecting communities from the many perils of illegal and dangerous drugs,” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “Protecting the nation’s mail system from criminal misuse is core to the mission of the Postal Inspection Service, and I commend the hard work by all of our partners to bring these individuals to justice.” “Combating narcotics in our community continues to be our core mission. The sentencing of Mr. Bulloch and his co-defendants, along with the dismantlement of his distribution network, signifies our relentless pursuit to eradicate the presence of this poison and violent crime throughout our community,” said Michael G. Sarhatt, Director of the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team. “Today is the result of a strong working relationship between Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics, the FBI, DEA, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Savannah Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s office. It is our promise to continue our commitment to keeping our streets safe and clean.” “Thanks to extensive and trusting partnerships, a dangerous criminal will now be behind bars for decades,” said Savannah Police Chief Lenny Gunther. “Our department is committed to continued focus on partnerships and relationships to help yield similar outcomes into the future.” Operation Deadlier Catch was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Agencies investigating the case included the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team, and the Savannah Police Department. The case was prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank M. Pennington II.


title: Jamaica Plain Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Robbery

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Jamaica Plain man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with a May 2022 robbery of a TD Bank in Cambridge. Jalonni Shabazz, a/k/a “Jalonni Tucker,” 41, pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery. Shabazz was charged by criminal complaint in July 2022 and was subsequently indicted in October 2022. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Nov. 16, 2023. On May 2, 2022, at approximately 12:49 p.m., a suspect wearing a royal blue baseball hat, gray short-sleeved T-shirt, a camouflage pattern garment around his neck, and medical mask entered the TD Bank on Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge. The suspect handed the teller a note that read, “All of the Money - No Dye packs - or alarms,” and then told the teller, “This is a robbery honey.” The teller complied with the suspect’s demands and gave cash to the suspect. The man then fled on foot after taking $2,200 cash from the teller. During a search of the area surrounding the bank, investigators located a royal blue baseball hat consistent with that worn by the suspect during the robbery. DNA obtained from the hat belonged to Shabazz. In addition, analysis of the bank’s surveillance footage and the defendant’s Facebook account identified Shabazz’s features – including his tattoo, hair and an article of clothing – to be consistent with that of the robbery suspect. At the time of the robbery, Shabazz was on supervised release following a 2017 federal conviction for two bank robberies for which he was sentenced to 54 months in prison. The charge of bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Sentences are imposed by a federal district judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Christopher DiMenna, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division; Massachusetts State Police Interim Colonel John E. Mawn, Jr.; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; and MBTA Transit Police Chief Kenneth Green made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.


title: Permanent Injunctions and Judgment of Over $1 Million in Civil Penalties Entered in Case of Deceptive Marketing of Purported COVID-19 Treatments

component: Civil Division

body_text: Nutritional supplement company Quickwork LLC and one of its managers, Eric Anthony Nepute, have agreed to injunctions and to pay civil penalties to resolve a lawsuit alleging they deceptively marketed vitamin supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic, in violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act and the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act. The resolution of this lawsuit follows an order issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on July 19, awarding partial summary judgment to the government. In a complaint filed on April 15, 2021, the government alleged that the defendants made misleading and unsubstantiated advertising claims that their Vitamin D and Zinc supplements could be used to treat or prevent COVID-19, and in fact provide equal or better protection against COVID-19 than the available COVID-19 vaccines. The complaint also alleged that the defendants had mischaracterized the results of scientific studies to support some of their claims. In an order entered on Nov. 14, 2022, Quickwork agreed to an injunction and a $1 million civil penalty, partially suspended due to an inability to pay. On July 19, the court granted partial summary judgment against Nepute, finding that there was no reasonable basis in the record to support claims that Zinc can treat or prevent COVID-19, or that Vitamin D or Zinc provide equal or better protection against COVID-19 than the available COVID-19 vaccines. In an order entered on Aug. 2, Nepute agreed to an injunction and to pay $80,000 in civil penalties. The court’s injunctions prohibit the defendants from advertising that their supplements can prevent, cure, mitigate, or treat COVID-19 without competent and reliable scientific evidence to support such claims. The defendants are also banned from misrepresenting the results of COVID-19 research in their advertising. The defendants agreed to pay damages in the event that they make prohibited representations in the future. “Consumers have a right to receive truthful information when deciding whether to purchase products,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division. “This is especially important when claims about those products could affect how consumers seek to protect themselves during a pandemic.” The case was handled by attorneys in the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, including Trial Attorneys Benjamin Cornfeld, Brandon Robers, Zachary Cowan, Rachel Baron, and Meredith Reiter, as well as Assistant Directors Lisa Hsiao and Rachael Doud, with support and assistance from Federal Trade Commission (FTC) staff. 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 FTC, visit its website at www.FTC.gov .


title: Former NBA Player Terrence Williams Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Defrauding The NBA Players’ Health And Welfare Benefit Plan

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that TERRENCE WILLIAMS was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni to 10 years in prison for leading a sprawling scheme to defraud the National Basketball Association’s (“NBA”) health and welfare benefit plan out of more than $5 million. WILLIAMS previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Williams led a wide-ranging scheme to steal millions of dollars from the NBA Players’ Health and Welfare Benefit Plan. Williams recruited medical professionals and others to expand his criminal conspiracy and maximize his ill-gotten gains. Williams not only lined his pockets through fraud and deceit, but he also stole the identities of others and threatened a witness to further his criminal endeavors. For his brazen criminal acts, Williams now faces years in prison.” According to the Indictment, public court filings, and statements made in court: The NBA Players’ Health and Welfare Benefit Plan is a health care plan providing benefits to eligible active and former players of the NBA and their family members. From at least 2017 through at least 2021, TERRENCE WILLIAMS and more than a dozen others engaged in a widespread scheme to defraud the Plan by submitting and causing to be submitted fraudulent claims for reimbursement of medical and dental services that were not actually rendered. Over the course of the scheme, the defendants submitted and caused to be submitted to the Plan false claims totaling at least approximately $5 million. WILLIAMS orchestrated the scheme to defraud the Plan. WILLIAMS recruited other Plan participants to defraud the Plan by offering to provide them with false invoices to support their fraudulent claims. WILLIAMS’s co-defendants, including a dentist in California and doctors in California and Washington State, provided WILLIAMS with fraudulent invoices that WILLIAMS sent to other co-conspirators. WILLIAMS also recruited non-medical professionals to copy invoices made by medical offices, which WILLIAMS provided to co-conspirators, and which were used to defraud the Plan. WILLIAMS conspired with others to submit fraudulent claims to the Plan in exchange for kickback payments to WILLIAMS of at least $300,000. To verify that certain services were medically necessary, the Plan sometimes requires participants to provide a letter of medical necessity from medical providers, establishing that necessity of the provided services. WILLIAMS fraudulently created and transferred letters of medical necessity for three co-conspirators. WILLIAMS also impersonated others in furtherance of the scheme. WILLIAMS pretended to be employees of the Plan’s administrative manager. In one instance, WILLIAMS created an email account designed to appear to be an email account used by the Plan’s administrative manager. WILLIAMS used that account to attempt to frighten a co-defendant so that the co-defendant would re-engage with WILLIAMS and would pay kickbacks to WILLIAMS. On other occasions, WILLIAMS used another email account he created to threaten another co-defendant — a doctor who created fraudulent invoices for WILLIAMS. WILLIAMS used this email account to pretend to be employees of the Plan’s administrative manager and demand that this co-defendant pay WILLIAMS a “fine” or the “employees” would tell the authorities about the submission of fraudulent invoices. Through these threats and deception, WILLIAMS obtained approximately $346,000 from this particular co-defendant. In or about April 2022, after WILLIAMS was charged and arrested in this case and while on pretrial release, WILLIAMS texted threats to a witness, including that the witness was “talking way to[o] f[---]ing much,” to “shut the f[--]k up,” and “me spitting in your face is exactly what you’ll see.” Following a motion by the Government on May 6, 2022, as a result of this obstructive conduct, Judge Caproni remanded WILLIAMS. * * * In addition to his prison term, WILLIAMS, 36, of Seattle, Washington, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $653,672.55 and to pay restitution in the amount of $2,500,000. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan B. Finkel and Daniel G. Nessim are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Dunklin County Man Sentenced to Serve 130 Months in Federal Prison for Distributing Methamphetamine

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: CAPE GIRARDEAU – The United States Attorney's Office announced that Jammie Renfro, 35, of Kennett, Missouri, was sentenced Thursday to 130 months in federal prison for the offenses of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine. Renfro appeared for his sentencing hearing today before United States District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. At a guilty plea hearing in April, Renfro admitted that beginning in May of 2022, and continuing through June 23, 2022, he and another were working with John Andrew Schoolcraft to distribute methamphetamine throughout Dunklin County, Missouri. The Missouri State Highway Patrol utilized confidential informants and audio and video recording devices to conduct controlled drug buys of methamphetamine from Renfro and the others involved. The case culminated in the execution of a search warrant at Schoolcraft’s residence in Kennett where officers seized over four pounds of methamphetamine. This case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, assisted by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter handled the prosecution for the government.


title: Career Criminal Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl

body_text: BOSTON – A career criminal was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston to a total of 11 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl while still on supervised release for a previous federal drug trafficking conviction. Ozair Pereira, 35, of Brockton, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 10 years in prison and eight years of supervised release. In September 2022, Pereira pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and four counts of distribution of fentanyl. For committing the offense while on federal supervised release, Pereira was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to an additional term of one year in prison, to be served consecutively to the sentence imposed by Judge Sorokin. In 2018, Pereira and several other defendants were arrested as part of a wide-ranging investigation targeting drug trafficking and violence in Brockton. Pereira was intercepted on a court-authorized wiretap ordering heroin from a drug supplier. After pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin, Pereira was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release. On four occasions in February and March 2021, while on federal supervised release for the drug trafficking conviction, Pereira worked with co-defendant Robert Roscoe and others to distribute over 40 grams of fentanyl to cooperating witnesses and undercover agents. In October 2022, Roscoe was sentenced to 16 months in prison and three years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to his role in the conspiracy. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Boston Division; John E. Mawn, Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez; and New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Pohl of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.


title: Maryland woman guilty of role in international drug operation

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Ana Ercilia Luna, age 38, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pled guilty today to a drug conspiracy charge. According to court documents, Luna would assist drug customers at Top 3 Sources, a business in Hagerstown that was being used to distribute hundreds of grams of illegal substances. Luna also smuggled drug proceeds to the Dominican Republic and deposited proceeds into the Top 3 Sources bank account. Luna faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI; U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; The Drug Enforcement Administration; the West Virginia Air National Guard, the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative (agencies included are the West Virginia State Police, Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department, Jefferson County Sherriff’s Department, Ranson Police Department, Charles Town Police Department, and Martinsburg City Police Department); West Virginia State Police; Customs and Border Protection; the Hagerstown Police Department; the National Resources Police Department; FBI-New York Safe Streets Task Force; the New York Police Department; the New Jersey State Police; the Washington County (Maryland) Drug Task Force; the Maryland State Police; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania investigated. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided. Read more about the initial indictment: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/34-indicted-expansive-drug-trafficking-operation


title: Two U.S. Navy Servicemembers Arrested for Transmitting Military Information to the People’s Republic of China

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: In two separate cases in the Southern and Central Districts of California, two U.S. Navy servicemembers were arrested for transmitting sensitive military information to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). “These individuals stand accused of violating the commitments they made to protect the United States and betraying the public trust, to the benefit of the PRC government,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to use every tool in our arsenal to counter threats from China and to deter those who aid them in breaking our laws and threatening our national security.” “These arrests are a reminder of the relentless, aggressive efforts of the People’s Republic of China to undermine our democracy and threaten those who defend it,” said Assistant Director Suzanne Turner of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “The PRC compromised enlisted personnel to secure sensitive military information that could seriously jeopardize U.S. national security. The FBI and our partners remain vigilant in our determination to combat espionage, and encourage past and present government officials to report any suspicious interactions with suspected foreign intelligence officers.” United States v. Jinchao Wei, Southern District of California A U.S. Navy sailor, Jinchao Wei, aka Patrick Wei, was arrested yesterday on espionage charges as he arrived for work at Naval Base San Diego, the homeport of the Pacific Fleet. He was indicted for conspiracy to send national defense information to an intelligence officer working for the People’s Republic of China. The indictment, unsealed this morning, alleges that Wei, was an active-duty sailor on the amphibious assault ship the U.S.S. Essex stationed at Naval Base San Diego. In his role as a machinist’s mate, Wei held a U.S. security clearance and had access to sensitive national defense information about the ship’s weapons, propulsion and desalination systems. Amphibious assault ships like the Essex resemble small aircraft carriers and allow the U.S. military to project power and maintain presence by serving as the cornerstone of the U.S. Navy’s amphibious readiness and expeditionary strike capabilities. According to the indictment, in February 2022, Wei began communicating with an intelligence officer from the PRC who requested that Wei provide information about the U.S.S. Essex and other Navy ships. Specifically, the Chinese intelligence officer tasked Wei with passing him photos, videos and documents concerning U.S. Navy ships and their systems. The two agreed to hide their communications by deleting records of their conversations and using encrypted methods of communication. At the request of the intelligence officer, between March 2022 and the present, Wei sent photographs and videos of the Essex, disclosed the locations of various Navy ships and described defensive weapons of the Essex. In exchange for this information, the intelligence officer paid Wei thousands of dollars over the course of the conspiracy. The indictment further alleges that in June 2022, Wei sent the intelligence officer approximately 30 technical and mechanical manuals. These manuals contained export control warnings and detailed the operations of multiple systems aboard the Essex and similar ships, including power, steering, aircraft and deck elevators, as well as damage and casualty controls. The intelligence officer confirmed with Wei that at least 10 of those manuals were useful to him. For passage of those materials, the indictment alleges that Wei was paid $5,000. In June 2022, the intelligence officer requested that Wei provide information about the number and training of U.S. Marines during an upcoming international maritime warfare exercise. In response to this request, Wei sent multiple photographs of military equipment to the intelligence officer. In August 2022, Wei sent an additional 26 technical and mechanical manuals related to the power structure and operation of the Essex and similar ships. The manuals contained warnings that this was technical data subject to export controls and that it was deemed “critical technology” by the U.S. Navy. The indictment further alleges that in October 2022, Wei sent a technical manual to the intelligence officer describing the layout and location of certain departments, including berthing quarters and weapons systems. Specifically, Wei sent a weapons control systems manual for the Essex and similar ships. This manual contained export-controlled data that could not be exported without a license from the U.S. government. The indictment alleges that Wei knowingly violated the International Traffic in Arms Regulations by transmitting this manual to the Chinese intelligence officer without obtaining a required license. The intelligence officer continued to request information in 2023, including information about the overhaul and upgrades to the Essex. Specifically, he requested blueprints, especially those related to modifications to the flight deck. Wei provided information related to the repairs the Essex was undergoing, as well as other mechanical problems with similar vessels. During the alleged conspiracy, the intelligence officer instructed Wei to gather U.S. military information that was not public and admonished him not to discuss their relationship and to destroy any evidence regarding the nature of their relationship and their activities. “We have entrusted members of our military with tremendous responsibility and great faith,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California. “Our nation’s safety and security are in their hands. When a soldier or sailor chooses cash over country, and hands over national defense information in an ultimate act of betrayal, the United States will aggressively investigate and prosecute.” U.S. Attorney Grossman thanked the prosecution team and investigating agencies for their excellent work on this case. The FBI and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Parmley and Fred Sheppard for the Southern District of California and Trial Attorney Adam Barry of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. United States v. Wenheng Zhao, Central District of California A U.S. Navy servicemember, Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, aka Thomas Zhao, 26, of Monterey Park, California, was arrested following an indictment by a federal grand jury, charging him with receiving bribes in exchange for transmitting sensitive U.S. military information to an individual posing as a maritime economic researcher, but who was actually an intelligence officer from the PRC. The indictment alleges that Zhao, who worked at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme and held a U.S. security clearance, received bribes from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for violating his official duties as a U.S. sailor by, among other actions, disclosing non-public sensitive U.S. military information. Beginning in August 2021 and continuing through at least May 2023, at the Chinese intelligence officer’s direction, Zhao allegedly violated his official duties to protect sensitive military information by surreptitiously recording, and then transmitting to the intelligence officer, U.S. military information, photographs and videos. According to the indictment, the Chinese intelligence officer told Zhao that the intelligence officer was a maritime economic researcher seeking the information for investment decisions. In exchange for bribes, Zhao allegedly sent the Chinese military officer non-public and controlled operational plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific Region, which detailed the specific location and timing of Naval force movements, amphibious landings, maritime operations and logistics support. The indictment further alleges that in exchange for bribes, Zhao also photographed electrical diagrams and blueprints for a radar system stationed on a U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan. The intelligence officer allegedly directed Zhao to conceal their relationship and to destroy evidence of the unlawful and corrupt scheme. In exchange for the sensitive information Zhao provided – information Zhao accessed as a result of his position within the U.S. Navy – the Chinese intelligence officer paid Zhao approximately $14,866, the indictment alleges. “By sending this sensitive military information to an intelligence officer employed by a hostile foreign state, the defendant betrayed his sacred oath to protect our country and uphold the Constitution,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California. “Unlike the vast majority of U.S. Navy personnel who serve the nation with honor, distinction and courage, Mr. Zhao chose to corruptly sell out his colleagues and his country.” If convicted, Zhao faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The FBI Los Angeles Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division and NCIS investigated the case. IRS Criminal Investigation provided substantial assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Annamartine Salick, Sarah Gerdes, Christine Ro and Kathrynne Seiden of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section for the Central District of California are prosecuting this case. Trial Attorney Adam Barry of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section is providing substantial assistance. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Wei Indictment Zhao Indictment


title: Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 90 Months in Prison

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

body_text: FORT WAYNE –Jacqualon M. Royal, 27 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to trafficking in firearms without a license and being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson. Royal was sentenced to 90 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release. According to documents in the case, between April 30, 2021, and May 22, 2022, Royal, who was a convicted felon, willfully engaged in the unlawful sale of firearms. Records show that Royal possessed and sold at least 40 firearms during this period of time. One of the firearms Royal sold had been used in the attempted murder of two people and another firearm he sold was recovered from a drug trafficker. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey R. Speith. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. ###


title: Bitfinex Hacker and Wife Plead Guilty to Money Laundering Conspiracy Involving Billions in Cryptocurrency

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A married couple from New York City pleaded guilty today to money laundering conspiracies arising from the hack and theft of approximately 120,000 bitcoin from Bitfinex, a global cryptocurrency exchange. Ilya Lichtenstein, 35, and Heather Morgan, 33, were arrested in February 2022 after the government seized approximately 95,000 of those stolen bitcoin from cryptocurrency wallets in the defendants’ control. At the time of the seizure, the recovered funds were valued at approximately $3.6 billion. Since their arrests, the government has seized another approximately $475 million tied to the hack. According to court documents, Lichtenstein used a number of advanced hacking tools and techniques to gain access to Bitfinex’s network. Once inside their systems, Lichtenstein fraudulently authorized more than 2,000 transactions in which 119,754 bitcoin was transferred from Bitfinex to a cryptocurrency wallet in Lichtenstein’s control. Lichtenstein then took steps to cover his tracks by going back into Bitfinex’s network and deleting access credentials and other log files that may have given him away to law enforcement. Following the hack, Lichtenstein enlisted the help of his wife, Morgan, in laundering the stolen funds. Lichtenstein, at times with Morgan’s assistance, employed numerous sophisticated laundering techniques, including using fictitious identities to set up online accounts; utilizing computer programs to automate transactions; depositing the stolen funds into accounts at a variety of darknet markets and cryptocurrency exchanges and then withdrawing the funds, which obfuscates the trail of the transaction history by breaking up the fund flow; converting bitcoin to other forms of cryptocurrency, including anonymity-enhanced cryptocurrency (AEC), in a practice known as “chain hopping”; depositing a portion of the criminal proceeds into cryptocurrency mixing services, such as Bitcoin Fog, Helix, and ChipMixer; using U.S.-based business accounts to legitimize their banking activity; and exchanging a portion of the stolen funds into gold coins, which Morgan then concealed by burying them. Lichtenstein pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Morgan pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, each of which carries a maximum penalty of five years of in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Consistent with standard practice in criminal forfeiture cases, there will be a formal process at the conclusion of the case pursuant to Rule 32.2 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure for third-party claimants to submit claims for any seized and forfeited property. Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, Chief Jim Lee of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York made the announcement. The IRS-CI Washington, D.C. Field Office’s Cyber Crimes Unit; FBI Chicago Field Office; FBI’s Virtual Assets Unit (VAU); and HSI New York are investigating the case, with assistance from the Ansbach Police Department in Germany. Trial Attorneys Jessica Peck and C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher B. Brown and Jolie Zimmerman for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. Paralegal Specialists Angela De Falco and Brian Rickers and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick provided valuable assistance. Significant assistance was also provided by Trial Attorney Christen Gallagher, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Southern District of New York, HSI Philadelphia, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica C. Brooks.


title: Lake Placid, Florida Man Sentenced for Participating in Business Email Compromise Scheme Spanning Four States

component: USAO - Alabama, Middle

body_text: Montgomery, Alabama – Today, United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart announced the sentencing of Timothy Scott Marable for wire fraud. On August 1, 2023, a judge sentenced Marable, a 51-year-old from Lake Placid, Florida, to 12 months in prison. According to his plea agreement and other court records, from November 2019 through August 2020, Marable served as a money mule in a business email compromise scheme that preyed on at least four businesses in four different states, including Alabama, Idaho, Ohio, and Texas. Participants in a business email compromise scheme gain unauthorized access to a business email account through various means, such as hacking the account or obtaining login information through social engineering. Participants then use the compromised email account to send emails to other businesses posing as legitimate account holders. Oftentimes, the scheme participants attempt to steal money from email recipients by fraudulently representing that the legitimate account holder has changed banking information and instructing the recipient to make future payments to a new bank account. The new bank account frequently belongs to a scheme participant who receives payment obtained by fraud and then transfers the proceeds to others involved in the scheme. Marable admitted in his plea agreement that he communicated with an individual through an online instant messaging platform. That person directed Marable to receive substantial deposits into his bank accounts through wire transfers, open new bank accounts, and distribute the deposited funds by writing checks and wiring the funds to offshore bank accounts. At least two fraudulent wire transfers received by Marable were sent by a company based in Montgomery, Alabama. Marable continued with this fraud despite multiple warnings that he was participating in a scheme and the closure of bank accounts due to fraudulent activity. During the sentencing hearing, the judge also ordered Marable to pay restitution in the amount of $2,701,746.50, representing the loss amount attributable to Marable. FBI offices in Alabama and Idaho investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen K. Moulton and Michelle R. Turner from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama prosecuted the case, with assistance from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho.


title: U.S. Navy Service Member Allegedly Transmitted Sensitive U.S. Military Information to a Chinese Intelligence Officer

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – Federal prosecutors today unsealed a grand jury indictment that accuses a United States Navy service member with receiving bribes in exchange for transmitting sensitive U.S. military information to an intelligence officer from the People’s Republic of China. Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, 26, also known as Thomas Zhao, of Monterey Park, was arrested Wednesday by special agents with the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). Zhao, who is charged in the indictment with conspiracy and receipt of a bribe by a public official, is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. The indictment alleges that Zhao, who worked at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme and held a U.S. security clearance, received bribes from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for violating his official duties as a U.S. sailor by, among other actions, disclosing non-public, sensitive U.S. military information. Beginning in August 2021 and continuing through at least May 2023, at the Chinese intelligence officer’s direction, Zhao violated his official duties to protect sensitive military information by surreptitiously recording, and then transmitting to the intelligence officer, U.S. military information, photographs and videos, according to the indictment. In exchange for bribes, Zhao allegedly sent the Chinese intelligence officer non-public and controlled operational plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific Region, which detailed the specific location and timing of Naval force movements, amphibious landings, maritime operations and logistics support. The indictment further alleges that Zhao photographed electrical diagrams and blueprints for a radar system stationed on a U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan. Zhao also obtained and transmitted details about the Navy’s operational security at the Naval Base in Ventura County and on San Clemente Island, including photographs and videos, according to the indictment. The intelligence officer allegedly directed Zhao to conceal their relationship and to destroy evidence of the unlawful and corrupt scheme. In exchange for the sensitive information Zhao provided – information Zhao accessed as a result of his position within the U.S. Navy – the Chinese intelligence officer paid Zhao approximately $14,866, the indictment alleges. “By sending this sensitive military information to an intelligence officer employed by a hostile foreign state, the defendant betrayed his sacred oath to protect our country and uphold the Constitution,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Unlike the vast majority of U.S. Navy personnel who serve the nation with honor, distinction and courage, Mr. Zhao chose to corruptly sell out his colleagues and his country.” “By accepting cash bribes from a hostile nation whose leaders are intent on stealing American secrets, Zhao betrayed his military oath and sold out his country while he brazenly put Americans and our servicemen at risk, said Donald Alway, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Zhao’s alleged actions are a reminder that American citizens with access to state secrets or intellectual property are being targeted by the Chinese government. The FBI will continue to seek out such behavior with our partners and hold offenders accountable.” “NCIS is committed to protecting the Department of the Navy’s sensitive information to ensure the safety of the warfighter and our nation,” said Special Agent in Charge Brice Miller of the NCIS Office of Special Projects. “NCIS will continue to leverage its unique law enforcement and counterintelligence authorities to vigorously pursue those who attempt to compromise our national security information. We are grateful to the FBI and Department of Justice for their substantial assistance to this lengthy investigation and greatly appreciate our continued partnership.” An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If he were to be convicted of the two counts in the indictment, Zhao would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. The FBI’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division of the Los Angeles Field Office and NCIS conducted the investigation. IRS Criminal Investigation provided substantial assistance. Assistant United States Attorneys Annamartine Salick, Sarah Gerdes, Christine Ro and Kathrynne Seiden of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section are prosecuting this case. The Counterintelligence and Export Control Section at the Department of Justice is providing substantial assistance.


title: Owner of Cleveland Construction Company Sentenced for Employment Tax Fraud

component: USAO - Ohio, Northern

body_text: CLEVELAND – Timothy Ray Jenkins, 67, of Woodmere, Ohio, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Pamela A. Barker. Jenkins pleaded guilty to counts one through 11 of an indictment that charged him with failure to account for and pay over taxes. Jenkins was also ordered to serve 3 years of supervised release, and to pay both a $1,100 special assessment and $1,174,677.06 in restitution to the IRS. According to court documents, Jenkins was the manager and owner of Dan-Ray Construction LLC (DRC), an LLC doing business in and around Cleveland, Ohio that was engaged in the business of construction services, often working as a subcontractor. Jenkins exercised control over DRC’s financial affairs by controlling DRC’s finances, including signing checks and controlling DRC’s bank accounts and overseeing payroll payments. Jenkins was responsible for collecting employment taxes, accounting for employment taxes by filing employment tax returns with the IRS and paying over to the IRS the employment taxes for DRC’s employees. Jenkins had another company prepare payroll and employment tax returns for DRC. Jenkins instructed the company to turn over the employment tax returns and other reports and tax filings that the company had prepared to Jenkins. Jenkins represented that he would file the employment tax returns and other tax filings, but he failed to do so. Jenkins withheld employment taxes from his employees’ paychecks but failed to pay over the employment taxes to the IRS. This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation (CI). This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot Morrison.


title: Two Men Sentenced For Conspiracy To Distribute Fentanyl  And Possessing A Firearm While Drug Trafficking

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Javier Alejandro Lopez Rivera (36, Orlando) to six years and six months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute or possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Judge Mendoza also sentenced co-defendant, Pedro Manuel Tapia Matos (30, Ocala), to five years and three months for conspiracy to distribute or possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Lopez Rivera had pleaded guilty on November 8, 2022, and Tapia Matos pleaded guilty on May 4, 2023. According to court documents, Lopez Rivera and Tapia Matos were the subjects of a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) led investigation for the purchase of fentanyl. From March 24, 2022, through April 6, 2022, the DEA used a confidential source (CS) to conduct undercover buys of ounce quantities of fentanyl from Lopez Rivera and Tapia Matos. Over the course of multiple ensuing transactions, the CS, purchased 60.4 grams of fentanyl. On one such occasion, however, the CS purchased a firearm from Lopez Rivera, in conjunction with fentanyl. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Terry B. Livanos.


title: Edward Mullins, Former President Of NYPD Sergeants’ Union, Sentenced To Two Years In Prison For Stealing Union Funds

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that EDWARD MULLINS, the former President of the Sergeants Benevolent Association (“SBA”), the union that represents all current and former sergeants of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), was sentenced today to two years in prison in connection with a scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the SBA through the submission of fraudulent expense reports. MULLINS pled guilty on January 19, 2023, before U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl, who imposed today’s sentence. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “For years, Edward Mullins abused his position as the head of the SBA to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the pockets of hard-working NYPD sergeants. Mullins publicly vowed to protect the interests of the thousands of active and retired sergeants that he represented. But behind the scenes, Mullins stole from the SBA and its members, treating the SBA as his personal piggy bank. In doing so, Mullins disgraced his uniform, broke the law, and undermined the public’s trust in law enforcement. As today’s sentence demonstrates, no one — not even high-ranking union bosses — is above the law.” According to the Information filed in the case and other filings and statements made in court: The SBA is the fifth-largest police union in the United States with its headquarters located in lower Manhattan. The SBA’s membership consists of all active and retired sergeants of the NYPD with approximately 13,000 members. From 2002 until October 2021, EDWARD MULLINS served as President of the SBA. Beginning in 2017, MULLINS devised a scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the SBA. MULLINS used his personal credit card to pay for meals at high-end restaurants and to purchase luxury personal items, among other things, and then submitted false and inflated expense reports to the SBA, representing that his charges were legitimate SBA expenditures when, in fact, they were not. MULLINS’s expense reports were fraudulent in at least three ways. First, MULLINS routinely included meals on his expense reports that were not SBA-related. Second, MULLINS routinely inflated the costs of his meals – whether SBA-related or not – thereby taking more money from the SBA. Third, MULLINS took certain expenses from his credit card statements, including clothing and supermarket expenses, and recategorized them as SBA-related meals, thereby obtaining even more money from the SBA. MULLINS’s fraudulent expenses were paid through the SBA’s Contingent Fund, which was funded primarily through annual dues paid by SBA members. In total, between 2017 and 2021, MULLINS stole at least $600,000 from the SBA through the filing of hundreds of fraudulent expense reports. * * * In addition to his prison term, MULLINS, 61, of Port Washington, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to make restitution to the SBA in the amount of $600,000. MULLINS was also ordered to forfeit $600,000. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and the FBI/NYPD Public Corruption Task Force. This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra Rothman and David Robles and are in charge of the prosecution.


title: 38 Members of a Violent Gang in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Charged with Drug Trafficking and Firearms Offenses, with Five Members Charged with the Firearms Murder of an Innocent Woman

body_text: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On July 17, 2023, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging 38 violent gang members from the municipality of Caguas with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, possession and distribution of controlled substances, and firearms violations, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB) Caguas Strike Force, and the United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation with collaboration and support from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), PRPB Special Arrests Unit, and Guaynabo Municipal Special Response Team (SRRT). “With today’s arrests we move closer to bringing justice to the family of victim MRM, a woman senselessly murdered as she was caught in the crossfire during a gang shootout in May 2022, as well as others in the community harmed by drug trafficking and other related acts of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Muldrow. “Federal and state authorities will continue to hold violent gang members accountable for their crimes. Although the leader of this violent gang remains a fugitive from justice, we will pursue and find him and his criminal associates, no matter where they hide or how long it takes.” “The gang members arrested today held the Caguas region hostage through violence and intimidation. Our message today is, Puerto Rico belongs to the people and the FBI will continue to disrupt and dismantle these criminal organizations to make sure this continues to be the case,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office, Joseph González. “In the FBI, we know the great courage it takes to speak up against violent gangs and do not take public cooperation lightly. Combating gang related violence is a mission that requires a whole-of-society approach, which is why we will continue to encourage anyone with information on whereabouts of fugitives associated with this organization to call 787-987-6500 or visit tips.fbi.gov .” The indictment alleges that from 2017 through the present, the drug trafficking organization distributed heroin, cocaine base (commonly known as “crack”), cocaine, marihuana, Fentanyl, Oxycodone (Percocet), and Alprazolam (Xanax) within 1,000 feet of the Brisas del Turabo, the Raúl Castellón, the Turabo Heights, and the Juan Jiménez García Public Housing Projects; and at the Barriada Morales, Barriada La Pajilla, and Bunker Wards in Caguas, and other areas throughout Puerto Rico, all for significant financial gain and profit. Defendant [1] Nelson Torres-Delgado, the leader of the violent drug trafficking organization charged in this Indictment, has held power over drug trafficking in the Caguas area since the early 2010s. He has been a federal fugitive since 2017 and has maintained control over the organization as a fugitive through deadly violence and intimidation, and by engaging in violent turf wars against rival drug trafficking organizations. His methods of avoiding capture while controlling his gang include limiting face-to-face contact to only the highest and most trusted leaders in his organization. Throughout the course of the conspiracy, members of this organization have been murdered or have gone to prison, but the organization’s rules and leadership have persisted as a constant means of accomplishing its criminal goals. To that end, the rules allowed for recruitment of new lookouts and sellers, and afforded upward mobility for some within the organization. However, Torres-Delgado and the other leaders maintained the power to authorize acts of violence, including murders. As a rule, no member of the organization could kill someone without the permission of Torres-Delgado. At times, gang leadership would delegate the authority to authorize lesser violent punishments. As part of the conspiracy, the defendants used abandoned apartments in the public housing projects to prepare the drugs for distribution at the drug points and procured access to many vehicles to transport money, narcotics, and firearms. For that purpose, the co‑conspirators would steal cars or buy stolen cars from others to use in furtherance of the drug trafficking activities. The defendants acted in different roles to further the goals of the drug trafficking conspiracy, to include: leaders, enforcers, runners, sellers, facilitators, and lookouts. The members of the gang used force, violence, and intimidation to maintain control of the areas in which they operated. The defendants charged in the drug trafficking conspiracy are: [1] Nelson Torres-Delgado, a.k.a. “El Burro/Burro/Father/Nelsito/Cuatro Patas/El Animal/El Animal de Cuatro Patas [2] Edwin Padilla-López, a.k.a. “Play/NBA/Pliki/Biscochito/Bizcochito/Juga” [3] Ronald Aponte-Marquez, a.k.a. “El Enano/Enano/Sepe” [4] Eroz Rodríguez-Hernández, a.k.a. “Eros/Wason/El Joker” [5] José Jiménez-Ramos, a.k.a. “El Mono/Mono/Joel El Mono” [6] Lenne Carrasquillo-Serrano, a.k.a. “Taz/Leny/Lenny/Lenee/La J” [7] Giovanny Solis-Carrasco, a.k.a. “Blanquito/Jova El Blanco/Joba El Blanco/Jova” [8] Evaristo González-Vega, a.k.a. “Sonic/Viejo/Eva” [9] Jariel Figueroa-Maymi, a.k.a. “Moni” [10] José Torres-Pagán, a.k.a. “Abelino/Ave/Abe” [11] Carlos De Jesús-García, a.k.a. “Oreja/Orejas” [12] Gabriel Vázquez-Roldán, a.k.a. “Gordo/Gabby Gordo/Goldo/Goldito/Goldo Vázquez” [13] José Martinez-Galvez, a.k.a. “El Chef/El Che/Chef” [14] Armando L. Rivera-Rodríguez [15] Jan Borges De Jesús, a.k.a. “El Man/Jan el Man/Jan El Chulo” [16] Lester Vélez-Rodríguez, a.k.a. “El Eco/El Feo/Coco” [17] Vanessa Santiago-Cotto [18] Diana Mimoso-Figueroa, a.k.a. “La D/Di” [19] José de la Vega, a.k.a. “Chupi/Pablo/Pablito” [20] Michael Rodríguez-Flores, a.k.a. “Pinki” [21] José Gautier-Medina, a.k.a. “Tempo” [22] Miguel González-Sánchez, a.k.a. “Miky/Mikyy/El Code” [23] Brian Sierra-Feliciano, a.k.a. “Kobe” [24] Eric Camacho-Castro, a.k.a. “Pali” [25] Héctor Torres-Pagán, a.k.a. “Pepo” [26] Christian Martines-Franco, a.k.a. “El Menor/Menor/El Mynor/Mynor/Christian Menor” [27] Edward Vázquez-Concepción, a.k.a. “Draculín/Drácula/Draco/Bestia Demon” [28] Juan Acevedo-Ramos, a.k.a. “Tono/Tonito/Pelotero Kuker” [29] Jean Villanueva-Figueroa, a.k.a. “Mueca/Mueka/Jan Mueca/Jean Mueca” [30] Waldemar Pedraza-Díaz, a.k.a. “Walde” [31] Melquiades Santana-Martínez, a.k.a. “Melki/Melqi” [32] Juan Orellano-Díaz, a.k.a. “El Indio/Indio” [33] Cesar Acevedo-Adorno [34] Elimelec García-Escoda, a.k.a. “Flaco/Eli/Elimelek” [35] Christopher Contreras-Baez, a.k.a. “Chimuelo” [36] Luis Burgos-Ofarril, a.k.a. “Pájaro” [37] Francisco López-Sánchez Twenty-six defendants are charged in Count Seven with possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Count Eight charges eight defendants with possession of a machinegun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Count Nine charges defendants [15] Jan Borges De Jesús, [20] Michael Rodríguez-Flores, [21] José Gautier-Medina, [22] Miguel González-Sánchez, and [23] Brian Sierra-Feliciano for the murder of M.R.M. on May 15, 2022, in Caguas. This murder is related to a shooting that took place in Barriada Morales where a woman was killed, and a man was injured. Count Ten charges [38] Sheila Luyando-Fuentes with wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information. According to the indictment, Luyando-Fuentes, who was employed in the health care industry and had access to protected health information, acted as a facilitator and shared protected health information with gang members, including information about rival gang members hospitalized with injuries resulting from gun fights between the gangs, to assist in the gang’s efforts to locate and kill their enemies. This investigation was led by the FBI San Juan Violent Gang Safe Streets Task Force, which is comprised of Special Agents and Task Force Officers from the FBI, Puerto Rico Bureau of Police (PRPB), San Juan Municipal Police, Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Puerto Rico Treasury Department (Hacienda), United States Department of Housing and Urban Development - Office of the Inspector General (HUD-OIG), Carolina Municipal Police Department, and the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections (PRDOC). The FBI thanks the United States Marshals Service, PRPB Caguas Strike Force and PRPB Arrestos Especiales for their assistance in this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) and Chief of the Gang Section Alberto López-Rocafort, Deputy Chief of the Gang Section, AUSA Teresa Zapata-Valladares, and AUSAs Damaré Theriot, Héctor Siaca Flores, and R. Vance Eaton are prosecuting the case. If convicted on the drug charges, the defendants face a minimum sentence of 10 years, and up to life in prison. If convicted of both the drug and firearms charges in Count Seven, the defendants face a minimum sentence of 15 years, and up to life in prison. The defendants charged in Count Eight with possession of machineguns in furtherance of drug trafficking face a mandatory consecutive sentence of thirty years in prison. The defendants charged in Count Nine with the firearms-related murder of M.R.M. face a potential sentence of life imprisonment and, if authorized by the Attorney General of the United States, the death penalty. The defendant charged in Count Ten faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. All defendants charged in the drug conspiracy are facing a narcotics forfeiture allegation of $132,000,060. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Former Hotel Manager Pleads Guilty to Bribing Army Training Manager

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Western

body_text: OKLAHOMA CITY – Last week, Candy Hanza, 50, of Medicine Park, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to paying a bribe to a public official, announced United States Attorney Robert. J. Troester. On May 3, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a twelve-count indictment against Hanza and co-defendant Alfred Palma. According to the Indictment, Hanza was the general manager of a local hotel in Lawton. Palma, a United States Army employee and public official, was the manager of the Institutional Training Directed Lodging and Meals (“ITDLM”) program at Fort Sill, through which he booked hotel rooms for soldiers who attended on-post trainings. The Indictment alleges that Hanza paid Palma to direct soldiers to the hotel, while she personally profited through her own scheme to defraud the hotel owners and launder the resulting proceeds. At a hearing before United States District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick on July 28, 2023, Hanza admitted that she gave cash and checks totaling $103,200.00 to Palma with the intent to induce him to favor the hotel at which she was a general manager when Palma booked soldiers for off-post trainings. At sentencing, Hanza faces up to 15 years in federal prison, and a fine of $250,000 or three times the monetary value of the bribes, and up to three years of supervised release. On June 26, 2023, Palma pleaded guilty to Count Two of the Indictment, and admitted that he accepted Hanza’s bribe. Palma is also awaiting sentencing. This case is the result of an investigation by the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division, the Department of Defense Contract Audit Agency, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia E. Barry is prosecuting the case.


title: Navajo Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Sexual Abuse of a Minor

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced that Byron Yazzie, Jr. was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Yazzie, 22, of Tohatchi, New Mexico, pled guilty to sexual abuse of a minor, sexual abuse and aggravated sexual abuse on March 23, 2023. Yazzie was indicted by a grand jury on June 15, 2022. According to court documents, between August and November of 2020, Yazzie sexually abused three minor victims. Yazzie was nineteen years old at the time. Yazzie met the first victim, a minor who had attained the age of 12 but had not yet attained the age of sixteen, through Facebook and began a sexual relationship with them sometime in August. On October 20, 2020, Yazzie engaged in a sexual act with a second victim. The victim told Yazzie “no” and they did not want to have sex with him, however Yazzie used his size and weight to threaten the victim. On November 5, 2020, Yazzie engaged in a sexual act with a third victim. Yazzie gave them alcohol, causing them to become intoxicated and incapable of participating in the sexual act. On November 26, 2020, the second victim disclosed to a family member that Yazzie had assaulted them 2 days prior. During a subsequent interview with law enforcement, Yazzie admitted to sexually abusing the victim. Upon his release from prison, Yazzie will be subject to supervised release for life and must register as a sex offender. The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin L. Dillon is prosecuting the case. # # # 23-168


title: Career Offender Who Led Authorities on a High-Speed Chase on I-95 Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison

component: USAO - North Carolina, Eastern

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. –A Wilson-based United Blood Nation gang member was sentenced to 420 months in prison followed by six years of supervised release. Nazeer Vick, 32, was convicted by a Federal jury in April on gun and drug trafficking charges. “Vick is a career criminal who led police on a high-speed chase exceeding 130 miles per hour on a busy interstate for nearly 26 miles,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “He endangered the lives of law enforcement and other drivers in his efforts to elude capture and continue his criminal activity. Now, he will spend the next 35 years in a federal prison.” “I would first like to thank all of the deputies and other law enforcement that were involved in removing this career criminal from our streets,” said Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone. “Not only did he put lives in danger, he showed no regard for his actions. I would also like to thank the hard work and success of the United States Attorney’s Office in prosecuting this case. It takes teamwork like this to remove gangs, guns, and drugs from our community.” “The State of North Carolina and the City of Wilson are safer places to live today because of this arrest and conviction,” said Wilson Police Chief Scott Biddle. “This case highlights the importance of our partnership with and the commitment of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to making our city and streets safer by eliminating threats to public safety like Mr. Vick and other known gang members.” According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Nazeer Vick, 32, was found in possession of a firearm and marijuana during a traffic stop in Wilson after a K9 unit detected the odor of marijuana. Vick was arrested but quickly bonded out of custody. Nearly six months later, on October 7, 2020, Nash County deputies encountered a car being driven by Vick that was driving erratically on Interstate 95, weaving in and out of traffic and reaching speeds in excess of 130 miles per hour. Vick fled from Nash County, into Wilson County and then into Johnston County where he crashed on I-95 after colliding with a transfer truck. Vick then crawled out of a window of the mangled car with a black bookbag and fled on foot to a nearby motel. Vick was captured by hotel security cameras running around the hotel attempting to open hotel room doors. He threw the bookbag into a trashcan and then hid in an electrical closet where he was later found by law enforcement. Officers recovered the discarded bookbag which contained cocaine, cocaine base, marijuana, various pills, a digital scale, a loaded firearm, and documents associated with Vick. Vick is a validated member of the United Blood Nation street gang and has a lengthy criminal history including voluntary manslaughter, selling heroin, possession with intent to sell or deliver heroin, and possession of a firearm by a felon. Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Wilson Police Department, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, Rocky Mount Police Department, and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Foxx and Robert Dodson prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-00485-D. ###


title: Man Sentenced for String of Crimes Including Child Exploitation, Video Voyeurism, Attempted Sexual Abuse, and Burglary

body_text: An Oklahoma man was sentenced today to 14 years and eight months in prison for cyberstalking, video voyeurism, burglary, attempted burglary, attempted sexual abuse, and coercing and enticing a minor. According to court documents, Tyler James Stephens, 25, of Checotah and a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, committed a string of crimes between May 2020 and May 2021. Stephens roamed Checotah, looking through the windows of residences, and sometimes taking photographs or videos of female victims in various states of undress within their homes. He broke into or attempted to break into the homes of some female victims of whom he had taken surreptitious images. Stephens also broke into a residence and attempted to sexually assault the resident while her minor child was in the room. In two instances, Stephens accessed a social media account belonging to someone else and used it to solicit nude or private images of minors, including by sending an obscene picture to one of the minors. Stephens also threatened to publicly post a photo of one of the minors and “ruin her life” if she did not comply with his requests. Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, and Special Agent in Charge Lester R. Hayes Jr. of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Dallas made the announcement. HSI investigated the case, with substantial assistance from the Checotah Police Department and Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police. Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Armed, Violent Meth Dealer Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison

component: USAO - Indiana, Southern

body_text: INDIANAPOLIS- David Taylor, 48, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to court documents, on February 5, 2021, investigators with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) stopped Taylor for a traffic violation as he was driving south on US 31 onto North Keystone Avenue. Officers approached the vehicle and immediately observed a firearm resting on the Taylor’s lap. Taylor was also driving with a suspended license. Officers seized the firearm and detained Taylor. An IMPD K9 sniffed the air surrounding the car and indicated the presence of illegal drugs. Officers searched the car and recovered approximately 333.54 grams of pure methamphetamine from the center console. In an interview with investigators, Taylor stated that he purchased the methamphetamine for $3,500 and would be paid $500 for delivering it to an individual in Indianapolis. Taylor further admitted to making other methamphetamine deliveries previously between South Bend and Fort Wayne. Taylor is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his previous felony convictions for theft, robbery, arson, and intimidation. United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zachary A. Myers, Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Columbus Field Division, and Chief Randal Taylor of IMPD made the announcement. “Deadly drugs and deadly weapons—especially in the hands of criminals who have repeatedly engaged in violent crimes—are a scourge on our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers. “The serious prison sentence imposed here demonstrates that these offenses will not be tolerated. I commend the work of the ATF and IMPD to stem the flow of poisons into our neighborhoods and take guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals who have no business possessing them.” The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and IMPD investigated this case, with assistance from the Fort Wayne Police Department. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge, Jane Magnus-Stinson. Judge Stinson also ordered that Taylor be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 8 years following his release from federal prison and pay an $800 fine. U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Kelsey L. Massa, who prosecuted this case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. ###


title: Waterford Woman Charged with Fraud and Theft from Addiction and Mental Health Services Nonprofit

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned an indictment charging MICHELE DEVINE, 49, of Waterford, with fraud and theft offenses in connection with her role as the former executive director of the Southeastern Regional Action Council on Substance Abuse, Inc. The indictment was returned on July 26. Devine appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford, entered a plea of not guilty, and was released on a $25,000 bond. As alleged in the indictment and statements made in Court, the Southeastern Regional Action Council on Substance Abuse, Inc. (“SERAC”), headquartered in Norwich, is a 501(c)(3) organization that serves 41 towns in southeastern and northeastern Connecticut with substance abuse, problem gambling, and mental health related services. SERAC is primarily funded through hundreds of thousands of dollars in state and federal grants from the State of Connecticut’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Devine was the executive director of SERAC until July of 2022. In that role, Devine is alleged to have spent thousands of dollars on purchases that did not relate SERAC but instead appear to be personal expenses for Devine and her family. These charges include thousands of dollars spent on home appliances; a trip to the Canyon Ranch luxury spa in the Berkshires, Massachusetts; timeshare fees at the Water’s Edge resort; and purchases at Marshalls, Target, Amazon, Best Buy, Etsy, and scrapbooking/crafting websites. The indictment charges Devine with nine counts of wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count, and two counts of theft from an agency receiving federal funds, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years on each count. U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of the New London State’s Attorney’s Office and the State of Connecticut Office of the Attorney General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah P. Karwan.


title: Maine Woman Faces Prison After Trading Use of Her Avon Residence to Traffickers for Drugs

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: BANGOR, Maine: A Franklin County woman pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to using and maintaining a drug premises, possessing fentanyl and cocaine base with intent to distribute, and aiding and abetting. According to court records, between March 2020 and July 2020, Brandice Dotolo , 40, allowed her Avon residence to be used for the use and distribution of heroin and cocaine base, commonly known as “crack,” in exchange for drugs. Law enforcement seized approximately 85 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl and 40 grams of crack during the execution of a search warrant at the residence. Dotolo faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine not to exceed $500,000, and supervised release for at least three years and up to life. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. ###


title: Superseding Indictment Alleges 3 More New Haven Gang Members Committed Murder and Attempted Murders

body_text: A federal grand jury in Bridgeport returned a superseding indictment yesterday charging an additional three alleged members and associates of the “Exit 8” street gang in New Haven with conspiring to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, including drug trafficking, murder, and attempted murder, as well as related offenses. The grand jury previously returned an indictment charging six alleged members and associates of Exit 8 with related offenses. Today’s announcement was made by Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; John P. Doyle, Jr., State’s Attorney for the New Haven Judicial District; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England; and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson. The superseding indictment charges JAEDYN RIVERA , also known as “Jae Honcho,” 22 TYJON PRESTON , also known as “TJ,” 21 SAMUEL DOUGLAS , also known as “Blamm,” 25 QUAYMAR SUGGS , 19 KIVEON HYMAN , also known as “Tiny, ” 25 DONELL ALLICK, JR. , also known as “D-Nice,” 24 DEVIN SUGGS , also known as “JB,” 19 NYZAIRE BARNES , also known as “Melo,” 19 ANTWAN HILL , also known as “Bandz,” 19 Devin Suggs, Barnes, and Hill were arrested today. They appeared in New Haven federal court and were ordered detained. Rivera, Preston, Douglas, Quaymar Suggs, Hyman, and Allick were charged in an indictment that was returned on March 22, 2023, and are detained. As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address violence in New Haven, including murders and attempted murders, the ATF, FBI, DEA and New Haven Police Department, working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, have been investigating an ongoing gang war between members and associates of the Exit 8 street gang and rival gangs in the Hill section and other areas of the city. The Exit 8 gang is named after the geographic area accessed by exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven. Recently, younger members of Exit 8 are identifying themselves with the word “Honcho,” which is derived from the street name of an Exit 8 member who was murdered on Quinnipiac Avenue in February 2020. The superseding indictment alleges that members of the Exit 8 gang engaged in drug trafficking, used and shared firearms, and, since June 2018, have committed at least three murders and 16 attempted murders. Exit 8 members and associates stole vehicles, at times from outside of the state, and used those stolen vehicles when committing acts of violence. Gang members also promoted, coordinated, facilitated, and celebrated their narcotics distribution and acts of violence through text messaging and the use of social media applications and websites including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube. Among the violent acts committed by the Exit 8 gang, the superseding indictment alleges that: On June 16, 2018, Douglas and Hyman shot and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang, and shot another individual in the vicinity; On January 24, 2019, members and associates of the gang shot and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang; On July 14, 2020, Preston and others shot and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang; On September 26, 2020, Hill, Preston, and others shot and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang; On April 27, 2021, Preston, Devin Suggs, and others shot and attempted to kill an individual; On May 3, 2021, Rivera shot and attempted to kill two members and associates of a rival gang; On May 10, 2021, Rivera and others shot and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang; On May 14, 2021, Rivera and Devin Suggs shot and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang; On May 17, 2021, Exit 8 members shot and attempted to kill rival gang members; On May 19, 2021, Hill, Preston and others conspired to kill rival gang members, including a rival gang member who was shot and killed on that date by Quaymar Suggs and others; On May 20, 2021, Rivera, Preston, and others shot and attempted to kill rival gang members, and Rivera, Devin Suggs, and others shot and attempted to kill two other individuals; On June 30, 2021, Preston shot and attempted to kill an individual; On July 5, 2021, Hill, Preston, and others shot and killed an individual; On August 29, 2021, Exit 8 members and associates shot and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang; On March 16, 2022, Devin Suggs and others shot at and attempted to kill rival gang members; On April 12, 2022, Hill, Barnes, and others shot at and attempted to kill rival gang members; On September 16, 2022, Allick and others shot and killed an individual. On January 20, 2023, Devin Suggs and others stole a black BMW from Scarsdale, New York. Devin Suggs and Barnes then shot and attempted to kill an individual. The superseding indictment charges each defendant with racketeering conspiracy. If convicted of this charge, Quaymar Suggs, Preston, and Allick face a maximum term of imprisonment of 60 years, and Rivera, Douglas, Hyman, Devin Suggs, Barnes, and Hill face a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. The superseding indictment also charges Rivera and Preston with attempted assault with a dangerous weapon and attempted murder, in violation of the Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering (“VCAR”) statute, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; Rivera with VCAR assault with a dangerous weapon and attempted murder, and offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; Rivera with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; and Douglas with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of cocaine, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. 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 investigation is being conducted by ATF, the FBI, the DEA, the New Haven Police Department, the Hamden Police Department, and the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens, Rahul Kale and Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis. This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs. PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities. Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .


title: U.S. Navy Sailor Arrested and Charged with Espionage

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 3, 2023 SAN DIEGO – Jinchao Wei, a United States Navy sailor, was arrested yesterday on espionage charges as he arrived for work at Naval Base San Diego, the homeport of the Pacific Fleet. Wei is scheduled to appear in federal court today pursuant to a federal grand jury indictment charging him with conspiracy to send national defense information to an intelligence officer working for the People’s Republic of China. The indictment, unsealed this morning, alleges that Wei, also known as Patrick Wei, was an active-duty sailor on the amphibious assault ship U.S.S. Essex stationed at Naval Base San Diego. In his role as a machinist’s mate, Wei held a U.S. security clearance and had access to sensitive national defense information about the ship’s weapons, propulsion and desalination systems. Amphibious assault ships like the Essex resemble small aircraft carriers and allow the U.S. military to project power and maintain presence by serving as the cornerstone of the U.S. Navy’s amphibious readiness and expeditionary strike capabilities. The crime of espionage under U.S. Code Section 794 has never been charged in this district, and until today had only been charged five times in the last six years across the entire country. The statute is reserved for the most serious circumstances involving the passage of national defense information intended to harm the United States or for the benefit of a foreign power. The indictment alleges the following: In February 2022, Wei began communicating with an intelligence officer from the People’s Republic of China who requested that Wei provide information about the U.S.S. Essex and other Navy ships. Specifically, the Chinese officer tasked Wei with passing him photos, videos, and documents concerning U.S. Navy ships and their systems. The two agreed to hide their communications by deleting records of their conversations and using encrypted methods of communication. At the request of the intelligence officer, Wei sent photographs and videos of the Essex; disclosed the locations of various Navy ships; and described defensive weapons of the Essex, between March 2022 and the present. In exchange for this information, the intelligence officer paid Wei thousands of dollars over the course of the conspiracy. The indictment further alleges that in June of 2022, Wei sent the intelligence officer approximately 30 technical and mechanical manuals. These manuals contained export control warnings and detailed the operations of multiple systems aboard the Essex and similar ships, including power, steering, aircraft and deck elevators, as well as damage and casualty controls. The intelligence officer confirmed with Wei that at least 10 of those manuals were useful to him. For passage of those materials, the indictment alleges that Wei was paid $5,000. In June 2022, the intelligence officer requested that Wei provide information about the number and training of U.S. Marines during an upcoming international maritime warfare exercise. In response to this request, Wei sent multiple photographs of military equipment to the intelligence officer. In August 2022, Wei sent an additional 26 technical and mechanical manuals related to the power structure and operation of the Essex and similar ships. The manuals contained warnings that this was technical data subject to export controls and that it was deemed “critical technology” by the U.S. Navy. The indictment further alleges that in October 2022, Wei sent a technical manual to the intelligence officer describing the layout and location of certain departments, including berthing quarters and weapons systems. Specifically, Wei sent a weapons control systems manual for the Essex and similar ships. This manual contained export-controlled data that could not be exported without a license from the U.S. government. The indictment alleges that Wei knowingly violated the International Traffic in Arms Regulations by transmitting this manual to the Chinese intelligence officer without obtaining a required license. The intelligence officer continued to request information in 2023, including information about the overhaul and upgrades to the Essex. Specifically, he requested blueprints, especially those related to modifications to the flight deck. Wei provided information related to the repairs the Essex was undergoing, as well as other mechanical problems with similar vessels. During the alleged conspiracy, the intelligence officer instructed Wei to gather U.S. military information that was not public and admonished him not to discuss their relationship and to destroy any evidence regarding the nature of their relationship and their activities. “We have entrusted members of our military with tremendous responsibility and great faith,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “Our nation’s safety and security are in their hands. When a soldier or sailor chooses cash over country, and hands over national defense information in an ultimate act of betrayal, the United States will aggressively investigate and prosecute.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and investigating agencies for their excellent work on this case. “Petty Officer Wei, who as a service member was trusted with our nation’s secrets, is accused of selling out his country and betraying his oath to the Navy by willingly providing sensitive military information to a Chinese intelligence officer for his own financial gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Brice Miller of the NCIS Office of Special Projects. “NCIS will continue to leverage its unique law enforcement and counterintelligence authorities to aggressively root out those who put our nation’s warfighters at risk. We sincerely thank the FBI and the Department of Justice for their significant assistance to this complex investigation.” “These arrests show the FBI’s commitment to utilizing all of its law enforcement and U.S. intelligence community resources and capabilities to aggressively combat the People’s Republic of China’s government’s threats against our military and to protect the United States’ most precious assets,” said FBI San Diego Field Office Special Agent in Charge, Stacey Moy. “We remain committed to identifying, disrupting, and dismantling any and all efforts by the PRC to threaten our national security.” This case was investigated by the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Parmley and Fred Sheppard from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California and Trial Attorney Adam Barry from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. View the Indictment wei_indictment.pdf An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. DEFENDANTS Case Number 23CR01471-H Jinchao Wei Age: 22 San Diego SUMMARY OF CHARGES Title 18, United States Code, Section 794(c) – Conspiracy to Communicate, Deliver, or Transmit Defense Information to Aid a Foreign Government Maximum penalty: Life in prison, $250,000 fine Title 18, U.S.C., Sec. 794(a) – Communicate, Deliver, or Transmit Defense Information to Aid a Foreign Government Maximum penalty: Life in prison and $250,000 Title 22, U.S.C., Sec. 2778(b)(2) and (c); Title 22, C.F.R., Secs. 121.1, 127.1 and 127.3 – Conspiracy to Export Defense Articles Without a License Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $1 million fine Title 22, U.S.C., Sec. 2778(b)(2) and (c); Title 22, C.F.R., Secs. 121.1, 127.1 and 127.3 – Export of Defense Articles Without a License Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $1 million fine INVESTIGATING AGENCIES Federal Bureau of Investigation Naval Criminal Investigative Service