KANSAS CITY, Mo. – U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison and U.S. Marshal Mark S. James announced today the results of a law enforcement operation that resulted in dozens of arrests and the seizure of multiple firearms and illegal drugs as part of the district’s renewed Project Safe Neighborhoods program.

“One year ago, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the launch of a reinvigorated Project Safe Neighborhoods program nationwide,” said Garrison. “Operation Washout is one example of the strategies we are implementing to reduce violent crime and make every community safer – especially the neighborhoods hardest hit by violent crime.”

“This is but a preview of what is to come,” said James. “In conjunction with our partners at the Kansas City Missouri Police Department and the other federal agencies, as well as members of the community, our deputies are working around the clock to rid the streets of these violent criminals victimizing our community.”

Operation Washout

For the past three weeks the United States Marshals Service conducted an enforcement operation in collaboration with the Kansas City and Independence, Mo., Police Departments, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in support of Project Safe Neighborhoods by tracking down some of the area’s most violent and persistent offenders in Operation Washout.

By the end of the three-week enforcement operation, deputy marshals, special agents and detectives arrested 56 people with state and federal felony warrants for violent crimes and drugs. The arrestees were among the most violent and active offenders in Kansas City. They are either known gang members, or subject to previous enforcement action through KC NoVA and KCPD, but continued to commit violent crimes. Officers also seized 10 handguns, two semi-automatic rifles, one shotgun, numerous rounds of ammunition and a variety of drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin, ecstasy and cocaine. 

The U.S. Marshals Midwest Violent Fugitive Task Force-Kansas City division, operates in conjunction with members of the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Independence, Mo., Police Department and other federal law enforcement partners. The task force objectives are to seek out and arrest fugitives charged with violent crimes, drug offenses, sex offenders and other serious felonies.  Nationally the United States Marshals Service fugitive programs are carried out with local law enforcement in 94 district offices, 85 local fugitive task forces, seven regional task forces, as well as a growing network of offices in foreign countries.

USA v. Walton

Investigations are currently underway to determine how many of those arrested in Operation Washout will be charged in state or federal court with additional crimes. One defendant, however, was indicted this week after he rammed two law enforcement vehicles while attempting to escape capture.

Brandon L. Walton, 36, of Kansas City, Mo., was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The federal indictment charges Walton with one count of being a felon in possession of firearms and two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal law enforcement officers.

Investigators had information that Walton, who had an active warrant for his arrest due to allegedly violating the conditions of his supervised release, was in possession of multiple firearms. Officers located Walton in the parking lot of a tire shop on Sept. 17, 2018, and attempted to pin in his vehicle in order to make an arrest. Walton accelerated, ramming into the front end of a Deputy U.S. Marshal’s vehicle and escaping. Walton accelerated at a high rate of speed while exiting the parking lot, crashed through the tires blocking the exit and traveled airborne before turning north on Troost Avenue. Another Deputy U.S. Marshal attempted to block Walton’s vehicle and their vehicles collided. Walton’s vehicle spun to a stop and was embedded in the fence of a neighboring day care center. Walton attempted to flee on foot, but fell to the ground.

Walton had a Sig Sauer .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun in his pants pocket. Officers found two more firearms on the passenger floorboard, a loaded DPMS Panther Arms .223-5.56mm semiautomatic rifle with an extended magazine, and a loaded Micro Draco 7.62x39mm semiautomatic pistol with an extended magazine.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Walton has two prior federal felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm, for which he was under supervised release at the time of his arrest.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Morgan. It was investigated by the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Independence, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

Operation Washout is part of a strategy to combat violent crime and drug trafficking in the Western District of Missouri. Friday, Oct. 5, will mark one year since Attorney General Jeff Sessions reprioritized and enhanced the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, making it the centerpiece of the department’s violent crime reduction strategy.

Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. Project Safe Neighborhoods empowers each U.S. Attorney’s Office to develop targeted, localized violent crime reduction strategies, tailoring solutions to each individual community with the resources of the Department of Justice and the cooperation of community members.

In support of these efforts, the Department of Justice has allocated more than 300 new federal prosecutor positions to the 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices. Four of those new positions were allocated in the Western District of Missouri, all of whom are now in place and joining the fight.

The Project Safe Neighborhoods effort in this district consists of the federal and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the Kansas City Crime Commission, and several prominent members of our community with law enforcement experience, including former Kansas City Police Department officials, former federal prosecutors, retired federal agents, and former U.S. Attorneys.

Project Safe Neighborhoods
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
 

One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. Today, $28 million in grant funding was awarded nationally to combat violent crime through PSN programs, as well as an additional $3 million for training and technical assistance to develop and implement violent crime reduction strategies and enhance services and resources for victims of violent crime. Locally, the District of Minnesota has received a funding allocation of $441,632.

“Collaboration with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community stakeholders to develop tailored solutions to address violent crime issues throughout the state is key,” said U.S. Attorney MacDonald. “I am surging federal resources to our violence reduction efforts, which includes hiring additional prosecutors and the provision of nearly $500,000 in funding. These resources will support an aggressive, three-pronged approach to our PSN strategy—including enforcement, prevention, and treatment—because ensuring safe neighborhoods and communities for all Minnesotans is my top priority.”

The District of Minnesota is collaborating with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to administer the funding. A portion of the funding will be dedicated to the City of Minneapolis to continue efforts to reduce gang and gun violence through its Group Violence Intervention (GVI) strategy. Funding will also be set aside for other jurisdictions that are seeing an uptick in violence and are interested in developing locally-based solutions, in partnership with the federal government. Additional information for jurisdictions interested in applying will be available in the coming months, through the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Justice Programs. 

FY 2018 PSN Funding Allocation amounts can be found here. 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

BOSTON - A Newton man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for conducting an extensive cyberstalking campaign against his former housemate, her family members, co-workers, friends, and other unrelated individuals. The defendant hacked into his former housemate’s online accounts, posted fraudulent sexual solicitations in the victims’ names, sent unsolicited images of child pornography, and made over 120 hoax bomb threats.  

Ryan S. Lin, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to 210 months in prison and five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty in April 2018 to seven counts of cyberstalking, five counts of distribution of child pornography, nine counts of making hoax bomb threats, three counts of computer fraud and abuse and one count of aggravated identity theft. Lin was arrested in October 2017, and has been in custody since.

From approximately May 2016 through Oct. 5, 2017, Lin engaged in a cyberstalking campaign against his housemate, a 25-year-old female victim. Lin hacked into the victim’s online accounts and devices and stole the victim’s private photographs, personally identifiable information, and private diary entries, which contained sensitive details about her medical, psychological and sexual history, and distributed the material to hundreds of people associated with her.

Lin also created and posted fraudulent online profiles in the victim’s name and solicited rape fantasies, including a “gang bang,” and other sexual activities, which in turn caused men to show up at the victim’s home. He also engaged in a number of other activities targeting the victim, including relentless anonymous text messaging and hoaxes.

In addition to his former housemate, Lin engaged in cyberstalking activity aimed at six other individuals. Some were associated with the primary victim, and others were unrelated. The additional victims include two women who were Lin’s housemates in Newton at the time of his arrest. On multiple occasions, Lin sent unsolicited sexually explicit images of prepubescent children to the primary victim’s mother, the victim’s co-worker and housemate, a friend of the victim who resided in New Jersey, and two of Lin’s former classmates in New York.

Furthermore, Lin falsely and repeatedly reported to law enforcement that there were bombs at the primary victim’s Waltham residence. Lin also created a false social media profile in the name of the primary victim’s housemate in Waltham and posted that he was going to “shoot up” a school in Waltham, stating that there would be “blood and corpses everywhere.” These threats became part of a prolonged pattern of threats in Waltham, and eventually in surrounding towns, including schools, homes, businesses and other institutions.  

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Waltham Police Chief Keith MacPherson made the announcement today. The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office and the Watertown, Newton and Wellesley Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Harman Burkart, Chief of Lelling’s Cybercrime Unit, and Senior Trial Attorney Mona Sedky of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section prosecuted the case. 

Jackson, Miss. – Terrence Omar Gates, 32, of Jackson, was found guilty this morning by a federal jury for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst, Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Jackson Police Chief James E. Davis.

On June 7, 2017, officers with the Jackson Police Department stopped Terrence Omar Gates for traffic violations at the corner of Mill Street and Mitchell Street. While running Gates’ driver’s license, one of the officers observed Gates reaching under the front passenger seat. Gates was ordered to stop reaching and was removed from the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and recovered a stolen Taurus pistol, a glass mason jar containing approximately 30 grams of marijuana, and a black digital weighing scale from under the front passenger seat where Gates was reaching. Approximately $6,937.00 wrapped in a rubber band was also recovered from Gates front left pocket.

Gates was previously convicted in the Circuit Court of Davidson County, Tennessee, for the felony offense of Criminal Simulation. He was also convicted in the Circuit Court of Hinds County for felony offenses of Possession of Counterfeit Currency and Grand Larceny.

Gates will be sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge William H. Barbour, Jr., on December 18, 2018, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jackson Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Keesha D. Middleton.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime in Jackson through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for"Empower Jackson Expel Crime Together." PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced that Marcia Evans, 60, of Gilbert, and Kimberly McCoy, 43, of Amherstdale, were sentenced for their involvement in the theft of the controlled substance Suboxone.  Evans and McCoy were sentenced to 10 and 6 months in prison, respectively. The sentences were imposed by United States District Judge David A. Faber.   The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy.

“The sentences imposed are consistent with federal guidelines.  The largest pharmaceutical theft in the recorded history of the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy, yet the sentencing guidelines suggested sentences that are comparatively light to other comparable drugs of abuse,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  “Suboxone is being abused in record numbers across the country.  I have personally requested that the DEA and Department of Justice reconsider the scheduling of Suboxone to a classification that will provide sentences worthy of the danger this drug poses if not used for legitimate medical purposes.”

Evans and McCoy perpetrated what the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy has called the largest pharmacy theft in West Virginia since records have been maintained by the Board. Both Evans and McCoy were previously employed as pharmacy technicians at Riverside Pharmacy in Gilbert. They admitted that from 2014 to September 2016, they conspired with others to take Suboxone and Xanax from the supply at the pharmacy. In order to conceal the shortage of controlled substances, Evans and McCoy manipulated the controlled substance count in the pharmacy’s computers. An audit was performed comparing shipment records with distribution records at the pharmacy, and a shortage of over 23,000 dosage units of Suboxone and over 137,000 dosage units of Xanax was revealed. Evans and McCoy further admitted that they sold some of the Suboxone stolen from the pharmacy.

This case is a result of the work of the Opioid Fraud Abuse and Detection Unit (OFADU), a Department of Justice initiative that uses data to identify and prosecute individuals that are contributors to the national opioid crisis.  The Southern District of West Virginia is one of 12 districts nationally to participate in the pilot program. 

Follow us on Twitter: @SDWVNewsand @USAttyStuart 

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United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Manuel Torres-Zapien, age 23, was sentenced in federal court Monday in Omaha, Nebraska, for one count of bank theft.  The Honorable Laurie Smith Camp sentenced Mitchell to three years’ probation.    

Torres-Zapien was formerly employed by Rochester Armored Car.  On September 5, 2017, while employed as a driver, he took a bag of currency bound for a Bucky’s Gas Station ATM.  The money belonged to Security National Bank.  Rochester was supposed to have 61 bags of currency that day and when they checked their logs they discovered there were only 60.  Torres-Zapien admitted to taking the bag containing $20,000 and returned it in full. 

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

CHARLESTON, W.VA. –  Don Lamont Wilkerson was sentenced yesterday to 240 months in prison. On March 30, 2018, a federal jury found Wilkerson, 44, of Charleston, guilty of three counts of distributing methamphetamine. He has been in federal custody since September 26, 2016.  United States Attorney Stuart commended the investigative work of the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT). 

“An oxycodone dealer turned meth dealer, convicted felon, repeat offender,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  “Wilkerson won’t be dealing any illicit drugs in our communities for a very long time.”

Wilkerson sold a total of five ounces of methamphetamine to a confidential informant on three separate occasions in September 2016. The drug deals took place in retail parking lots in the South Hills and Kanawha City neighborhoods of Charleston.

Wilkerson committed these crimes while he was serving a term of supervised release for his 2010 conviction of distribution of oxycodone. In addition to the sentence for his new criminal convictions, he was sentenced to 24 months in prison for violating the terms of his supervised release. His sentences will run consecutively, for a total of 22 years in prison.

Assistant United States Attorneys Gabriele Wohl and Steven I. Loew handled the prosecution. Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. 

Follow us on Twitter: @SDWVNewsand @USAttyStuart 

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SAN JUAN, P.R. – Today, after a 24-day jury trial, a jury found Aurea Vázquez-Rijos, a.k.a. “Beatriz Vázquez/Aurea Dominicci;” her sister Marcia Vázquez-Rijos and Marcia Vázquez-Rijos’s ex-boyfriend José Ferrer-Sosa, guilty of the murder of Adam Joel Anhang Uster, announced United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, Rosa Emilia Rodríguez Vélez. Adam Anhang was murdered on September 22, 2005.

The trial is a result of an investigation that caused the release from state prison of a man who was wrongly convicted of the murder of Adam Anhang. On or about October 2007, Jonathan Román-Rivera was convicted of the murder of Adam Anhang and sentenced to 105 years in prison. In June 2008, the federal investigation into the murder of Adam Anhang resulted in Román-Rivera’s release, and the arrest of Alex Pabón-Colón. On June 4, 2008, a Federal Grand Jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned a two-count indictment charging Aurea Vázquez-Rijos and Alex Pabón-Colón, a.k.a. “Alex el loco/Dante” for the murder of Adam Anhang. Pabón-Colón pleaded guilty on June 13, 2008. Aurea Vázquez-Rijos moved to Italy in 2008, in an effort to avoid prosecution. She was arrested in Spain in 2013 and extradited after contested proceedings in 2015. On August 15, 2013, a Federal Grand Jury returned a second superseding indictment charging José Ferrer-Sosa and Marcia Vázquez-Rijos, along with Aurea Vázquez-Rijos with the murder-for-hire of Adam Anhang. Charbel Vázquez-Rijos, Aurea and Marcia’s brother, is facing a charge for perjury before the Grand Jury and is pending trial.

More than 20 witnesses testified in the Government’s case. During trial, the government proved that Aurea Vázquez-Rijos, José Ferrer-Sosa and Marcia Váquez-Rijos met with Alex Pabón-Colón on September 21, 2005, to propose that Pabón-Colón murder Adam Anhang in exchange for the amount of three million dollars. Aurea Vázquez-Rijos made approximately ten telephone calls to Adam Anhang in order to induce him to have dinner with her at a restaurant in Old San Juan, and to facilitate his murder by defendant Pabón-Colón. On September 22, 2005, Alex Pabón-Colón received a call from José Ferrer-Sosa, who informed him that defendant Aurea Vázquez-Rijos and her husband were dining at a restaurant in Old San Juan and that Adam Anhang had to be murdered that evening.

After dinner, Pabón-Colón murdered Adam Anhang at the corner of San Justo and Luna streets in Old San Juan as Adam Anhang and defendant Aurea Vázquez-Rijos were returning to the parking garage to pick up Adam Anhang’s car. The murder was carried out, as previously discussed, and pursuant to the instructions Pabón-Colón had received from defendants Aurea Vázquez-Rijos, Jose Ferrer-Sosa, and Marcia Vázquez-Rijos. Pabón-Colón stabbed Adam Anhang on multiple occasions and forcefully hit him in the head area with a cobblestone, while his wife observed the fatal attack. Adam Anhang fought Pabón-Colón and tried to protect his wife from the assailant. Adam Anhang never knew his wife was the one who ordered the murder.

At trial, witnesses testified that Aurea Vázquez-Rijos watched as her husband got murdered; his last words were directed to her: “Run baby, run!” At the same time, she reminded Pabón-Colón that he needed to inflict an injury on her, in order to create the impression that she was blameless in the incident, and in order to perpetuate the idea that Adam Anhang’s death resulted from a robbery.

Evidence showed that Pabón-Colón wrote letters attempting to collect money from the defendants for the murder of Adam Anhang. Defendant Marcia Vázquez-Rijos received the third letter Pabón-Colón sent to them and she advised the person who delivered the letter to tell Pabón-Colón that they did not have the money to pay him. The jury found the defendants guilty of all counts including conspiracy and the use an interstate facility in murder-for-hire.

“Today’s verdict is the culmination of 13 years of tireless work by investigators, agents, and prosecutors. Their dedication has brought long-awaited justice to Adam Anhang’s family and friends,” said United States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. “I am immensely proud of our prosecution team and our law-enforcement partners for this successful prosecution; with the convictions of these defendants, the victim’s family will hopefully find some closure from this senseless crime.”

Murder for hire is a crime punishable by death or imprisonment for any term of years or for life.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Puerto Rico Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys José Ruiz-Santiago and Jenifer Y. Hernández-Vega.

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DENVER – The Justice Department as part of National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, and U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer, announced that Colorado will receive $6,227,854 in funds to combat the opioid crisis.  This comes at a time when the Colorado U.S. Attorney’s Office is taking a comprehensive approach to fighting illegally dispensed prescription drugs.  Nationally, the Department issued over $320 million to address the opioid crisis.  The unprecedented funding will directly help those most impacted by the deadliest drug crisis in American history, including victims, children, families, and first responders.

In 2017, more than 72,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdoses, an increase from the 64,000 overdose deaths in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The majority of these deaths can be attributed to opioids, including illicit fentanyl and its analogues.

October marks two important anti-drug events: Red Ribbon Week and National Prescription Drug Takeback Day. Red Ribbon Week takes place every year between October 23-31 and encourages students, parents, schools, and communities to promote drug-free lifestyles. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on October 27 aims to provide an opportunity for Americans to prevent overdose deaths and drug addictions before they start. DOJ expanded on DEA's Drug Takeback Days and collected more than 2.7 million pounds of expired or unused prescription drugs since April 2017. 

AWARDS

Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program to support our nation’s law enforcement officers and other first responders:     The City of Longmont -- $499,922

Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program to provide staffing and treatment resources within our nation’s jails and upon reentry to the community:     Boulder County -- $861,569

Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program to support public safety by information sharing by leveraging information from a variety of public health and safety data sources:      Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment -- $1,000,000

Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program to facilitate collaborations among criminal justice, mental health and substance abuse programs:      CO-MO Boulder County -- $346,512

Enhancing Community Responses To the Opioid Crisis:  Serving Our Youngest Crime Victims to help youth impacted by the opioids crisis:     Illuminate Colorado -- $749,491

Adult Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program:     Southern Ute Indian Tribe -- $327,822

Veterans Treatment Courts:      Colorado Judicial Department -- $1,581,248

Drug Treatment Courts to Enhance Existing Family Drug Courts:  Colorado Judicial Department -- $861,290

In response to the opioid crisis, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado has taken a novel approach to identify and pursue those prescribers and pharmacies whose abuses contribute to the opioid epidemic in Colorado.  First, the office created an internal Opioid Initiative Working Group, with attorneys and staff members from both the Criminal and Civil Divisions, that works strategically to make the most of the office’s civil and criminal tools and expertise.  Second, the office has undertaken a unique project to gather, combine, and analyze extensive data to identify unlawful conduct by prescribers and pharmacies.

This opioid working group has prioritized gathering and analyzing data to identify possible patterns of overprescribing and drug diversion.  A primary goal is to use data to determine potential targets whose conduct may be unlawful and where pursuit of that target would have a significant impact on opioid abuse in Colorado. 

The group has worked to identify “red flags” in the data that might show that a prescriber or pharmacy was writing or filling a medically unnecessary prescription.  For example, analysis of the data allowed us to identify prescribers and pharmacies that prescribe or fill the largest number of pills for highly abused prescription drugs such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, or fentanyl. 

“The Colorado U.S. Attorney’s Office is a national leader in using data to identify those in the opioid supply chain who cause the most harm to our citizens, and bringing them to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer.

The Attorney General has been resolute in the fight against the drug crisis in America. The Department assigned more than 300 federal prosecutors to U.S. Attorney’s offices and hired more than 400 DEA task force officers; announced the formation of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge, a new program to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas; and created a new data analytics program called the Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit to assist 12 prosecutors sent to drug “hot spot districts.” In addition, the Department charged more than 3,000 defendants with trafficking in heroin, fentanyl, or prescription drugs in FY 2017, announced the first-ever indictments of Chinese nationals for fentanyl trafficking, and scheduled variants of fentanyl to prevent illicit drug labs from circumventing the law. In addition, DOJ executed the largest ever health care fraud enforcement action charging more than 600 defendants and proposed rules consistent with President Trump's "Safe Prescribing Plan," requiring a reduction of ten percent in 2019 in manufacturing quotas. The Department dismantled AlphaBay, the largest criminal marketplace on the Internet and has already generated prosecutions in the fight against online drug trafficking through the Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement Team (J-CODE). 

OJP provides federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has six bureaus and offices: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking. More information about OJP and its components can be found at: www.ojp.gov.

BECKLEY, W. Va. -- United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced today that a Beckley man was sentenced to 36 months in prison on federal drug and gun charges.  Stuart commended the investigation conducted by the Beckley Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 

“Yet another meth dealer and convicted felon in possession of a firearm,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  “State and local law enforcement agencies are working closely with ATF to identify guys like Harvey in every southern West Virginia community and we are prosecuting them as part of our Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative.”

Anthony Harvey, 43, pled guilty in June to distributing methamphetamine and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.  On June 14, 2016, Harvey sold a quantity of methamphetamine to a confidential informant working with the Beckley Police Department.  On August 16, 2016, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Harvey’s home.  At that time Harvey was a twice-convicted felon and was in possession of firearms.  Specifically, he possessed a .22 caliber pistol and a .25 caliber revolver.  He was prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law because of two prior convictions, one for assault with a firearm in California in 1995, and the other for sale of marijuana in California in 2004. 

The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Irene C. Berger.

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Justice Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

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LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A Las Vegas resident who was standing trial for an armed carjacking pleaded guilty late Monday to the federal charge, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada.

On the first day of trial, after a jury selection was complete, Raul Casarez, 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kent J. Dawson to one count of carjacking. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 30, 2019.

As part of the plea agreement, Casarez admitted that, on January 1, 2015, he and two accomplices entered a 63-year-old man’s home in Henderson, Nevada. Once inside the victim’s house, Casarez pointed the firearm at the victim’s face and demanded money.  He tied the victim up and threatened to shoot the victim if the victim didn’t do what he said to do. Once the victim was restrained, Casarez stole a television, a camera, and other property from the house. Then he loaded the stolen property into the victim’s pickup truck and left the residence, taking the stolen items and vehicle with him. He later unloaded the property into a separate vehicle and parked the stolen truck near the Fiesta Casino in Henderson where it was later recovered by law enforcement. Forensic evidence, including fingerprints, tied Casarez and his accomplices to the crime. At the time of this offense, Cararez was wanted for violations of his federal supervised release for an underlying felony Escape conviction from 2013. Casarez has multiple prior felony convictions, including priors for Robbery, Attempted Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Escape. Casarez’s accomplices previously pleaded guilty to charges arising from this event. 

The maximum statutory penalty is 15 years and a fine of $250,000. 

The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Henderson Police Department, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Gang Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nadia J. Ahmed and Alexandra Michael are prosecuting the case.

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LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A nurse practitioner and a surgical technician pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday in connection to the unlawful distribution of prescription opioids and for committing Medicare and Medicaid fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada.

Robert D. Harvey, a surgical technician, 45, of Henderson, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and three counts of distribution of a controlled substance, and Alejandro “Alex” Incera, aka Alexander Jiminez-Incera, an Advance Practice Registered Nurse, 48, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty to eight counts of distribution of controlled substance and eight counts of health care fraud.

The investigation revealed that from January 1, 2018 to about May 3, 2018, Harvey and Incera conspired to distribute Hydrocodone and Oxycodone to patients without a legitimate medical purpose in exchange for cash payments.

Harvey, who did not have a medical or DEA license, met individuals in various parking lots in the Las Vegas Valley and unlawfully distributed opioid prescriptions using Incera’s prescription pad with Dr. Horace P. Guerra’s DEA license number, in exchange for cash payments. Dr. Guerra would pre-sign the prescriptions, facilitating Harvey’s unlawful distribution. 

Incera also defrauded Medicare and Medicaid by writing Lidocaine, Modafinil, and Diclofenac Sodium prescriptions to patients without a legitimate medical purpose between July 2016 to about December 2017. The prescriptions were filled and processed by Atlas Pharmacy who paid Incera approximately $30,000 in exchange for referring patients to fill their prescriptions at Atlas Pharmacy. The Medicare and Medicaid programs were defrauded out of approximately $3.7 million.

United States District Judge James C. Mahan accepted their guilty pleas and scheduled a sentencing hearing for January 10, 2019. The maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $250,000 for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and distribution of a controlled substance, and the maximum penalty is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for health care fraud.

Co-defendant Leslie Kalyn, aka Leslie Feth, a Doctor of Nursing, 35, of Las Vegas, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and six counts of health care fraud and is scheduled for a jury trial on September 23, 2019. Guerra, 55, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and he is scheduled to be sentenced on October 25, 2018. Nelson M. Mukuna, owner and operator of Atlas Pharmacy, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of structuring transactions to evade reporting requirements, and he is scheduled to be sentenced on December 3, 2018.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Nevada Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kilby Macfadden is prosecuting the case.

The District of Nevada was selected as one of 12 districts nationally to participate in the Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit, a program that utilizes data to help combat the devastating opioid crisis. The District of Nevada has assigned a prosecutor that focuses solely on investigating and prosecuting health care fraud related to medical professionals who prescribe opioids, that unlawfully divert of dispense prescription opioids for illegitimate purposes.

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LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A felon who disguised himself by applying dark colored makeup pleaded guilty Tuesday to armed robbery of a casino floor cashier cage at New York-New York Hotel and Casino, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson of the District of Nevada.

Cameron James Kennedy, 27, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard F. Boulware, II to one count of interference with commerce by robbery. He faces the maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, at the December 13, 2018 sentencing hearing.

This is Kennedy’s second federal conviction. He was placed on federal supervision starting June 23, 2017, after serving a 63-month sentence for two bank robberies he committed in 2012. During those robberies, he threatened to kill a bank teller and displayed a BB gun painted to look like an actual gun. On January 9, 2018, less than seven months into his supervision, Kennedy cut off his GPS monitoring bracelet and absconded from court-ordered home confinement. About three hours later, at about 12:45 a.m. on January 10, Kennedy – while wearing makeup that darkened his skin tone – demanded money from a casino floor cage cashier at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino. He lifted his jacket to display what appeared to be a firearm in his waistband and told the cashier: “I want all your hundreds and don’t mess around.” He fled with approximately $23,367 in stolen cash. Kennedy was identified in spite of his attempt to conceal his identity, in part because of his unique gold mouth grill, which is a type of jewelry worn over a person’s teeth.  

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tony Lopez and Alexandra Michael are prosecuting the case.

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          RIVERSIDE, California – An Arizona man has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter for his role in a fatal bus crash that happened after he parked his truck – without any lights or warning cones – on a highway on the Fort Irwin Army Base in the Mojave Desert.

          Steven Kilty, 51, of Apache Junction, Arizona, was found guilty of the federal offense late Tuesday, which ended a five-day trial in United States District Court.

          On the evening of June 1, 2014, Kilty was delivering a military tactical truck to the Army’s National Training Center at Fort Irwin. Kilty had arrived at the base the night before his scheduled delivery, and he parked his tractor-trailer in the right lane of the road on Fort Irwin property. Kilty turned off the lights on the truck and, instead of putting out any safety triangle reflectors or turning on his hazard lights, he went to sleep in the berth of his truck – while the truck was still parked in the middle of the roadway.

          Just after 5:00 a.m. on June 2, prior to sunrise, a Victor Valley Transit Authority bus transporting commuters to Fort Irwin collided with the parked truck. As a result of the collision, one man was killed and seven people suffered significant injuries, including an arm amputation.

          The evidence presented at trial showed that Kilty was “grossly negligent” because his truck was blocking traffic on the roadway and he failed to place any warning reflectors, both of which are violations of the California Vehicle Code.

          Kilty is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Jesus G. Bernal on January 7, at which time he will face a statutory maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison.

          Kilty was indicted in this case in March 2016. He was initially tried in this matter in late 2017, but a jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, and a mistrial was declared.

          This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, California Highway Patrol, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, and the Fort Irwin Police Department.

          This matter was tried by Special Assistant United States Attorney Paul D. Levers and Assistant United States Attorney Jerry C. Yang of the Riverside Branch Office.

United States Attorney Trent Shores announced today the results of the October 2018 Federal Grand Jury.

The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in an indictment returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.

George Lee Brown, Jr.Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition. George Lee Brown, Jr., 34, of Tulsa, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, which included a Glock 23 pistol. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Tulsa Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations are the investigative agencies.

Barbarito De Leon-Compean. Reentry of Removed Alien. Barbarito De Leon-Compean, 53, of Tulsa, was charged with having returned to the United States unlawfully after being deported on March 19, 2015, from Brownsville, Texas. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the investigative agency.

Mario De Leon-Meza. Reentry of a Removed Alien. Mario De Leon-Meza, 41, of Tulsa, was charged with having returned to the United States unlawfully after being deported on February 25, 2015, at Del Rio, Texas.  If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the investigative agency.

Nickolaus Antwann Douglas. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Nickolaus Antwann Douglas, 37, of Tulsa, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, which included a Taurus, PT709 Slim, 9mm pistol. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Tulsa Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies.

Blaine Clinton Ford. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of Heroin With Intent to Distribute; Possession of Methamphetamine With Intent to Distribute; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Blaine Clinton Ford, 27, of Bixby, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, including a Taurus, PT111 Millennium G2, 9mm Lugar pistol; possession with intent to distribute heroin; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and possession of a firearm to further a drug trafficking crime. If convicted, he could face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition charge; a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million dollar fine for each possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance charge; and a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine for the charge of possession of a firearm to further a drug trafficking crime. The Bixby Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration are the investigative agencies.

Bobby Joe Hurt, III. Felon in Possession of Firearms.Bobby Joe Hurt, III, 25, of Sapulpa, was charged with being a felon in possession of firearms, including a Heritage, Rough Rider, .22 caliber revolver and a Smith & Wesson 13-1, .357 caliber revolver.  If convicted, he faces maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Creek County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies.

Aaron Michael Jackson. Theft of Mail by United States Postal Service Employee; Possession of Stolen Mail. Aaron Michael Jackson, 28, of Tulsa, was charged with stealing items contained in letters, packages, and mail intended to be sent through the mail system, and with being in possession of those stolen items.  If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge. The Office of the Inspector General, United States Post Office, is the investigative agency.

Gerardo Regalado-Cuevas. Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Gerardo Regalado-Cuevas, 63, of Tulsa, was charged with failing to register as a sex offender from 2014 to present. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The United States Marshals Service is the investigative agency.

Kerry Sloan. Transportation with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity.Kerry Sloan, 55, of Harker Heights, in the Killeen, Texas area, was charged with knowingly transporting a minor with the intent that the minor would engage in sexual activity with him. If convicted, he faces the maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office, the Killeen Police Department, and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies.

Raelyn Briana Sutton. Conveying False and Misleading Information Concerning an Explosive Device. Raelyn Briana Sutton, 26, of Spavinaw, Oklahoma, was charged with intentionally conveying false and misleading information in a phone call to the Rogers County Court Clerk’s Office by claiming that a bomb would go off in five minutes. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Rogers County Sheriff’s Office, the Grand River Dam Authority Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies.

Levi William Welker. Distribution of Child Pornography; Possession of Child Pornography; Enticement; Tampering With a Victim- 2 counts; Tampering With Documents.Levi William Welker, 27, of Tulsa, was charged with knowingly possessing and distributing child pornography; enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity; attempting to persuade another person to destroy evidence; interfering with reporting of an offense; and destruction of evidence. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge of distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. Additionally, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine for the enticement charge and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each tampering with a victim charge and tampering with a document charge. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies.

Travis Christian Wilbur. Drug Conspiracy. Travis Christian Wilbur, 29, of Miami, Oklahoma, was charged with conspiring to possess and distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and $10 million dollar fine. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies.

John Andrew Williams. Possession of Fifteen or More Counterfeit Access Devices; Possession of Device-Making Equipment; Wire Fraud. John Andrew Williams, 47, of Pembroke Pines, Florida, was charged with possessing 15 or more counterfeit gift cards and with using credit card encoder equipment to re-encode the depleted gift cards fraudulently with bank account and identification information belonging to other persons, which he had obtained illegally from the “dark web.” Williams was also charged with purchasing U.S. postage stamps from kiosks throughout the United States and selling the stamps on Craigslist by means of wire communications. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the possession of fifteen or more counterfeit access devices charge; 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for the possession of device-making equipment charge; and 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million for the wire fraud charge. The Rogers County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Postal Service are the investigative agencies.

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A 40-year-old Lubbock high school teacher has been charged with enticement and attempted enticement of his 16-year-old female student, U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox announced today. 

According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court, Scott Riley Hall, an art teacher at Coronado High School, allegedly engaged in sexual intercourse with a 10th grade girl at her home in August.  

The relationship allegedly began last summer, after the victim confided in Hall about a difficult situation she’d encountered at school the previous year. In September, the victim’s mother stumbled upon some sexually explicit emails they’d shared: 

“I love touching you,” Hall wrote in one email. “One of these days, we are going to spend hours watching movies and rolling around in bed.”

“Seeing you (even briefly), dreaming of the next time, and reminiscing about the last time. These things make me sad, too, but they help me cope until we are just together.  Always,” he wrote in another. 

“I do hope you rested well and that you felt better than hating our situation,” he said in a third. “I’ll see you at school soon.  I love you my dear.”

After the victim admitted to her mother that she’d had sex with Hall, the mother confronted the teacher. 

“I am not sure of what you believe has happened, but my fault was caring too much in the wrong way,” Hall admitted to the mother in a follow-up text. “I will agree to any measure you would like me to take I [sic] regards to distancing myself… I am so sorry to have hurt either of you.” 

“I truly wanted to be that Art Dad, but I let my care for her cross a line.  It was a huge mistake,” he continued. “It was misguided affection. I am very sorry.  I will do anything you ask to keep this from being a legal or professional situation.” 

“I am not a predator,” Hall said.  

Hall later told police that he’d developed “strong feelings” for the 16-year-old girl, and agreed their interactions were “inappropriate.” Confronted with numerous email and text conversations, he admitted his communications with the victim were sexual in nature.  

A criminal charge is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.  If convicted, Hall faces up to life in federal prison. He’s also facing charges in state court. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Division, the Lubbock Police Department, and the Lubbock Independent School District Police Department conducted the investigation; Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Haag is prosecuting the federal case. 

SHREVEPORT/LAFAYETTE/ALEXANDRIA/LAKE CHARLES/MONROE, La.  –United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced today that after a year of increased firearm and violent crime prosecutions, that there has been a substantial reduction in violent crime throughout the Western District of Louisiana.

One year ago the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which Attorney General Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Throughout the past year, the Western District of Louisiana has partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. During this time, the Western District of Louisiana has quadrupled the number of violent crime and firearm prosecutions.  And these prosecutions have shown results.

“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “We know that the most effective strategy to reduce violent crime is based on sound policing policies that have proven effective over many years, which includes being targeted and responsive to community needs.  I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face.  Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities.”  

“We have made reducing violent crime in our district a top priority,” Joseph stated. “Project Safe Neighborhoods is a program that helps our office work with local law enforcement to target the worst offenders. As a result of this, we’ve seen violent crime rates drop in many areas of our state. This program works, and we hope to continue this program to further reduce crime and protect the citizens of our communities. I want to thank each and every law enforcement officer, whether federal, state or local, as well as the prosecutors and Justice Department staff who have worked so hard during this last year to take violent offenders out of our neighborhoods.”

As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the revitalized PSN program, here are some of the highlights of our PSN actions over the past year:

Enforcement Actions

In the past year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana has prosecuted more than 200 defendants throughout the district for firearm related offenses, including felons and drug dealers in possession of firearms.

• The U.S. Attorney’s Office started its prosecutions a year ago with the announcement on October 5, 2017 of indictments of 16 defendants in separate cases across north Louisiana. For more information, see the news release here.
• Throughout the past year, the office has prosecuted firearms related cases under Project Safe Neighborhoods averaging at least one PSN prosecution a week. An example of such prosecutions can be viewed here.
• The U.S. Attorney announced increased prosecutions in Northwest Louisiana. Read more here.
• United States Attorney Joseph announced increased prosecutions in the Acadiana area. More can be learned here.

Community Partnerships

Since the reinvigoration of Project Safe Neighborhoods, these partnerships have been expanded to include the Louisiana State Attorney General’s Office in addition to other agencies.

• For the first time in its history, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Louisiana Attorney General announced a joint effort to increase violent crime prosecutions. See more here.
• The office announced grants available to local law enforcement. See more information here.
• As part of its community outreach efforts, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has participated in a number of events and programs to educate and strengthen communities throughout the Western District of Louisiana such as National Night Out and drug prevention education events. See more here.

Improvements to Community Safety

• The FBI’s official crime data for 2017 reflects that, after two consecutive, historic increases in violent crime, in the first year of the Trump Administration, the nationwide violent crime rate began to decline.  The nationwide violent crime rate decreased by approximately one percent in 2017, while the nationwide homicide rate decreased by nearly one and a half percent.
• The preliminary information we have for 2018 gives us reason for optimism that our efforts are continuing to pay off. Public data from 60 major cities show that violent crime was down by nearly five percent in those cities in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period a year ago.
• With the increase of 200 defendant prosecutions throughout the district, it has resulted in a noticeable reduction in crime across the district. In Shreveport, violent crime has dropped by 13 percent and indications are that similar results are materializing in other communities throughout the district.

These enforcement actions and partnerships are 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. Learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods.

OKLAHOMA CITY – In support of the Department’s PSN programs throughout the country, Attorney General Sessions has announced almost $28 million in grant funding to combat violent crime through PSN and another $3 million for training and technical assistance to develop and implement violent crime reduction strategies and enhance services and resources for victims of violent crime.

Of the almost $28 million, $247,251 has been allocated to the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council to support PSN in the Western District of Oklahoma.  The Council was also allocated $157,363 for PSN in the Northern District of Oklahoma and $111,323 for PSN in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

"Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said.  "We know that the most effective strategy to reduce violent crime is based on sound policing policies that have proven effective over many years, which includes being targeted and responsive to community needs.  I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face.  Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities."

PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Through the enhanced PSN, the Department is targeting the most violent criminals in the most violent areas and using policing tools that did not exist even a few years ago.  Tools like crime gun intelligence centers (CGICs), which combine intelligence from gunshot detection systems, ballistics, gun tracing, and good old-fashioned police work, help to develop real-time leads on the "traffickers and trigger pullers" who are fueling the violence in their communities.

The Department has already started to observe signs of progress.  The FBI’s official crime data for 2017 reflects that, after two consecutive increases in violent crime, in the first year of the Trump Administration the nationwide violent crime rate began to decline.  The nationwide violent crime rate decreased by approximately one percent in 2017, while the nationwide homicide rate decreased by nearly one-and-a-half percent.  The preliminary information for 2018 shows that the Department’s efforts are continuing to pay off.  Public data from 60 major cities show that violent crime decreased by nearly five percent in those cities in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period one year earlier.

The grants announced today build on Attorney General Sessions’s commitment to reducing violent crime in America.  The Department has distributed additional resources and built up strong partnerships with local law enforcement in communities plagued by violent crime.  Since the announcement of the reinvigoration of the PSN program in October 2017, the Department of Justice has increased the number of federal prosecutors focused on violent crime by over 300, directed its resources to improving cooperation between federal and local law enforcement agencies, restored local control of police agencies by reining in excessive use of consent decrees, reformed civil asset forfeiture and restored asset-sharing with state and local law enforcement, and helped fund over 800 hundred officers in police departments across America.

Following a two-week jury trial, on October 1, 2018, Nieves Suarez, 48, of Miami, Florida, was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and four substantive counts of health care fraud.

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Robert Lasky, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office and Shimon R. Richmond, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), made the announcement.

According to evidence presented at trial, Suarez owned and operated a fraudulent community retail pharmacy.  Suarez was the president, director, and registered agent of Golden Owl Pharmacy & Discount Corp., located at 1874 SW 57th Ave, Miami, Florida, from January 3, 2011, through November 30, 2012, and secretary from November 30, 2012 through March 10, 2015.  From November 2011 through August 2014, the Medicare Part D program reimbursed Golden Owl Pharmacy & Discount Corp approximately $1.6 million.  Although Golden Owl Pharmacy & Discount Corp did make some drug purchases, audits revealed shortages totaling $915,784.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 12, 2018, 10:00 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Marcia G. Cooke (Case No. 18-20175-CR).  Suarez faces up to twenty years in prison for the conspiracy charge and ten years in prison for each substantive health care fraud count of conviction.  

U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and HHS-OIG in this matter.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Clark. 

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

               CONCORD -One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders to make lasting reductions in crime.

          Throughout the past year, we have partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Federal, state and local law enforcement, state and federal department of corrections and federal and state prosecutors meet regularly at the United States Attorney’s Office to share intelligence, and develop strategies to combat violent crime in New Hampshire.  Often this strategy involves combatting crimes involving firearms and drugs.  A key part of this strategy involves targeting those who illegally purchase firearms for felons.  We also target those who obtain firearms for other individuals who are prohibited from possessing guns.

          “Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Sessions said. “We know that the most effective strategy to reduce violent crime is based on sound policing policies that have proven effective over many years, which includes being targeted and responsive to community needs.  I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face.  Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities.” 

          “As a county prosecutor and now as United States Attorney, I have seen firsthand that Project Safe Neighborhoods can directly improve public safety in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “In the midst of New Hampshire’s opioid crisis, an immediate benefit of the program is that it targets drug traffickers who use firearms. Selling drugs is an inherently dangerous business and dealers routinely use firearms to intimidate or harm rivals. By denying guns to drug dealers, we reduce the likelihood of collateral injury to the public. This program is a partnership of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers who are working to protect our citizens from violent crime and crimes involving firearms.  By working together to identify the individuals whose actions are threatening public safety, we seek to make sure that all New Hampshire residents truly live in safe neighborhoods.”

          As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the revitalized PSN program, here are some of the highlights of our PSN actions over the past year:

         New Hampshire was one of three states with a population under two million to receive a grant to combat violent crime.  Specifically, theManchester Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police and the New Hampshire Department of Corrections received $200,000 to combat violent crime.  These efforts include the identification of “hot spots” in Manchester where law enforcement partners are conducting enhanced patrols and probation and parole checks.  Additionally, law enforcement officers are using ATF ballistics technology to identify those involved in shootings and sources of crime guns, as well as other focused deterrence activities.  Lastly, we are in the process of developing a statewide social media campaign to combat violent crime.

          Throughout the last year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and ATF have traveled throughout the state to conduct trainings for state and local law enforcement on federal firearms law and tools to investigate violent crime.

          Additionally, the U.S Attorney’s Office has hired an additional Assistant United States Attorney who will focus on prosecuting violent crimes.

          Among the successful PSN prosecutions in the past year are:

• Michael Burghart, of Manchester, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Manchester Man Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison for Illegal Firearm Possession
   
• Daniel Sullivan, of Manchester, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Manchester Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Illegal Possession of Firearms
   
• Kaisle Raikes, of Manchester, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for drug trafficking and possessing a gun in furtherance of drug trafficking.  Manchester Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearm Offenses
   
• Yoelfi Feliz, of Lawrence, Massachusetts was sentenced to 70 months in prison for firearms-related charges to obtain guns in exchange for drugs.  Lawrence, Massachusetts Man Sentenced on Firearm Charges
   
• Jessica Fithian of Manchester was sentenced to six months in prison for “straw purchasing” firearms for Matthew Bergeron, a convicted felon from Massachusetts.  Bergeron was sentenced to six years in prison.  Manchester Woman Sentenced to 6-months Straw Purchase Firearm for Massachusetts Felon

          These enforcement actions and partnerships are 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

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