SAVANNAH, GA: After almost three decades of committing violent crimes, a Savannah man has been sentenced to nearly 16 years in federal prison for weapons possession.

Harry Scott, 45, was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced to 188 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr., and to five years of supervised release after completion of his sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.

Scott was arrested Jan. 18, 2018, after an armed standoff with Savannah police officers. Those charges are being prosecuted in the state system. 

Scott’s violent, 27-year criminal record includes charges of armed robbery, statutory rape, aggravated assault and multiple drug offenses, along with an extensive history of violating probation. After his most recent arrest, he caught the attention of federal prosecutors under Project Ceasefire, an initiative designed to eliminate gun violence, and Project Safe Neighborhoods, which fights violent crime through inter-agency partnerships. During sentencing in federal court, Scott was deemed to be a career criminal and thus received an enhanced sentence. 

“When violent criminals like Harry Scott are allowed to terrorize neighborhoods, citizens understandably worry that their safety is being ignored,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Through such programs as Project Safe Neighborhoods and Project Ceasefire, we are dedicated to taking people like Scott off the street and reassuring residents that the sanctity and security of their communities is once again a priority.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated this case, along with the Savannah Police Department and SWAT team. Assistant United States Attorneys Tania D. Groover and Marcela C. Mateo prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

For any questions, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Brookhaven, Pennsylvania, man was sentenced today to an additional 160 months in prison for possessing hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse while imprisoned at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix for previous offenses involving the distribution and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Brian J. McKay, 47, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez to an information charging him with one count of possession of child pornography. Judge Rodriguez imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

McKay admitted that he possessed two micro SD Cards which together contained a total of approximately 593 images and 645 videos of child pornography, some of which depicted children being sexually abused and sadistic and masochistic sexual conduct involving infants and toddlers. In connection with his plea, McKay also admitted that he distributed child pornography to another inmate.

McKay and seven other inmates were arrested in April 2017 and February 2018 following an FBI investigation involving multiple covert recordings and several cooperating inmates. The investigation revealed that McKay and other inmates utilized contraband cellphones, micro SD cards, and access to the internet to obtain, view, and distribute child pornography within the prison. A co-defendant organized and helped facilitate this criminal activity by maintaining cloud accounts that were used as repositories for child pornography.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Rodriguez sentenced McKay to 10 years of supervised release. Restitution will be determined at a later date.

Six other inmates – all of whom were serving sentences for prior child pornography offenses while committing the alleged crimes in this case – have pleaded guilty: Erik M. Smith, 36, of Iron Mountain, Michigan; Anthony C. Jeffries, 32, of Orange, Virginia; Jordan T. Allen, 31, of Plain City, Ohio; Christopher D. Roffler, 30, of Virginia Beach, Virginia; Jacob S. Good, 26, of Fredericksburg, Virginia; and Charles Wesley Bush, 38, of Knoxville, Tennessee. Smith was sentenced to 151 months in prison and Good was sentenced to 10 years in prison; the other four defendants are awaiting sentencing.

William H. Noble, 52, of Lowell, Massachusetts, was indicted on May 23, 2018, and is scheduled for trial next year. The charges and allegations against Noble are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, with the investigation. He also thanked officials of the Bureau of Prisons at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix for their assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gabriel J. Vidoni and Alyson M. Oswald of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Camden.

Defense counsel: John B. Brennan Esq., Camden

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that Tramain R. Anderson, age 28, of Greenwood, was sentenced to 100 months in prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g).  United States District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks, of Charleston, sentenced Anderson and imposed a three-year term of supervised release.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on July 12, 2017, the Greenwood City Police Department received a report that a young woman was possibly being abused at a local motel.  Officers went to Room 207, knocked, and encountered Anderson.  Police smelled marijuana and Anderson admitted that he had just smoked a joint.  The drug evidence gave police probable cause to search the room.  Upon entering the room, they located  a young female occupant who said she was being held against her will and that she had been beaten by Anderson. She explained that Anderson had a gun and that it was in Anderson’s personal bag sitting on the bed.  In the bag, the officers found a Taurus .38 caliber revolver that was fully loaded. 

In consultation with local authorities, the U.S. Attorney’s Office agreed to prosecute Anderson for being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

The case was investigated by agents of the Greenwood City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Bill Watkins of the Greenville office handled the case.

This case is part of a joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Project CeaseFire is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Dr. Charles Garo Avetian, 55, of Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, a physician licensed in Pennsylvania, was charged today by Information with illegally distributing controlled substances and submitting false individual income tax returns.

The Information charges that Avetian, while working for entities that sold controlled prescription drugs via the Internet, issued invalid prescriptions for Fioricet, which contains butalbital, a barbiturate and Schedule III controlled substance, based solely upon his review of online questionnaires completed by the customers of the websites that employed him.  The defendant is also charged with failing to report approximately $363,830 of gross receipts earned during the tax years 2012 through 2014 on his federal income tax returns.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 139 years’ imprisonment, a three-year period of supervised release, a $7,250,000 million fine, and a $1,600 special assessment.  

“The conduct alleged to have occurred in this case is drug dealing – plain and simple.  Although the defendant’s chosen venue was the Internet rather than a street corner, the practical effect is the same and the impact to the community is just as bad,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain.  “The consequences should similarly reflect the severity of this behavior and the alleged tax fraud.”

“There are thousands of websites that claim to be online pharmacies offering controlled substance medications without a valid prescription and from an unregulated supply chain, which pose a serious risk to public health,” said Jonathan A. Wilson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Philadelphia Field Division.  “Dr. Avetian is accused of prescribing controlled substance medications outside of the usual course of medical practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, which are violations of federal law.”

“No matter what the source of income, all income is taxable.  Each of us is responsible for filing correct and accurate tax returns,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Guy Ficco.  “We will vigorously investigate those individuals who knowingly and willfully evade their tax obligation.”

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank R. Costello, Jr.

An Indictment, Information or Criminal Complaint is an accusation.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

NEWARK, N.J. – A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier was indicted today on charges that he accepted cash bribes in return for intercepting and delivering parcels containing illegal narcotics and conspiring to defraud the United States, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Fred Rivers, 46, of Newark, was charged by indictment with receiving bribes as a public official and conspiracy to defraud the United States by interfering with and obstructing the lawful function of the USPS. Rivers will be arraigned at a later date.

According to documents filed in this case:

Rivers was a mail carrier at the USPS Springfield Station in Newark. From October 2016 through September 2017, Rivers accepted cash bribes from Glenn Blackstone, who received parcels containing illegal narcotics through the mail. While on duty, Rivers intercepted these parcels and personally delivered them to Blackstone at locations in Newark, not to the recipient address noted on the parcels. Rivers received cash payments of approximately $100 from Blackstone for each delivery.

Rivers began delivering the intercepted parcels to Blackstone in exchange for cash after another mail carrier, Leonard Gresham, asked Rivers to make the deliveries when Gresham was unavailable to do so.

Gresham pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme on Feb. 13, 2018. Blackstone pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme on April 17, 2018. They are both awaiting sentencing.

The bribery charge is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison. Both charges carry a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain from the offense.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents with the USPS Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, Northeast Area Field Office, and inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge James Buthorn, with the investigation leading to today’s indictment.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jihee G. Suh of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

Defense counsel: Paulette Pitt Esq., Woodbridge, New Jersey

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, announced that SERAFINO CANINO, 52, of Torrington, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport federal court to one count of tax evasion.

According to court documents and statements made in court, CANINO was employed by and had an ownership interest in Innovative Concepts Corporation (“ICC”), a company that manufactured and distributed small power and hand tools.  ICC contracted with factories in Asia through intermediaries located in Taiwan.  The intermediaries were responsible for, among other things, negotiating with the factories in Asia, ensuring the shipment of manufactured products to ICC, and invoicing ICC for the manufacturing of its products.

From 2008 through 2011, CANINO engaged in fraudulent billing using two of ICC’s intermediaries in Taiwan whereby CANINO instructed the intermediaries to charge ICC an inflated price and kick back the overage to CANINO using overseas bank accounts and an overseas corporate entity.  Through this scheme, CANINO improperly received more than $633,000 in income.  CANINO failed to disclose this illegal income to his accountants who prepared his federal tax returns, and he failed to report the income on his 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 tax returns.  The total tax loss to the Internal Revenue Service was $186,358.

CANINO is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill on December 17, 2018, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years and more than $430,000 in back taxes, interest and penalties.

This matter is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan L. Wines.

NEWARK, N.J. – Three men were charged today in connection with their respective roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy, U.S Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Ahmad Johnson, a/k/a “OC,” 38, Cory Canzater, a/k/a “Big C,” 45, and Maurice McPhatter a/k/a “Ree,” 45, all of Newark, were charged today in a five-count indictment. All three defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including heroin, cocaine and fentanyl (Count One). Additionally, Johnson is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin (Count Two); two counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin (Counts Three and Four); and one count of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon (Count Five). The indictment follows the arrests of seven members of Johnson’s drug trafficking organization in September 2017.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From September 2016 through June 2017, Johnson and others took part in a heroin distribution conspiracy that operated in and around Newark.

Through the authorized interception of telephone calls and text messages, controlled purchases of heroin, the use of confidential sources of information, and other investigative means, law enforcement learned that Johnson was allegedly a leader of the conspiracy and was responsible for obtaining wholesale amounts of narcotics, including heroin and cocaine, and processing and packaging the narcotics for sale. Johnson sometimes found users to “test” the narcotics to evaluate their quality, potency, and danger for broader distribution. Distributors then sold the narcotics to other distributors and to users.

Count One of the indictment, the conspiracy charge against Johnson, Canzater and McPhatter, carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine. Counts Two and Four are punishable by up to 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine, Count Three is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine and Count Five is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Attorney Carpenito credited special agents and officers with DEA’s High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Group 1, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Valerie A. Nickerson, with the investigation leading to todays’ indictment.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari B. Fontecchio of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force / Narcotics Unit in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

            CONCORD – Meredith Willey, 38, of Groveton, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, as a result of an on-going drug trafficking investigation, agents and task force officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration learned that on March 1, 2018, an individual intended to travel from New Hampshire to a location in Lawrence, Massachusetts to purchase 250 grams of a controlled substance.  Agents conducted surveillance in the area of the transaction and observed a known drug trafficker get in the back seat of the car and exit a few minutes later.  The vehicle left Massachusetts and agents followed it directly to New Hampshire.

            The agents informed a New Hampshire State Trooper patrolling Interstate Route 93 about their surveillance observations.   The trooper stopped the vehicle for traffic violations.  Willey was a passenger in the vehicle.  Willey subsequently admitted that she and the driver went to Lawrence to buy “dope.”  Willey consented to a search of the car and signed a consent to search form.  The troopers found a hidden compartment containing approximately 240 grams of fentanyl.  Willey admitted that she and the driver purchased fentanyl in Lawrence and resold the drug in New Hampshire.

            Willey is scheduled to be sentenced on January 3, 2019.

            “Fentanyl continues to pose a significant threat to our state,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “We are committed to stopping the flow of fentanyl into New Hampshire.  Drug traffickers should understand that the law enforcement community is working hard each day to identify and prosecute those who are responsible for distributing this deadly drug in the Granite State.”     

            The case was a collaborative investigation that involved the DEA; the New Hampshire State Police; the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office; the Nashua Police Department; the Massachusetts State Police; the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office; the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office; the Essex County District Attorney’s Office; the Internal Revenue Service; Immigration and

            Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; United States Customs and Border Protection Boston Field Office; the United States Marshals Service; the United States Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; the Manchester Police Department; the Lisbon Police Department; the Littleton Police Department; the Seabrook Police Department; the Haverhill (MA) Police Department; the Methuen (MA) Police Department; the Lowell (MA) Police Department; and the Maine State Police.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Georgiana L. Konesky, Seth R. Aframe and Debra M. Walsh.

            This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.  

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On September 24, 2018, Dean Alan Treadway, 71, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was sentenced by the Honorable Leon Jordan, Senior U.S. District Judge, to serve 120 months in prison for possessing child pornography.  Upon his release from prison, Treadway will be supervised by U.S. Probation for life and be required to register as a sex offender.  He will also forfeit property used to commit the offense.

Treadway pleaded guilty in February 2018 to possession of child pornography. According to documents on file with the U.S. District Court, an investigator with the Knoxville Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) received a lead from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating that Treadway was involved in the exchange of child pornography. During the course of the investigation, ICAC Investigators learned that Treadway was a registered sex offender due to a 2006 conviction of possession of child pornography in United States District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee. The ICAC executed a federal search warrant at Treadway's residence, which led to the discovery of multiple computers and electronic devices that were later determined to contain images and videos of child pornography.

This investigation was conducted by the Knoxville Police Department ICAC in conjunction with the FBI, Knoxville Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bart Slabbekorn represented the United States in court proceedings.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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TRENTON, N.J. - A New York stock trader today admitted making bribe payments to a broker at an investment banking firm in exchange for stock allocations, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Adam Rentzer, 52, of Roslyn, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of violating the Travel Act by engaging in a commercial bribery scheme.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Rentzer was a trader who purchased and sold securities in initial and secondary public stock offerings, including offerings marketed by two investment banking firms in New York (“Firm A” and “Firm B”). Brian M. Hirsch was an employee of Firm A and later Firm B, and was responsible for allocating initial and secondary public stock offerings to clients.

Between mid-2013 and January 2017, Rentzer and others paid cash kickbacks to Hirsch in exchange for Hirsch providing favorable allocations from public stock offerings marketed by Firms A and B. The kickback payments were based on an agreed-upon percentage of the profits that Rentzer realized from his subsequent sales of stocks that he purchased in the stock offerings. Hirsch did not disclose any of these payments to Firms A and B and took steps to conceal his corrupt arrangement with Rentzer and others. In accepting the payments, Hirsch knowingly violated various policies and procedures of Firms A and B, including policies governing stock allocations and conflicts of interest. Rentzer paid Hirsch a total of $150,000 to $250,000.

Rentzer faces a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 11, 2019.

On Dec. 19, 2017, Hirsch pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Travel Act in connection with the scheme. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 18, 2018.

In a separate civil action, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today filed a complaint against Rentzer in Trenton federal court.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, for the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s New York Regional Office under the direction of Regional Director Marc P. Berger for its assistance in the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas P. Grippo of the Economic Crimes Unit.

Defense counsel: John F. Carman Esq., Garden City, New York

NEW ORLEANS –U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that ARCHIE MORRIS, age 40, of New Orleans, was charged Friday, September 21, 2018 with arson, possession of unregistered destructive devices, and possession of a destructive device during and in relation to a crime of violence. 

U. S. Attorney Strasser reiterated that an Indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, MORRIS faces, as to Counts One, Three, Six, Seven and Eight of the Indictment, a minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum of twenty years, a fine of $250,000, three years of supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 special assessment, per count.  As to Counts Two and Four of the Indictment, the defendant faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years, a fine of $10,000, three years of supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 special assessment, per count.  As to Count Five, the defendant faces a minimum term of imprisonment of thirty years and a maximum term of life, a fine of $250,000, five years supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 special assessment.

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John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TRAVIS W. McCOY, 24, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 156 months of imprisonment, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for enticing minors to engage in sexual activity over the internet.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between approximately August 2015 and March 2017, while he was attending college and living in New London, McCOY used internet-based video chatting services, including Kik and Google Hangouts, and internet-based gaming systems, such as Xbox Live, to entice four minor males between the ages of 9 and 14 to engage in sexually explicit conduct over video-chatting services, such as Skype.  McCOY either took screen shots of the minors engaged in sexual activity, or requested and received from the minors digital images and videos in which the minors are depicted engaging in sexual activity.  McCOY also sent sexually explicit images and videos of himself to the minor victims.

The investigation revealed that McCOY initially met one of the minor victims at a summer camp in Texas where McCOY had worked as a camp counselor.

The investigation further revealed that McCOY maintained three Dropbox accounts and gave the password to one of the accounts to a person living in Los Angeles as a way to share and receive child pornography.  The Dropbox accounts contained 684 images and more than 89 hours of videos of child pornography, and were accessed by people around the world.  There is no evidence that McCOY distributed any of the images or videos he received from the four minor victims he enticed.

McCOY has been detained since his arrest on June 28, 2017.  On June 27, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.

This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the New London Police Department and the Houston Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

            WASHINGTON – Kevin Hammond, 26, of Suitland, Md., pled guilty today to charges stemming from an armed carjacking in the Ivy City neighborhood of Northeast Washington in which he pistol-whipped the victim so violently that the gun broke into two pieces. He then fled from police before being captured a short time later at a construction site.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Henry P. Stawinski III, Chief of the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department.

            Hammond pled guilty in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia to one count of federal carjacking, one count of the federal offense of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of the federal offense of interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle. He also pled guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon, and leaving the scene of an accident with personal injury, both District of Columbia offenses. Under federal sentencing guidelines, the charges carry an estimated 16 to 18 years in prison. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date before the Honorable James E. Boasberg. 

            According to the government’s evidence, at about 6 a.m. on Monday, Aug.  14, 2017, Hammond brandished a firearm and stole a van from a handyman who was getting ready for work in New Carrollton, in Prince George’s County, Md.  Hammond then drove the van into Washington, D.C. and to the Ivy City neighborhood of Northeast Washington.

            The van was equipped with a GPS system, and officers with the Prince George’s County Police Department and MPD were able to track and locate the vehicle.  At about 7 a.m., as officers tried to stop the stolen vehicle that Hammond was driving, he fled the van and ran, jumping over a fence and running down an alleyway.  Hammond then encountered another man in the 1900 block of Fairview Street NE who was parking his car to go to work. Hammond brandished a firearm to carjack this man’s vehicle. After grabbing the keys, Hammond pistol-whipped the man, striking him repeatedly in the face and head with the firearm, until the gun broke into two pieces.  He then drove the stolen car down New York Avenue NE in rush-hour traffic with the police in pursuit; finally, he crashed into another car and fled on foot.  Hammond was apprehended a short distance away, hiding in a construction site near Fourth Street and New York Avenue NE.  He has remained in custody since his arrest.

            Hammond still faces charges in Prince George’s County, and he is presumed innocent of those charges until, and unless, proven guilty.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Cekada, Chief Newsham, and Chief Stawinski commended the work of the detectives and patrol officers of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Fifth District, the officers of the Prince George’s County Police Department, the crime scene officers from the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, and agents and DNA lab personnel from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Trigoso, Paralegal Specialist Jeannette Litz, and Victim/Witness Advocates Yvonne Bryant and Tonya Jones.  Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dineen A. Baker and Anthony Scarpelli, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

NEWARK, N.J. – Six Paterson, New Jersey, men have been charged with taking part in a scheme to break into U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail collection boxes throughout northern New Jersey and steal the mail—particularly, checks—inside, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Ismael Alicea, Jr., 25, Yerrisson Garcia-Rodriguez, 23, Jerry Lake-Rodriguez, 25, Johan Lake-Rodriguez, 26, Brayan Ulloa-Ulloa, 24, and Jefersson Quezada, 21, are each charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Each defendant, except Alicea, is also charged with one count of bank fraud. Garcia-Rodriguez, Jerry Lake-Rodriguez, Johan Lake-Rodriguez, and Quezada are additionally charged with one count of aggravated identity theft, and Alicea and Johan Lake-Rodriguez are charged with possession of stolen mail.    

According to the complaint:

The defendants stole checks from USPS mail collection boxes in Passaic, Bergen, Morris, Essex, and Middlesex counties, and elsewhere, and fraudulently deposited them into various bank accounts, often within a day of being stolen. Some defendants broke into mail collection boxes using pry bars, usually late at night. Law enforcement officers have identified at least $300,000 worth of stolen checks that were deposited into the bank accounts.

Four of the defendants were arrested this morning and made their initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Joseph Dickson in Newark federal court. Johan Lake-Rodriguez is in state custody and will make his initial appearance later this week. Jefersson Quezada remains at large.      

The conspiracy and bank fraud charges each carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a penalty of a mandatory term of two years in prison, to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed.    

U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Newark Division, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge James Buthorn, with the investigation leading to today’s arrests and charges. He also thanked the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance with the investigation. 

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Macurdy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

TULSA, Okla.—Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced today the grant awards to Public Safety Partnership member sites that will include $800,000 in funding to Tulsa law enforcement departments and their partners to fight violent crime.

The partnership delivers $10 million in grant awards to support various state, local and tribal law enforcement departments and agencies who battle violent crime. Tulsa was awarded $800,000 to fund ballistic technology and to improve investigative practices through Crime Gun Intelligence Centers. 

The Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance, in partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, is awarding $5 million under the Local Law Enforcement Crime Gun Intelligence Center Integration Initiative to encourage local jurisdictions to use intelligence, technology and community engagement to identify unlawfully used firearms and to prosecute those who commit violent crimes.

“This crime-fighting collaboration will be Tulsa tailored. It will provide a data driven, strategic look at the city’s most violent and problematic criminal activity that is infiltrating and harming neighborhoods. Additionally, our Tulsa law enforcement partners, who know our community well, will play an active role in forming priorities and solutions and will further gain invaluable tools, training and focused resources,” said United States Attorney Trent Shores. “Together, we will all move forward in our common mission to stop violent crime and create an environment where our neighborhoods thrive.”

Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said, “We are very grateful to be receiving this Department of Justice grant, which will formalize Tulsa as a Crime Gun Intelligence Center.  This funding will help support collaborative efforts that are already in place with our federal and local partners here in Tulsa. These resources will help us identify our most violent offenders even quicker, targeting them for enforcement and removing them from our streets.  The Tulsa Police Department has a world class forensic laboratory that supports some of the most gifted investigators and prosecutors in the nation.  I look forward to seeing all that is accomplished with this grant!”

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler added, “Tulsa County is indeed blessed to have a network of partner agencies working hard to reduce violent crime in our communities.  I am committed to ensuring public safety, and the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office is proud to be part of this effort.”

Grant recipients include the PSP cities of Indianapolis, Indiana, $798,866; Memphis, Tennessee, $714,055; Tulsa, Oklahoma, $800,000 and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, $634,971.  Other locations include Detroit, Michigan, $800,000; the Albuquerque, New Mexico, Police Department, $452,108, and the City/County of San Francisco, California, $800,000. The jurisdictions will use these awards to hire personnel to utilize the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), to purchase technology required to operate a Crime Gun Intelligence Center and ammunition for ballistic tests of recovered weapons. 

Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the announcement during today’s National Public Safety Partnership Symposium on Violent Crime in Birmingham, Alabama. The National Public Safety Partnership is a DOJ-wide initiative that enables cities to consult with and receive a coordinated  array of resources from DOJ’s programmatic and law enforcement components: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; United States Attorneys’ Offices; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Office on Violence Against Women; the Office of Justice Programs; the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; and other federal agencies in order to improve local violence reduction strategies. 

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Donald Henderson, 35,of Winthrop, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to making false statements to a federal firearms licensee. 

According to court records, in February and March, 2017, Henderson purchased a firearm from a Kennebec County firearms dealer.  During each transaction, Henderson falsely claimed to be the actual purchaser of the firearm, when, in fact, he was not.  He also claimed that he was not an unlawful user of controlled substances, when, in fact, he was.

The defendant faces up to 10 years in prison, three years supervised release and a $250,000 fine.  He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that James Robinson, 60, of Concord, New Hampshire, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Senior Judge George Z. Singal to three years of probation for Social Security fraud. Robinson was also ordered to pay $45,473 in restitution to the Social Security Administration (SSA). As a condition of probation, Robinson is required to sell property that he owns in Cornish, Maine, with the proceeds to go toward restitution.  On March 27, Robinson was found guilty following a two-day jury trial.

Evidence at trial revealed that Robinson received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, which are paid to people with limited income who are blind, disabled or elderly. Between 2008 and 2013, Robinson falsely represented to the SSA that he was living alone in Cornish, and was not receiving help or money from any person. In fact, he was living in Concord with his wife who was providing him with financial assistance. Had Robinson been truthful, he would have been ineligible for SSI benefits. In 2015, Robinson also gave false statements to an SSA Special Agent investigating the matter.

The investigation was conducted by the SSA, Office of the Inspector General, and the Maine Department of Health & Human Services, Fraud Investigation & Recovery Unit.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Roger Edward Picard, 66, of Garland, Maine was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to 1½ years in prison and five years of supervised release for failing to register as a sex offender.  Picard pled guilty on May 17.

According to court records, in 1983, Picard was convicted in Massachusetts of Rape of a Child, by force and beating.  As a result, he was required to register as a sex offender. He did so in Hawaii on April 2, 2015 and acknowledged that he had to register if he moved to another state.  On or before December 3, 2016, Picard moved to Garland but failed to register as required. He was arrested on March 1, 2018.

Prior to imposing the sentence, Judge Levy noted that the purpose of sex offender registration is to protect the public and children, in particular, from sex offenders and that the defendant’s failure to register frustrated the purpose of the act and deprived those in his community of the fact that he had a history as a sex offender.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service.

            WASHINGTON – The former president of a Texas-based non-profit has been charged in an indictment unsealed today for his role in a scheme to conceal the fact that a 2013 Congressional trip to Azerbaijan was funded by the Azerbaijan government.

            Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, and Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.

            Kemal Oksuz, aka Kevin Oksuz, 48, previously a resident of Arlington, Virginia, allegedly lied on disclosure forms filed with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics prior to, and following, a privately sponsored Congressional trip to Azerbaijan.  According to the indictment, Oksuz allegedly falsely represented and certified on required disclosure forms that the Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasions (TCAE), the Houston non-profit for which Oksuz was president, had not accepted funding for the Congressional trip from any outside sources.  According to the charges, Oksuz in truth orchestrated a scheme to funnel money to fund the trip from the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), the wholly state-owned national oil and gas company of Azerbaijan, and allegedly concealed the true source of funding, which is alleged to violate House travel regulations.

            The five-count indictment was returned earlier this year in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and ordered unsealed today. It charges Oksuz with one count of devising a scheme to falsify, conceal, and cover up material facts from the Ethics Committee and four counts of making false statements to Congress.

            Oksuz is considered a fugitive. A warrant for his arrest was issued earlier this year and remains outstanding. Oksuz was recently detained by authorities in Armenia.

            The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Marco Palmieri of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Misler of the District of Columbia.

            An indictment contains only allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

Memphis, TN – Attorney General Jeff Sessions today announced grant awards to Public Safety Partnership member sites as part of $10 million in funding to support state, local, tribal law enforcement departments, agencies, and their partners who are fighting violent crime in jurisdictions across the United States.

The Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance, in partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, is awarding $5 million under the Local Law Enforcement Crime Gun Intelligence Center Integration Initiative to encourage local jurisdictions to use intelligence, technology and community engagement to identify unlawfully used firearms and to prosecute those who commit violent crimes.

Grant recipients include the PSP cities of Indianapolis, Indiana, $798, 866; Memphis, Tennessee, $714,055; Tulsa, Oklahoma, $800,000 and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, $634,971. Other locations include Detroit, Michigan, $800,000; the Albuquerque, New Mexico, Police Department, $452,108, and the City/County of San Francisco, California, $800,000. The jurisdictions will use these awards to hire personnel to utilize the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), to purchase technology required to operate a Crime Gun Intelligence Center and ammunition for ballistic tests of recovered weapons.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "The Department of Justice is committed to providing meaningful resources to strategically combat violent crime and firearms offenses. We are pleased that Memphis has been selected as a Public Safety Partnership site and we appreciate the commitment of Attorney General Sessions, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and ATF in providing over $1.1 million in grant funding to equip law enforcement and prosecutors to more effectively deal with violent crime committed with firearms. PSP’s technical and strategic support has already contributed to the reduced violent crime rates that we have experienced. The enhanced financial support from this grant announcement is greatly needed to efficiently combat violent crime in the Memphis community, which will impact the entire Western District of Tennessee as a whole. We applaud our local law enforcement partners at the Memphis Police Department, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and the Shelby County District Attorney General, for their commitment to this partnership and continued utilization of these resources. We look forward to using the NIBIN technology and the Crime Gun Intelligence Center to respond to and solve shooting incidents, and to remove violent offenders from the streets of Memphis."

The Attorney General also announced awards for BJA’s Technology Innovation for Public Safety (TIPS): Addressing Precipitous Increases in Crime program.

This program supports the Department’s priorities of reducing violent crime and supporting law enforcement officers, including prosecutors. While many jurisdictions are making significant progress implementing justice information sharing solutions to address critical gaps in crime prevention and response activities across organizations and jurisdictions, there remain challenges for the criminal justice system to respond to threats to public safety. This is especially true for efforts addressing significant increases in crime.

Justice information sharing technology refers to any hardware and software, hosted residentially or remotely, that plays a role in the collection, storage, sharing and analysis of criminal justice data. Funding under this program is provided to help state, local, territorial, and tribal jurisdictions use innovative technological solutions to enhance their justice information-sharing capacity.

Grant recipients include the PSP cities of Memphis, Tennessee, $417,224; Toledo, Ohio, $492,553; Flint, Michigan, $499,694 and Houston, Texas, $500,000. Other locations include Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, $317,834; City of Boynton Beach, Florida, $465,860; Clark County Social Service, Nevada, $500,000; New Mexico Second Judicial District Attorney, $500,000; State of Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection; $419,804; Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, New Jersey, $500,000; and Georgia Bureau of Investigation, $499,339. Additional information on the grant awards can be found at www.bja.gov.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the announcement during today’s National Public Safety Partnership Symposium on Violent Crime in Birmingham, Alabama. The National Public Safety Partnership is a DOJ-wide initiative that enables cities to consult with and receive a coordinated array of resources from DOJ’s programmatic and law enforcement components: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; United States Attorneys’ Offices; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Office on Violence Against Women; the Office of Justice Programs; the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; and other federal agencies in order to improve local violence reduction strategies.