Gulfport, Miss. – Yerdinson Rodriguez-Tavarez, a 24 year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic and lawful permanent resident of the U.S. living in Texas, pled guilty Friday before U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to the crime of transporting an illegal alien within the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Gregory K. Bovino, Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s New Orleans Sector.

Rodriguez-Tavarez is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Ozerden on January 24, 2019. He faces a potential maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, along with special assessments that could total $5,100. He also will be subject to Department of Homeland Security immigration removal proceedings.

On August 6, 2018, a South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team Agent, who also is an officer with the Gautier Police Department, was on duty along Interstate 10 eastbound in Jackson County. The Metro Enforcement Team is an interagency task force that patrols known smuggling routes in Jackson County including I-10. Around 7:45 a.m., the agent stopped a 2015 Toyota Corolla with a fraudulent Texas license paper tag. The task force agent’s training and experience led him to believe that he had interrupted an alien smuggling event in progress, and he called the U.S. Border Patrol.

Ultimately, the driver was arrested for transporting illegal aliens. His five passengers were arrested for being illegally present in the United States, and all were transported to the Gulfport Border Patrol Station for processing. At the Border Patrol Station, two of the five illegal alien passengers were identified as having been previously lawfully removed from the United States.

U.S. Attorney Hurst praised the coordinated work of the United States Border Patrol, the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team, and the Gautier Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Stan Harris is the prosecutor for the case.

NEWNAN, Ga. - Christopher Bradley Braden, who on two separate occasions arranged to meet minor girls for sex, was sentenced to federal prison for enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

“This defendant was brazen and persistent in seeking out young girls on the Internet,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “On two separate occasions, Braden drove for hours hoping to have sex with young girls. Thanks to the vigilance of our law enforcement partners, Braden is being held accountable for his depraved conduct.”

“On two separate occasions Braden drove for hours hoping to have sex with young girls and most likely would have continued if he wasn’t arrested,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI Atlanta Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation Task Force (MATCH) is committed to remain vigilant, holding predators who pose a threat to our children, accountable.”

“Online sexual predators of children are a problem within our communities, said Marietta Police Chief Dan Flynn.  “We appreciate the assistance of our federal partners and we are grateful to have intercepted the suspect before another child was harmed.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: In November 2016, Braden started communicating with a young girl on the cell phone app “Meet24.” She told him that she was 13 years old. He immediately initiated sexual conversations with the minor, asking about her body development and her sexual experience. Braden even sent her a video of himself masturbating. He made arrangements to meet her for the purpose of having sex with her on December 1, 2016. When he showed up at the pre-arranged location in Marietta, he was met by two Marietta Police Department officers and arrested. The 13-year-old girl was actually an undercover police officer. He was later released on bond.

In May 2017 - only six months later - Braden met a 14-year-old girl on the same cell phone app. Again, he asked questions about her body development and her sexual experience. He even sent the girl a photo of his erect penis. Braden then made arrangements to meet her at a gas station in Bremen, Georgia. While traveling to Bremen, he sent the girl a message confirming that she was 14 years old. When Braden showed up near the gas station, he was pulled over and arrested by Bremen Police Department officers. Like before, the 14-year-old girl was actually an undercover police officer.

Braden, 40, of Jasper, Alabama, has been sentenced to 10 years, six months in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release.  Braden will also be required to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison.  Braden was convicted on these charges on July 11, 2018, after he pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Marietta Police Department, and Bremen Police Department.

Assistant U.S. States Attorney Paul R. Jones prosecuted the case.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

Memphis, TN – Five individuals have been indicted for carjacking and armed robbery. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee announced the indictments today.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee has responded to a recent increase in the number of carjackings in the district by obtaining indictments against five individuals each responsible for violent carjacking incidents involving the possession and use of firearms within the past year.

The five defendants listed are currently in custody:

• Jherrick Grimes, 25, Memphis, TN
• Lorenzo Davis, 29, Memphis, TN
• Angelo Bunting, 20, Memphis, TN
• DeQuan Blackmon, 19, Memphis, TN
• Harry French, 20, Memphis, TN

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "While recent reports indicate that violent crime rates in all major categories are declining, carjacking offenses in Memphis have spiked and increased an alarming 87% in the past year. This trend cannot continue, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office is coordinating with our federal and local law enforcement partners to prioritize and target carjacking cases for aggressive federal prosecution. These cases demonstrate our resolve to incapacitate the most violent offenders, uphold the rule of law, deter criminal conduct with a strong message of significant consequences, and make us all safer."

Jherrick Grimes

Count 1 charges that on August 6, 2018, Jherrick Grimes being aided and abetted by others, took a motor vehicle, a 2004 Audi A4, by force, violence and intimidation, with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm.

Count 2 charges that on August 6, 2018, Jherrick Grimes brandished a firearm during a carjacking.

Count 3 charges that on August 15, 2018, Jherrick Grimes was a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Lorenzo Davis

Count 1 charges that on July 26, 2018, Lorenzo Davis committed bank robbery by taking by force from a person money belonging to MetaBank, and put in jeopardy the life of another person by use of a dangerous weapon.

Count 2 charges that on July 26, 2018, Lorenzo Davis brandished a firearm during a bank robbery.

Count 3 charges that on July 27, 2018, Lorenzo Davis took a motor vehicle, a 2001 Toyota Solara, by force, violence and intimidation, resulting in serious bodily injury.

Count 4 charges that on July 27, 2018, Lorenzo Davis discharged a firearm during a carjacking.

Counts 5 and 6 charge that on July 26 and July 27, 2018, Lorenzo Davis was a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Angelo Bunting

Count 1 charges that on June 28, 2018, Angelo Bunting, being aided and abetted by unknown others, took a motor vehicle, a 2014 Toyota Corolla, by force, violence, and intimidation, with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm.

Count 2 charges that on June 28, 2018, Angelo Bunting brandished a firearm during a carjacking.

Count 3 charges that on July 6, 2018, Angelo Bunting, being aided and abetted by unknown others, took a motor vehicle, a 2011 Chevrolet Impala, by force, violence, and intimidation, with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm.

Count 4 charges that on July 6, 2018, Angelo Bunting brandished a firearm during a carjacking.

Count 5 charges that on July 13, 2018, Angelo Bunting, being and aided by unknown others took a motor vehicle, a 2013 Volkswagen Passat, by force, violence, and intimidation, with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm.

Count 6 charges that on July 13, 2018, Angelo Bunting brandished a firearm during a carjacking.

Dequan Blackmon and Harry French

Count 1 charges that on August 4, 2017, Dequan Blackmon and Harry French, being aided and abetted by unknown others, took a motor vehicle, a 2015 Dodge Journey, by force, violence, and intimidation with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm.

Count 2 charges that on August 4, 2017, Dequan Blackmon and Harry French brandished a firearm during a carjacking.

Count 3 charges that on August 23, 2017, Dequan Blackmon and Harry French, being aided and abetted by unknown others, took a motor vehicle, a 1991 Jeep Cherokee, by force, violence and intimidation with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm.

Count 4 charges that on August 23, 2017, Dequan Blackmon and Harry French brandished a firearm during a carjacking.

Count 5 charges that on August 23, 2017, Dequan Blackmon and Harry French being aided and abetted by unknown others, took a motor vehicle, a 2013 Chevrolet Suburban, by force, violence, and intimidation, with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm

Count 6 charges that on August 23, 2017, Dequan Blackmon and Harry French brandished a firearm during a carjacking.

If convicted of all counts, the defendants face possible sentences of not less than seven years, and up to life imprisonment, $250,000 fine and 3 years supervised release. Sentencing for each defendant is individual, and is based upon a number of statutory factors under the federal sentencing guidelines, including but not limited to prior conviction history, which may enhance or mitigate the ultimate sentence imposed by the Court.

These cases were investigated by ATF and Memphis Police Department Violent Crime Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Rogers and Marques Young are prosecuting these cases on the government’s behalf.

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

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court for assaulting two federal officers, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak sentenced Leonard Rushin-Felder, 22, to one year and one day of imprisonment for each of two counts of assault of a federal officer. The sentences will run concurrently. Rushin-Felder previously pleaded guilty before Judge Hornak on June 14, 2018.

In connection with his guilty plea, Rushin-Felder admitted that on May 2, 2017, he appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Robert C. Mitchell in the Joseph F. Weis, Jr., United States Courthouse for a detention hearing related to separate drug trafficking and firearms charges pending against him. At the conclusion of the detention hearing, Judge Mitchell ordered that the defendant be detained pending trial. The defendant further admitted that when two Deputy United States Marshals attempted to escort him from the courtroom, he forcibly assaulted, resisted, opposed, impeded, intimidated, and interfered with the Deputy Marshals while they were engaged in the performance of their official duties as federal law enforcement officers. During the ensuing struggle, the defendant made physical contact with the two Deputy Marshals. As part of his guilty plea, the defendant acknowledged that additional law enforcement and court personnel were needed to restrain him and assist with his removal from the courtroom.

Assistant United States Attorneys Eric G. Olshan and Rachael L. Dizard prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. The United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation of Rushin-Felder.

SAN JUAN, P.R. – 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, 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.

“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.”  

“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a critical component of our crime reduction strategy; it enables the United States Attorney’s Office, together with our law enforcement partners, to target and prioritize criminal prosecutions of the most violent offenders in the most violent locations,” said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez Vélez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “Using the additional resources we have received from the Justice Department, we will strengthen our mission to increase safety and reduce violent crime in neighborhoods across our communities.”

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

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has joined efforts with our fellow federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to take the lead in reducing gun violence, and specifically, murders. We have numerous initiatives in place to combat drug trafficking and violent crime on the island. The Illegal Firearms Initiative started in 2011, in response to a historical increase in the murder rate. Since then, we have indicted more than 2,570 violent offenders. In 2018, we have arrested 270 individuals under this initiative.

In 2016, after four consecutive years during which the murder rate decreased, Puerto Rico experienced a slight uptick in the murder rate. Therefore, we sensed a need to intensify violence reduction efforts, and to implement innovative strategies. The Trigger Puller Initiative is aimed at identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most dangerous members of drug trafficking organizations under investigation by the Strike Forces. In 2018, we have arrested 97 individuals under this initiative.

Other initiatives that are part of the PSN efforts in the District of Puerto Rico include: Gang Intelligence Center; RICO Initiative; Carjacking Initiative; and Drug Strike Forces. These initiatives target violent crime, organized crime and drug trafficking. 

Community Partnerships

Since late 2015, USAO-PR’s Prevention and Reentry Team implements the Communities and Juveniles Program that includes prevention seminars and workshops for public middle school students and members of communities in areas impacted by high violent crime rates. The speakers at the workshops are usually special agents or police officers from agencies like the DEA, ICE, United States Probation Office, and the PRPD. The subjects and speakers are selected after interviewing the school’s administration and assessing the school’s needs. This year we have visited five schools and a residential reentry center, and five more schools will be visited by the end of this year. These outreach activities will continue to be coordinated throughout the year.

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.
• In our district, we have had a steady decrease in the murder rate. As of the month of October, an average of 45 less murders have occurred in comparison to last year.

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.

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for the sexual exploitation of a child.

Ryan Lee Christoph, 26, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Christoph to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration.

On June 27, 2018, Christoph pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of a child.

On Aug. 15, 2017, Springfield police officers responded to a report that an individual had found Christoph and a 14-year-old female engaged in sexual activity. The victim told investigators that she and Christoph had been in a sexual relationship since before Christmas 2016.

On Oct. 20, 2017, Facebook reported that child pornography was being exchanged by Christoph and the same child victim in chat sessions in Facebook Messenger between May 7 and Aug. 11, 2017. Images and videos depicted Christoph engaged in sexual activity with the child victim. During the messages, Christoph asked the child victim to send him sexually explicit pictures and videos. Investigators located numerous video files of child pornography that depicted the child victim and Christoph engaged in sexually explicit activity.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Project Safe Childhood
 This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
 

NEWARK, N.J. – Three more Florida men have been charged for their alleged roles in transporting $2.3 million worth of stolen perfume products out of New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Juan Crespo, 41, of Homestead, Florida, and Felix Castillo, 45, and Asnay Fernandez, 28, both of Hialeah, Florida, were each charged by complaint with one count of conspiring to transport stolen property in interstate commerce. All three defendants are scheduled to appear today in Newark federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre.

Previously, two other defendants, Carlos Duvergel and Yunior Estevez, were charged in this case in June 2018; their charges remain pending.

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

In November 2017, the defendants and others obtained unauthorized access to a warehouse storing perfume products in Edison, New Jersey, and drove away with at least one tractor trailer filled with stolen perfume products. The value of the stolen perfume products is estimated to be $2.3 million.

The count with which the defendants are charged is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offenses.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents with the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie, and the Edison Police Department, under the direction of Chief Thomas Bryan, with the investigation leading to these charges.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Gould of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Public Protection Unit in Newark.

The charges and allegations against the defendants are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Trenton, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in north central Missouri.

Faron Wayne Lawrence, 52, of Trenton, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to 12 years in federal prison without parole.

NITRO (the Northwest Inter-agency Team Response Operation) initiated an investigation in Grundy County, Mo., in December 2014 that focused on methamphetamine distribution in the north central region of Missouri, with sources of supply in the Kansas City, Mo., metropolitan area.

On Nov. 21, 2017, Lawrence pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Lawrence admitted that he purchased methamphetamine from co-defendants Ryan Peter Trombley, 33, of Trenton, and Christopher John Vaccaro, 42, of Kansas City, Mo. Trombley and Lawrence traveled to the Kansas City area multiple times each week to acquire ounce-quantities of methamphetamine. Lawrence then distributed the methamphetamine to co-defendant Alicia Marie Grimes, 50, and others in Trenton.

Lawrence admitted that he was responsible for the distribution of at least 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine during the conspiracy. Lawrence is the seventh and final defendant to be sentenced in this case.

Trombley was sentenced to 11 years and six months in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Grimes was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison after pleading guilty to using a telephone to facilitate the distribution of methamphetamine. Vaccaro was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and to possessing firearms in relation to a drug-trafficking crime.

Robert Ryan Hicks, 36, of Belton, Mo., was sentenced to 17 years and seven months in federal prison without parole. Crystal Renee Breshears, 27, of Belton, was sentenced to five years and 10 months in federal prison without parole. Allen Ray Watson, 45, of Blue Springs, Mo., was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole. 

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Rhoades. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and NITRO (the Northwest Missouri Interagency Team Response Operation).
 

Memphis, TN – A federal court permanently enjoined a Memphis, Tennessee company from distributing misbranded drugs and drugs manufactured under insanitary conditions, the Department of Justice announced today.

In a complaint filed September 25, 2018, at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the United States alleged that Keystone Laboratories, Inc., the company’s owner, Melinda Menke, and its operator, Elizabeth Jumet, violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by distributing hair care and skin care products that were not manufactured, processed, packaged, or held subject to current good manufacturing practices for drugs. The complaint alleged that FDA inspections of Keystone’s facilities and products revealed numerous problems, including an instance in which the company released a batch of hair products despite test results that suggested contamination by the potentially harmful bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The defendants agreed to be bound by a consent decree filed with the complaint in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.

"The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that manufacturers and sellers of over-the-counter drugs follow safety laws that protect consumers," said Assistant Attorney General Joseph H. Hunt for the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. "We will continue to work with the FDA to ensure that over-the-counter drugs are manufactured under safe conditions and are properly labeled."

"Ensuring that consumers are protected from adulterated and contaminated over-the-counter drugs and products is a concern in this district. We will continue to partner with the Department of Justice Civil Division and the FDA to pursue these cases in an effort to protect consumers," said U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee.

The consent decree entered by the court permanently enjoins the defendants from violating the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. As part of the settlement, the defendants may not manufacture or distribute their over-the-counter drug products from any facility owned or operated by the defendants unless they comply with specific remedial measures set forth in the injunction. The order also provides safeguards in the event that the defendants contract with third parties to manufacture similar products.

Trial attorney Claude Scott of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart J. Canale of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee represented the United States, along with the assistance of Associate Chief Counsel for Litigation Rosselle Oberstein of the FDA’s Office of the General Counsel.

Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at https://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.

U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town announced today that he has appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Jason R. Cheek to serve as the district election officer for the Northern District of Alabama. In that capacity, AUSA Cheek is responsible for overseeing the district’s handling of any complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses in consultation with Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, D.C.

“The right to vote is the cornerstone of our great democracy.  The Department of Justice will ensure that every citizen who is entitled to vote is able to do so without undue interference or discrimination,” Town said. “My office will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of our election process.”

In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on November 6, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, Town said that AUSA Cheek will be on duty in the Northern District while the polls are open on election day. The public can reach him at the following telephone number: (205) 244-2001.          

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process.

Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, D.C., by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by email to voting.section@usdoj.gov or by complaint form at http://www.justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake/index.php.

RALEIGH – Robert J. Higdon, Jr., the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces that a Federal grand jury in Raleigh has returned a thirteen-count indictment charging STEPHANIE CHAVIS, age 42, of Saint Pauls, North Carolina, with ten counts of Wire Fraud, two counts of Aggravated Identity Theft, and one count of Theft of Government Property. 

The indictment alleges that beginning in or about August 2010, and continuing until in or about April 2018, CHAVIS engaged in a scheme to defraud the Social Security Administration by using her supervisory position to divert more than $700,000 in funds meant for SSI beneficiaries into bank accounts controlled by CHAVIS.  The indictment further alleges that CHAVIS advanced this scheme by convincing unsuspecting employees to manually process unauthorized payments on SSI beneficiary accounts using the beneficiaries’ personal identifying information and CHAVIS’s bank account information.            

If convicted of all counts, CHAVIS faces a maximum penalty of twenty-four years imprisonment.  She also faces a minimum two-year consecutive term of imprisonment on each aggravated identity theft count.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

The case is being investigated by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General.  Special Assistant United States Attorney Tamika Moses is prosecuting the case for the government.

DEA aims to dispose of 10 million pounds of unused pills

          DETROIT – After collecting a total of more than 9.9 million pounds (nearly 5,000 tons) of expired, unused and unwanted prescription medications during 15 previous events over the past eight years, the Drug Enforcement Administration expects to reach a total of 10 million pounds collected following the upcoming fall 2018 Take back event. DEA and its national, tribal and community partners will hold the 16th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day across the country on Saturday, October 27. The service is free and anonymous.

          This weekend, more than 5,400 collection sites manned by more than 4,400 partner law enforcement agencies will be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. The public can find a nearby collection site at www.DEATakeBack.com or by calling 800-882-9539. (DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps.)

          "We know that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet," said Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon. "If we reduce the availability of those unused or expired medications through proper disposal, the fewer drugs there are to be misused, and fewer people will be at risk for abuse, addiction, overdose, and even death."

          The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Initiative addresses a critical public safety and public health issue. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States continue to be alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Because the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration have advised the public that flushing their prescription drugs down the toilet or throwing them in the trash pose potential safety and health hazards, DEA launched its prescription drug take back program to encourage the safe disposal of medications.

          National Take Back Day has received robust public support since its inception in 2010. Last April, the public turned in 456 tons (912,305 pounds) of prescription drugs at more than 5,800 sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,700 of its local and tribal partners.

END

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Mansfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for receiving and distributing child pornography over the internet.

Clinton Campbell, 46, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 13 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Campbell to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration.

On May 25, 2018, Campbell pleaded guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography. Campbell admitted that he shared child pornography over a peer-to-peer file-sharing network. 

Campbell’s computer was identified during an undercover law enforcement investigation and an officer downloaded 74 complete files and 22 partial files of child pornography from Campbell’s computer. Several of the files contained depictions of children as young as five years old being sexually assaulted.

On July 18, 2017, officers executed a search warrant at Campbell’s residence and seized a laptop computer and several digital storage devices. Campbell’s laptop computer contained approximately 1,483 images and 48 videos of contraband imagery. According to court documents, Campbell digitally altered some of the images by placing the faces of children he knew (whose photos Campbell took himself) onto images of another child being sexually assaulted in order to make his experience “more real.” In some of the images, Campbell manipulated the image of the perpetrator to replace the original face with his own photograph. Other images of children appear to have been taken surreptitiously as they passed in front of his house. More than 90 children have been identified in Campbell’s collection of child pornography.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the FBI, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the Mansfield, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Childhood
 This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
 

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Daniel F. Dyer, 57, of Plaster Rock, New Brunswick, Canada was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to 30 days in prison for importing illegally-taken moose antlers and a moose hide. He was also fined $5,000.  He pled guilty on May 17, 2018.

According to court records, on September 28, 2013, Dyer, a Canadian outfitter and guide, arranged for Richard Eaton, a West Virginia resident, to unlawfully harvest a moose in New Brunswick using a license issued to a New Brunswick resident.  Dyer later brought the hide and antlers of the moose through Maine. Dyer delivered the hide to a taxidermist in Pennsylvania and the antlers to Eaton in West Virginia.  In 2014, Eaton was convicted in federal court of receiving the illegally-taken moose.

In imposing the sentence, Judge Levy found that Dyer had obstructed justice by instructing Eaton to falsely claim that another Canadian guide had shot the moose and said the cover-up was as bad as, or worse than, the crime itself.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wildlife Enforcement Division of Environment Canada (New Brunswick).

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Christopher Wade Rebish, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, has admitted to having a machine gun, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Rebish, age 30, pled guilty today to one count of “Illegal Possession of Machine Gun.” Rebish admitted to having a 28 mm caliber machine gun in Berkeley County in March 2017.

Rebish faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Emelita Ignacio Arindela, a/k/a “Esperanza Ignacio Arindela,” “Esperanza Hooper,” “Emily I. Arindela,” and “Emily Ignacio Arindela,” 43, of Mount Desert Island, Maine, and previously of the Philippines, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to time served (10 days) and one year of supervised release for passport fraud.  Arindela pleaded guilty on April 12, 2018.

According to court records, in 2000, the defendant assumed the name and date of birth of her older sister in order to marry a U.S. citizen in the City of Valenzuela, Philippines.  In 2002, she entered the United States under her sister’s identity.  In 2009, she became a naturalized U.S. citizen using her sister’s identity. Later that year, she legally changed her name to Emily I. Arindela.  In 2010, she applied for a U.S. passport using her new name and her sister’s date of birth.  

The case was investigated by the Diplomatic Security Service of the U.S. Department of State.

PITTSBURGH, Pa – A resident of Baldwin, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a narcotics charge, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Angel Grannison, age 32, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a one count information charging her with maintaining a drug involved premises before United States Chief District Judge Joy Flowers Conti.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on May 11, 2018, Allegheny County Police detectives and a Special Agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration in Pittsburgh responded to a Motel 6 in Pittsburgh to a complaint of a strong chemical odor coming from one of the rooms. When they responded, investigators found Grannsion in the room. In the bathroom of the room, Grannsion had set up a fentanyl synthesis lab using commercial chemistry equipment and using chemicals from China. Investigators also recovered numerous packages with Chinese return addresses, a ‘Chemistry for Dummies’ book, and a handwriting journal with notes on fentanyl production.

Judge Conti scheduled sentencing for February 12, 2019. The law provides for a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior record, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Timothy M. Lanni is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Allegheny County Police, the Allegheny County Crime Lab, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation that led to the guilty plea in this case.

OKLAHOMA CITY – CALVIN WAYNE CADE, JR., 28, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to eighteen months in prison for using credit profile numbers, or CPNs, to falsely report his Social Security Number in credit applications, announced Robert J. Troester of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to charges filed in November 2017, Cade used CPNs, also known as "credit privacy numbers" or "credit protection numbers," instead of his own Social Security Number when he applied for financing at retailers and financial institutions.  CPNs, which are actually stolen Social Security Numbers, are marketed to individuals with poor credit history as a way to get a fresh start and establish a new credit identity.  The CPNs used by Mr. Cade were stolen Social Security Numbers belonging to children born in 2006 and 2008.  By using CPNs instead of his own Social Security Number on credit applications, Cade deceived retailers, credit card companies, banks, and credit unions into believing he had a better credit history than he had actually earned.  He purchased five vehicles, household furnishings, televisions, computers, and other goods, and then made little to no payments on the credit accounts, which caused financial losses to his creditors.

On March 5, 2018, Cade pleaded guilty to knowingly making a false statement to a financial institution after he used a CPN instead of his own Social Security Number when he applied for an auto loan from BBVA Compass Bank.

Today U.S. District Judge David L. Russell sentenced him to eighteen months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.  He must also pay $112,924.54 in restitution to BBVA Compass Bank and the other creditors he defrauded.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, the FBI, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.  It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Perry.

Reference is made to public filings for further information.

ALEXANDRIA, La.– United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that the last defendant in a Winn Parish methamphetamine distribution ring pleaded guilty Monday before he was scheduled to go to trial.

Jeremy Laraun Mamon, 36, of Winnfield, Louisiana, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Mamon was one of 11 defendants named as part of an indictment filed September 28, 2017. According to the guilty plea, Mamon and 10 other defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine in the Winn Parish area from October 2015 to September 2017. Ladarrius James Street, 35; Dexter Jerome Sapp, 39; Destiny Hamilton, 33; Kendrick Lamont Davenport, 44; Stephen Duncan Jr., 26; Delano C. Hall, 49; Michael Deangelo Hall, 33; and Xavier Deandre Powell, 29; all of Winnfield, as well as Cristina Daniela Santos, 26, of Los Angeles, California; and Rafael M. Powell, 33, of Atlanta, Louisiana, were also indicted.

Mamon faces 20 years to life in prison, at least 10 years of supervised release and a $20 million fine. The remaining defendants also pleaded guilty to the conspiracy count. Santos, Street and Rafael Powell pleaded guilty on September 10, 2018 and are scheduled to be sentenced December 14, 2018. Sapp pleaded guilty April 16, 2018 and is scheduled to be sentenced November 20, 2018. Hamilton and Duncan pleaded guilty on July 5, 2018. Hamilton is scheduled to be sentenced November 19, 2018. Davenport pleaded June 27, 2018 and was sentenced on September 28, 2018 to 120 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Delano Hall pleaded guilty on June 27, 2018 and is scheduled to be sentenced November 20, 2018. Michael Hall pleaded guilty on July 13, 2018. Xavier Powell pleaded guilty on August 27, 2018 and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 13, 2018.

The FBI Safe Streets Task Force and the Louisiana State Police-Alexandria Field Office Narcotics participated in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Earl M. Campbell and Jessica D. Cassidy are prosecuting the case.

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior announced a dramatic expansion of the federal government’s key program that provides tribes with access to national crime information databases, the Justice Department’s Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information (TAP).  By the end of 2019, the Justice Department will expand the number of TAP participating tribes by more than 50 percent—from 47 tribes to 72.

Two of the new participating tribes are in the Western District of Oklahoma: the Absentee Shawnee Tribe and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes.

Governor Edwina Butler-Wolfe said: "The Absentee Shawnee Tribe is excited about our recent Tribal Access Program Grant.  The Tribal Access Program will improve public safety, assist in identifying fugitives from justice, and aid with child protective services and the Tribe’s Sex Offender Registration within our Tribal jurisdiction through the access and exchange of critical data."

"The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes are extremely pleased we have been selected to participate in the Tribal Access Program," said Governor Reggie Wassana.  "Throughout Indian Country, tribal justice systems are weighed down by the constant effects of criminal activity.  TAP will give the Tribes the ability to access and exchange data with national crime information systems.  More than ten tribal programs from our domestic violence program to child protection services will benefit from this grant.  I want to recognize the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART), the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), and the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) for their commitment to ensure Tribes have access to the tools needed to improve public safety."

"For far too long, a lack of access to federal criminal databases has hurt tribal law enforcement—preventing them from doing their jobs and keeping their communities safe," said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.  "With the Tribal Access Program, participating tribes will be able to protect victims of domestic violence, register sex offenders, keep guns out of dangerous hands, and help locate missing people.  This milestone demonstrates our deep commitment to strengthening public safety in Indian country."

"I am proud to authorize the funding for the expansion of the Tribal Access Program to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to make the future of justice in Indian Country stronger," said Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney at the 75thNational Congress of American Indians Convention on October 22.  "The Bureau of Indian Affairs is proud to grant greater access to these important databases at more locations throughout Indian Country.  Performing background checks is a critical step in protecting our precious Native children in foster care, and tribal communities served by the BIA will benefit from access to this extensive public safety tool."

"Access to information is vital to effective law enforcement," said Trent Shores, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma and the Chairman of the Attorney General’s Advisory Subcommittee on Native American Issues.  "The Tribal Access Program will enhance and improve the ability of tribal law enforcement officers to serve their communities. The Native American Issues Subcommittee is proud to support the continued expansion of this tool throughout Indian Country."

The Native American Issues Subcommittee (NAIS) is comprised of United States Attorneys with Indian Country in their federal districts.  They advise the Attorney General regarding the development and implementation of policies pertaining to justice in Indian Country.  The NAIS identified ‘increased law enforcement resources’ as one of four priority areas to improve justice services in Indian Country.  Support for and increased dissemination of the TAP was unanimously supported by the U.S. Attorneys at a recent NAIS meeting in Indian Country in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

"We at the BIA-OJS look forward to having direct access to these vital resources," said Deputy BIA Director for Office of Justice Services Charles Addington.  "We have waited years for the opportunity to streamline how we access these critical databases and the funding authorized by AS-IA Sweeney will allow  our law enforcement officers the ability to receive the information they need to do their jobs effectively and keep them safe."

TAP, offered in two versions, TAP-FULL and TAP-LIGHT, allows tribes to serve and protect their communities more effectively by fostering the exchange of critical data through several national databases through the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) network, including the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Next Generation Identification (NGI), National Data Exchange (N-DEx), National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal (LEEP) as well as other national systems such as the International Justice and Public Safety Network (Nlets).  TAP enhances tribal efforts to register sex offenders pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA); have orders of protection enforced nationwide; protect children; keep firearms away from persons who are disqualified from receiving them; improve the safety of public housing, and allow tribes to enter their arrests and convictions into national databases.

TAP-FULL consists of a kiosk workstation that provide access to national systems and is capable of processing finger and palm prints, as well as taking mugshots and submitting records to national databases.  TAP-LIGHT is software for criminal agencies that include police departments, prosecutors, criminal courts, jails, and probation departments. Both versions provide federally recognized tribes the ability to access and exchange data with national crime information databases for both civil and criminal purpose.  TAP is currently available to 47 tribes nationwide with over 220 tribal criminal justice and civil agencies participating.

For more information on TAP, including a list and map of present TAP-FULL and TAP-LIGHT tribes, visit www.justice.gov/tribal/tribal-access-program-tap.  For more information about the Justice Department’s work on tribal justice and public safety issues, visit www.justice.gov/tribal.