RALEIGH– United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced MICHAEL LEE DRAKE, 52, of Nashville, North Carolina to 120 months imprisonment, followed by 8 years of supervised release.

DRAKE was named in an Indictment filed on April 19, 2018 charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute five hundred (500) grams or more of cocaine and a quantity of cocaine base (crack).  On June 18, 2018, DRAKE pled guilty to the conspiracy. 

According to the investigation, beginning in 2009 through October 29, 2015, DRAKE distributed powder cocaine and cocaine base (crack) throughout Nash and Edgecombe Counties.  In 2015, law enforcement made a controlled purchase of multiple ounces of cocaine from DRAKE.  After observing a drug transaction at DRAKE’s home, law enforcement executed a search warrant at thathome.  As a result, officers found powder cocaine, cocaine base (crack), $43,000 in United States currency, and firearms and ammunition.  

Investigation of this case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Nash County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorney Dena King represented the government.

Memphis, TN – Multiple defendants have been indicted for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the indictment today.

According to information presented in court, in August of 2018, during a routine traffic stop, officers in Decatur County recovered 11 pounds of methamphetamine from a driver who identified the supplier as a local Memphis man. On October 1, 2018, investigators intercepted 31 pounds of methamphetamine in possession of Jesus Vega, 33. Vega, along with the driver, Pedro Rosas-Gonzalez, 31, who transported the meth from the Chicago area were arrested.

Law enforcement identified more members of the drug trafficking organization and, on October 22, 2018, two individuals were arrested for narcotics trafficking in the Western District of Tennessee. On that morning, agents determined the location of a high-volume narcotics transaction and set up surveillance. Law enforcement observed Fatimadeniz Diaz, 36, and Steven Diaz, 26, arrive at the scene, take multiple large bags from their car, and place into another vehicle. Upon transferring the bags, the agents arrested both individuals. While searching the vehicle, DEA agents recovered 28.3 kilograms (63 pounds) of methamphetamine and 743 grams of heroin.

On October 17, 2018, Vega and Rosas-Gonzalez were indicted for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Both Fatimadeniz Diaz and Steven Diaz were indicted on November 8, 2018, for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "West Tennessee is a major logistics hub for the country, and drug trafficking organizations transport large quantities into and through our communities. We must use every available resource to disrupt and dismantle these conspiracies, and hold them accountable for distributing poisonous illegal drugs that cause addiction, injury, and death. We commend the outstanding investigative work of our federal law enforcement partners in this important case involving significant seizures of dangerous narcotics."

Over the course of this ongoing investigation, the DEA has recovered over 400 pounds of methamphetamine and 5 kilograms of heroin, all either in Memphis or destined for the Memphis area.

If convicted, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, and up to life imprisonment.

This case is being investigated by the DEA; U.S. Department of Homeland Security; ATF, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Griffith is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. This case is part of the Heroin Initiative in collaboration with the Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office.

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

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BILLINGS—U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme announced today that Billings resident Robert John Bigback was sentenced on Tuesday to five years in prison and five years of supervised release for distributing methamphetamine.

Bigback, 23, pleaded guilty on July 16, 2018 to two counts of distribution of meth.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided at sentencing.

After receiving information about meth for sale in April 2017, the FBI drug task force used a confidential informant to buy meth from a co-defendant at a hardware store in the Billings Heights. After the co-defendant counted the money, Bigback gave the informant the meth. Another meth sale was arranged a few days later and occurred at Rimrock Mall, where Bigback conducted the sale in the bathroom of a department store. The two sales involved about 20 grams of pure meth, which is the equivalent of about 160 individual doses and has a street value of about $2,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Suek prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI Task Force.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.  The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals.

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BATON ROUGE, LA – United States Attorney Brandon J. Fremin announced today that GRAY WESLEY BARROW, age 58, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pled guilty for his role in a scheme to receive approximately $336,000 in illegal health care kickback payments.  As a result of his conviction, BARROW faces a significant term of imprisonment, restitution and fines, and a period of supervised release.

BARROW was a co-owner of Louisiana Spine & Sports LLC, a pain management clinic located in Baton Rouge.  According to plea documents, the charge stems from BARROW’s role in agreeing to send urine specimens collected from his patients to a drug testing laboratory in return for a percentage of the reimbursements paid to the laboratory by health care benefit programs, including Medicare.  In a hearing before U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson, BARROW admitted that from approximately April 2014 through July 2016, he sent specimens collected from his patients to the drug testing laboratory and received approximately $336,000 in disbursements from the laboratory associated with testing for Medicare beneficiaries. 

U.S. Attorney Fremin stated, “This plea is a product of the hard work our office, in coordination with the Department of Justice Fraud Division, Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have put in to bring Medicare Fraud participants to Justice.  It is especially egregious when medical doctors violate their position of trust in the community and the Medicare system to enrich themselves.  I want to thank the Department of Justice Fraud Division, the FBI, and Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General for their efforts in this case.”

“Any time greed replaces medical judgment as the motivating factor behind medical procedures, our country’s citizens and health insurance programs suffer,” said Special Agent in Charge C.J. Porter of the United States Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General’s Dallas Regional Office.  “This office will continue the important mission of protecting the financial integrity of our nation’s health care systems and ensuring that medical providers are rendering legitimate medical services, and will identify and bring to justice those who deliberately manipulate federally funded health insurance programs to obtain Medicare or Medicaid dollars to which they are not entitled.”

Eric J. Rommal, Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, stated, “The Federal Bureau of Investigation continues to be dedicated to eliminating health care fraud in Louisiana and nationwide.  This case serves as a testament to the tenacity and perseverance of Agents of not only the FBI, but also our partners in the Department of Health and Human Services - Office of the Inspector General, when investigating a complex and long-term fraud scheme.  It is our hope that this case will serve as a lesson to medical professionals everywhere that those committing health care fraud in any capacity will be thoroughly investigated and recommended for prosecution.”

The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country.  Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in 14 cities across the country, has charged nearly 4,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $14 billion.

This matter is being handled by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Dallas Field Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief Dustin M. Davis and Trial Attorney Justin M. Woodard of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth E. White.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man pleaded guilty today after being caught in a law enforcement controlled delivery operation involving the transportation of 9 kilograms of cocaine from Los Angeles to Richmond.

“Brown planned on distributing at least 9 kilograms of dangerous narcotics onto the streets of Richmond and beyond,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Investigating and prosecuting drug traffickers continues to be a top priority, and I want to thank our local, state, and federal partners for their outstanding work on this case.”

According to court documents, on August 6, Frankie Brown, 34, provided a duffle bag containing 9 kilograms of cocaine to an individual in Los Angeles for delivery to him in Richmond. On August 7, Texas Department of Public Safety law enforcement officials stopped this individual in Amarillo, Texas, and seized the cocaine from his possession. On August 10, DEA agents arrested Brown when he took custody of what he believed to be his 9 kilograms of cocaine and $6,375.

Brown pleaded guilty to attempted possession with the intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years and up to life in prison when sentenced on Feb. 21, 2019. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Operation California Dreamin was investigated as part of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Scott W. Hoernke, Acting Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:18-cr-104.

          CONCORD - Michael Bean, 33, of Loudon, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.  

          According to court documents and statements made in court, Bean and his girlfriend, Katie-Jo Waters, were members of a conspiracy in which supplier Edward Espejo, of Las Vegas, Nevada, shipped packages of nearly pure methamphetamine to New Hampshire.  Bean and Waters received packages containing methamphetamine in Pembroke, New Hampshire, and distributed the drugs to New Hampshire buyers.  Bean and Waters would then wire the proceeds of drugs sales to Espejo in Las Vegas to purchase additional drugs.  Between January and May 2018, Bean and Waters wired a total of more than $28,000 to Espejo in Las Vegas to buy methamphetamine.  On May 2, 2018, postal inspectors intercepted a package from Espejo to be delivered to Waters that contained one pound of pure methamphetamine.     

          Bean is scheduled to be sentenced on March 5, 2019.

          Waters and Espejo previously pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. 

          “Methamphetamine is a dangerous drug that is appearing in New Hampshire with increasing frequency” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “Because of this drug’s great potential for causing harm to our community, we will aggressively prosecute dealers. Thanks to the hard work of the law enforcement officers in this case, this substantial methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy has been dismantled.” 

          “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has no interest in being the unwitting accomplice to anyone using the U.S. Mail to distribute illegal narcotics such as methamphetamine,” said U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Inspector in Charge, Joseph W. Cronin of the Boston Division. “We will work diligently to identify and remove illegal drug shipments and their proceeds from the mail.”

          This matter was investigated by the DEA and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Davis.

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

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BOSTON – An Amesbury man and a Salisbury woman were arrested and charged separately in federal court in Boston in connection with various child pornography offenses, including the sexual exploitation of an infant.

Thomas Cross, 28, of Amesbury, and Desiree Daigle, 23, of Salisbury, were arrested on Nov. 15, 2018, in the course of two separate search warrant executions. Cross was charged with possession, receipt, and distribution of child pornography and Daigle was charged with sexually exploiting a child. On Nov. 19, 2018, Daigle appeared in federal court and was ordered detained pending trial. Cross appeared in federal court on Nov. 20, 2018, and after a hearing, U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler took the matter of detention under advisement.

According to the charging documents, on Nov. 15, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Cross’s home and seized several electronic devices. Upon reviewing the devices on scene, law enforcement observed files containing child pornography, as well as chats between Cross and a person he identified as Daigle, in which they exchange various child pornography files. Some of the images depict an infant known to Daigle, apparently taken in Daigle’s home. In the course of the chat, the two discuss plans for Cross to meet the child in person so that they can sexually abuse the child together. Both Cross and Daigle admitted to exchanging child pornography with each other. Forensic analysis of devices seized from both defendants is ongoing.

The charge of sexual exploitation of children provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison. The charges of distribution and receipt of child pornography each provide for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison. All of the charges provide for a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Amesbury, North Andover, Salisbury, Arlington, Billerica, Methuen, and Haverhill Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Lelling’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

ALEXANDRIA, La. –United StatesAttorney David C. Joseph announced that a Tennessee man was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison for receiving sexually explicit images from a Louisiana minor. 

Dustin Ray Spears Sr., 28, of Athens, Tennessee, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee. D. Drell on one count of receiving child pornography. He was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release and is required to register as a sex offender. According to the August 7, 2018 guilty plea, Spears began conversing online in June of 2017 with a 15-year-old minor female from Louisiana. In October of 2017, he traveled to northern Louisiana and had sexual intercourse with the minor. After learning of the relationship, the female’s sister informed authorities. Law enforcement agents then searched Spears’ phone and found sexually explicit images. After reviewing email and online chat messages, agents determined that Spears had enticed the minor to send images and video of herself.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.           

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) also encourage the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) 347-2423.  Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls.  Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online by visiting their website at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp or through the Operation Predator smartphone application www.ice.gov/predator/smartphone-app.  Tips may be submitted anonymously.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney John Luke Walker prosecuted the case.

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United StatesAttorney David C. Joseph announced that a Lafayette man was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison for conspiring with three others to sell heroin.

Terrence T. Woods, 33, of Lafayette, Louisiana, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.  He was also sentenced to four years of supervised release.  According to the September 20, 2017 guilty plea, Woods conspired to distribute heroin in the Acadiana area in 2016 and 2017, along with his co-conspirators, Joshua Edwards, 32, of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana; Jacobe Arceneaux, 34, and Robert Jenkins, 36, both of Lafayette, Louisiana.

Edwards was found guilty after a three-day trial that ended August 1, 2018 on the conspiracy charge and was sentenced October 31, 2018 to 10 years in prison and eight years of supervised release. Arceneaux pleaded guilty on July 13, 2017 to distributing heroin and was sentenced October 9, 2018 to 80 months in prison and four years of supervised release.  Jenkins pleaded guilty on January 11, 2018 to distributing heroin, and he was sentenced on May 8, 2018 to 90 months in prison and four years of supervised release.

The defendants were arrested as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) “Operation Toxic Mix.”  The FBI, DEA, Lafayette Metro Narcotics and other law enforcement agencies conducted the investigation.  The OCDETF program is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations,  coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources, and disrupting and dismantling of major drug trafficking organizations.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert C. Abendroth and Daniel J. McCoy prosecuted the case.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. B Late yesterday, a Charlotte federal jury convicted Keith Antonio Barnett, 46, of Gastonia, N.C., of drug conspiracy and related drug charges, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

U.S. Attorney Murray is joined in making today’s announcement by John A. Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division; Nick S. Annan, Special Agent in Charge of ICE/Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Georgia and the Carolinas; Chief Robert C. Helton of the Gastonia Police Department; and Chief Joseph D. Ramey of the Gaston County Police Department.

According to filed court documents and evidence presented at trial, beginning from at least 2016, Barnett was part of a drug conspiracy operating in Gaston County.  Trial evidence established that, during the relevant time period, Barnett was responsible for trafficking more than 280 grams of crack cocaine.  The evidence at trial also established that, in October 2017, while executing a search warrant at a Gaston County residence that was being used as a drug house, law enforcement arrested Barnett, and recovered more than 120 grams of crack cocaine, over 40 grams of cocaine, more than six grams of heroin, and approximately $3,000 in cash. 

The jury convicted Barnett of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine; distribution and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin.

Barnett has a prior criminal history that includes two convictions for Possession of Crack Cocaine in 1991; Indecent Liberties with a Child in 1997; Criminal Domestic Violence of a High and Aggravated Nature in 2006; Failure to Register as a Sex Offender in 2010; and Failure to Register as a Sex Offender in 2013.

Barnett is currently in federal custody.  At sentencing, Barnett faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison and a fine of up to $20 million. A sentencing date has not been set.

This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which is a joint federal, state and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.

In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney Murray credited the FBI and HSI in Charlotte for their investigation of this case, and thanked the Gastonia Police Department and Gaston County Police Department for their invaluable assistance. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven R. Kaufman and Sanjeev Bhasker, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, are in charge of the prosecution.

The Department of Justice along with U.S. Attorney Trent Shores, Chairman of the Attorney General’s Advisory Subcommittee on Native American Issues, released today the annual report to Congress, Indian Country Investigations and Prosecutions, which provides a range of enforcement statistics required under the Tribal Law and Order Act, as well as information about the progress of the Department’s initiatives to reduce violent crime and strengthen tribal justice systems.

The report reveals that in 2017, U.S. Attorney Offices prosecuted a majority of Indian country cases presented to them.  U.S. Attorney Offices declined prosecution of a minority of cases presented to them primarily due to insufficient evidence or referral to another prosecuting authority, such as a tribal prosecutor.  The report also shows that the FBI closed 12.5 percent more investigations in 2017 than in 2016 (see detailed findings below).

“The Department of Justice is committed to public safety in Indian country,” said Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein.  “We have demonstrated this commitment over the past two years by investing substantial resources and supporting innovative programs that empower federal and tribal prosecutors and build the capacity of tribal justice systems.  Today’s report demonstrates that our work makes a difference.  Lasting public safety improvements in Indian country are best achieved when federal, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies work together.”

“The Justice Department’s Indian Country Investigations and Prosecutions Report reflects that the many coordinated efforts among United States Attorneys and tribal justice officials are making a difference,” said Trent Shores, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma, and Chairman of the Attorney General’s Advisory Subcommittee on Native American Issues. “Our work continues, and we must be resolute, in order to meet the challenges prevalent in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. In August, the Attorney General's Native American Issues Subcommittee met and renewed our commitment to finding meaningful and practical tools to help put an end to the disproportionate rates of violence afflicting Native Americans.  Among these, the department is expanding the use of cross-deputization agreements, access to criminal databases, funding for juvenile programs serving at-risk native youth, and services to victims and their families. We must continue to work together and find solutions to violent crime and drug trafficking in Indian Country. United States Attorneys are committed to upholding the federal trust responsibility and the rule of law in Indian Country.”

The Trump Administration has strengthened the Department’s commitment to Indian Country by prioritizing the reduction of violent crime throughout the United States—including in Indian Country. This reflects a recognition that Native Americans suffer from persistently high rates of violent crime, particularly domestic and sexual abuse of women and children, and like many communities in the United States, have been hit hard by both opioid and methamphetamine abuse. 

In April 2017, as part of the Department’s efforts under the Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a series of actions the Department would take to support law enforcement and maintain public safety in Indian Country.

The Justice Department recognizes that investigating crime and prosecuting those responsible is critical to public safety in Indian Country. To that end, the Justice Department’s partnerships with tribes, as well as all federal, state and local law enforcement, are crucial to success. The Department deploys innovative programs such as the Tribal Access Program, Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and numerous grant programs that enhance partnerships, increase information sharing, build capacity for local criminal justice systems, and provide services to victims of crime.

According to the report, in 2017 implementation of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA 2013) remained an important priority for the Department. Federal prosecutors continued to utilize the federal assault charges created by VAWA 2013.  In Calendar Year (CY) 2017, federal prosecutors filed cases against 139 defendants under VAWA 2013’s enhanced federal assault statutes, which include enhanced sentences for certain crimes of domestic violence such as strangulation and stalking. They obtained 134 convictions (an increase of 30% from CY 2016 (103)). Also in CY 2017, prosecutors filed cases against 43 defendants in Indian country cases using the domestic assault by a habitual offender statute, 18 U.S.C. § 117, and obtained 29 convictions.

Cooperation among federal and tribal law enforcement and victim advocates is key to successfully prosecuting sexual assault crimes in Indian country. As of 2017, every U.S. Attorney Office with Indian country responsibilities has developed federal sexual violence guidelines designed to improve the federal response to sexual abuse in tribal communities.

The report also notes that the Tribal Liaison Program remains one of the most important components of the Department’s efforts in Indian country. TLOA requires that the U.S. Attorney for each district with Indian country appoint at least one Assistant United States Attorney to serve as a Tribal Liaison for that district.  They foster and facilitate relationships between federal and tribal partners that are vital to reducing violent crime. As part of their duties, Tribal Liaisons assist in developing multi-disciplinary teams to combat child abuse, work with SART teams on sexual abuse response, conduct community outreach, and coordinate the prosecution of federal crimes.

The information contained in the report shows the following:

• FBI’s CY 2017 statistics show a 12.5 percent increase in total closed investigations (2,210 total) compared to FBI’s CY 2016 statistics (1,960 total).  The FBI has investigative responsibility for federal crimes committed on approximately 200 Indian Reservations. This responsibility is shared concurrently with BIA-OJS and other federal agencies with a law enforcement mission in Indian country

• Approximately 79.5 percent (1,511 out of 1,900) of Indian country criminal investigations opened by the FBI were referred for prosecution.

• Of the 699 Indian country investigations that the FBI closed administratively without referral for prosecution, the primary reason for closing (approximately 21 percent) was that the case did not meet statutory definitions of a crime or U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) prosecution guidelines. In addition, analysis of CY 2017 data indicates that 15 percent of investigations closed administratively were closed due to unsupported allegations, meaning no evidence of criminal activity was uncovered during the investigations. Another reason for non-referral (20 percent) was that the deaths under investigations were determined to be the result of accident, suicide, or natural causes.

• 84 percent (141 out of 167) of the death investigations that were closed administratively by the FBI in CY 2017 were closed because the death was due to causes other than homicide (i.e., accidents, suicide, or natural causes).

• In CY 2017, the USAOs resolved 2,390 Indian country matters.

• The majority of Indian country criminal matters resolved by the USAOs in CY 2017 (1,499 out of 2,390) were prosecuted (charges filed in either District or Magistrate Court).

• The USAO declination rate remained relatively steady. USAO data shows that in CY 2017, 37% (891) of all (2,390) Indian country matters resolved were declined. USAOs declined cases at a similar rate in prior years: 34% (903) of all Indian country matters resolved (2,666) in CY 2016; 39% (1,043) of all Indian country matters resolved (2,655) in CY 2015; 34% (989) of all Indian country matters resolved (2,886) in CY 2014; 34% (853) of all Indian country matters resolved (2,514) in CY 2013; 31% (965) of all Indian country matters resolved (3,097) in CY 2012; and 38% (1,042) of all Indian country matters resolved (2,767) in CY 2011.

• The most common reason for declination by USAOs was insufficient evidence (70.9% in CY 2017, 68.0% in CY 2016, 71.7% in CY 2015, 59.6% in CY 2014, 55.6% in CY 2013, and 52% in CY 2012). The next most common reason for declination by USAOs was referral to another prosecuting authority (13.2% in CY 2017, 16.4% in CY 2016, 13.8% in CY 2015, 16.3% in CY 2014, 20.8% in CY 2013, and 24% in CY 2012).

The data presented in this report covers only those offenses reported to the FBI and federal prosecutors. The majority of criminal offenses committed, investigated, and prosecuted in Indian Country are adjudicated in tribal justice systems. In much of Indian Country, tribal law enforcement and tribal justice systems hold criminals accountable, protect victims, provide youth prevention and intervention programs, and confront precursors to crime such as alcohol and substance abuse. These efforts are often in partnership with federal agencies or accomplished with support from federal programs and federal funding opportunities.

Read the entire report at www.justice.gov/tribal/tloa.html

Read about the Justice Department’s efforts to increase public safety in Indian County at www.justice.gov/tribal/accomplishments.html

NEWARK, N.J. – A member of the New Jersey Grape Street Crips who was arrested earlier this week in Durham, North Carolina, on charges that include RICO conspiracy, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder had his initial appearance in federal court today, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Ramon Morales, a/k/a “Ray Rizzo,” a/k/a “Rizzo,” a/k/a “Rizzolini,” 33, of Newark, was charged in a six-count indictment with RICO conspiracy, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, using a firearm during a crime of violence, and conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. Morales had his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joe L. Webster in Durham federal court and was detained without bail.

According to documents filed in this and other cases and statements made in court:

Morales, allegedly a longtime member of the New Jersey Grape Street Crips, attempted to murder Almalik Anderson, a rival of the Grape Street Crips’ leader Corey Hamlet. In 2013, on Hamlet’s orders, Grape Street Crips gang members repeatedly shot and nearly killed Anderson and a woman who was in Anderson’s car. After learning that Anderson had survived the attempted murder and had been responsible for murdering one of their fellow gang members in retaliation for his shooting, Morales and another conspirator met with Hamlet at the Pennington Court public housing complex in Newark. Hamlet told Morales and other gang members that they had the green light to “even the scoreboard,” as told in a contemporaneous letter. Morales and another conspirator then armed themselves and drove around Newark to find Anderson, but were unsuccessful.

Morales also participated in a meeting during which Hamlet ordered another gang member to murder Anwar West, a fellow Grape Street Crips member whom Hamlet perceived had been disloyal by attempting to end the feud between Hamlet and Anderson.

Morales was also involved in the distribution of one kilogram or more of heroin, as well as in transporting firearms from the Durham, North Carolina, area to Newark. On Oct. 30, 2013, law enforcement officers in Maryland stopped a vehicle – driven by a Grape Street Crips member and rented in Morales’ name – that contained three assault rifles and dozens of rounds of ammunition.

More than 70 members and associates of the Grape Street Crips have been charged and convicted since the start of a coordinated federal investigation in the gang’s violent and drug-trafficking activities in 2013.

Morales faces a sentence of up to life for the RICO conspiracy, a sentence of up to life with a 10-year mandatory minimum for conspiracy to distribute heroin, and a sentence of up to life plus a five-year mandatory minimum for using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Morales also faces a sentence of up to 10 years for the conspiracy and attempt to commit murder in aid of racketeering.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, and special agents of the DEA, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Valerie A. Nickerson with the investigation leading to Morales’ arrest. He also thanked the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II, police officers and detectives of the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose, and the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Armando B. Fontoura, for their assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Osmar J. Benvenuto, Chief of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard J. Ramsay of the Appeals Division in Newark.

This case was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Adonis Smith, age 39, of New London, Connecticut, was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release on November 20, 2018, by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for conspiring to distribute heroin, crack cocaine, and fentanyl.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Smith pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute controlled substances in Pennsylvania between approximately February 2016 through June 2016.  Smith admitted to working as a drug dealer and in the conspiracy, and to trafficking in excess of 15 grams of crack cocaine and in excess of 40 grams of heroin (which is the equivalent of 1,600 potentially fatal doses of heroin).

Smith was charged in June 2017 with 14 other individuals.  All of his co-defendants have pleaded guilty, with eight others having already been sentenced:

• Kassandra Martin of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment;
• Joshua Lenchick of Luzerne, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment;
• Kristyna Shotwell of Plymouth, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 12 months and one day of imprisonment;
• Tanay Jones of Bronx, New York, was sentenced to a time served sentence of 19 days’ imprisonment;
• William Waring of Bronx, New York, was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment;
• John Maybank of Bronx, New York, was sentenced to 53 months’ imprisonment;
• Siobhan Daniels, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment; and
• Luis Nevarez, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Luzerne County Drug Task Force, and by the Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and 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.

This case also was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.

# # #

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Daniel Palmitessa, age 33, of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, was indicted on November 20, 2018, by a federal grand jury on child pornography charges.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the indictment alleges that Palmitessa produced and possessed images of child pornography and attempted to entice two minors to engage in sexual activity.        

The case was investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts is prosecuting the case.

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."

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

# # #

SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Joseph Waschko, age 37, of Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 20, 2018, for unlawfully importing controlled substances.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Waschko is charged with three counts of unlawfully importing Tramadol, which is a Schedule IV controlled substance, from India, Germany, Singapore, and Switzerland to Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The indictment alleges that the offenses occurred on or about June 15, 2015, June 14, 2016, and June 30, 2016.

The charges against Waschko resulted from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.  

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The maximum penalty under federal law for each charge is five years’ imprisonment. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

# # #

            WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced that it has settled a Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit against Defendants Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. and Mid-America Apartments, L.P. for $11.3 million to resolve allegations that these property owners failed to build 50 apartment complexes in six states and the District of Columbia with accessible features for persons with disabilities. 

            Under the agreement, the defendants must spend $8.7 million to retrofit 36 properties that they currently own.  This amount is in addition to $2.4 million in retrofits that had been made to many of the properties after the United States brought suit.  The defendants must also pay $175,000 to compensate victims and up to $25,000 for accessibility retrofits at 14 properties they no longer own.  The defendants also agreed to undergo training, to construct any new multifamily housing in accordance with the Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act, and to provide periodic reports to the Justice Department. 

            “The Justice Department is committed to ensuring that new multifamily housing is built with the accessible features that are required by law,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division. “This comprehensive settlement will ensure that equal housing opportunities are afforded to persons with disabilities.”

            “The Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act ensure that persons with disabilities have access to housing, leasing offices, and related amenities,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to vigorously pursuing enforcement of the rights guaranteed by these laws. This settlement is an example of that commitment in the District of Columbia and elsewhere and serves to promote equal access to multi-family housing for persons with disabilities.”

            The Fair Housing Act requires that multifamily housing constructed for first occupancy after Mar. 13, 1991, have basic accessible features; the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that places of public accommodations, such as rental offices, at multifamily housing built for first occupancy after Jan. 26, 1993, have accessible features. 

            As alleged in the government’s complaint, the defendants built the properties at issue with significant barriers that inhibited access to the units and the associated public and common-use areas.  These barriers include routes to building entrances with steps and excessive slopes, units with electrical outlets and thermostats that are beyond the reach of persons who use wheelchairs, and kitchens and bathrooms with insufficient space for persons who use wheelchairs to maneuver.  The government filed the lawsuit in 2010 against Post Properties, Inc., Post Apartment Homes, L.P., and Post GP Holdings, Inc., which merged with the defendants in 2016.

            The FHA prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.usdoj.gov/crt.

            Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of housing discrimination may call the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, e-mail the Justice Department at fairhousing@usdoj.gov, or contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777.

Greenbelt, Maryland – Stephen McGrath, age 44, of Rockville, Maryland, pleaded guilty on November 20, 2018, to federal charges of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity in order to produce child pornography, and possession of child pornography.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

According to McGrath’s plea agreement, between June 16 and October 9, 2017, McGrath used Internet-based chat applications “MeetMe” and “KIK” to communicate with six minor female victims, ranging in age from 12 to 16 years old.  In his communications with the victims, McGrath, posing as a female modeling agent, confirmed the ages of the victims and requested photographs, including nude and sexually explicit images, which the victims then sent to McGrath as part of their “modeling evaluation.”  McGrath also admitted that he distributed sexually explicit images of Victim 6, a 14-year-old girl, to two of her male friends, whose account information he had requested from Victim 6.

Subscriber information for the accounts used to communicate with Victim 1 showed that the user connected to each account through the same IP address, which was assigned to McGrath in Rockville.  Law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant at McGrath’s residence on October 13, 2017, and seized his cellular phone.  The phone had an application for password-protected digital storage.  McGrath supplied the password, which revealed folders within the application labeled with female names and containing pictures and videos constituting more than 600 images of child pornography, including images of the victims described above.  The KIK application was also found on the phone as well as numerous chat conversations with minor females.

As a result of his guilty plea, McGrath will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

McGrath faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison for enticement of a minor in order to produce child pornography; and a maximum of 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography.   U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for March 29, 2019, at 1:00 p.m.

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 Attorney’s 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.justice.gov/psc.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.       

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended HSI-Baltimore and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation and thanked the Montgomery County Police Department for its assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin, who is prosecuting the federal case.

GREAT FALLS – U.S. Attorney Kurt G. Alme announced that on Monday, Cirilo Marcial-Ramirez, a Mexico citizen from Oaxaca, was sentenced to 174 days of time served and to one year of supervised release for conviction of illegal re-entry.

District Judge Brian M. Morris presided at the hearing.

Ramirez, 34, pleaded guilty to the charge on Oct. 29.

An investigation began in September 2017 when Great Falls Police Department officers contacted Ramirez regarding a traffic accident and arrested him for traffic offenses. Ramirez gave a false name and birth date, but investigators identified Ramirez through fingerprints. Ramirez had been deported from the United States in February 2010 after being convicted of felony and misdemeanor offenses in Kansas. He did not have permission as required by statute to re-enter the United States.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette Stewart prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Great Falls Police Department and Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

XXX

Charleston, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Keith R. Hudson, 71, of Charleston, South Carolina, was sentenced to six months in federal prison and six months of home confinement for receiving $197,237 in benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) after falsely claiming to be a veteran.

Evidence presented to the court showed that Hudson falsely claimed that he was entitled to VA benefits because he was a veteran who had been in combat in Vietnam.  He even went so far as to claim that he had received two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.

Hudson has committed the same crime in the past.  In 2005, he was prosecuted in Connecticut for the falsely claiming to be a veteran in order to claim VA benefits.  He was placed in pretrial diversion.  He moved to Charleston, South Carolina, and in 2012 he applied to the VA in Charleston for benefits.  He used the same falsified form from the Department of Defense, (a DD-214, “Report of Separation from Active Duty”) and claimed that he was in the Navy and saw combat as a medic, suffering wounds and other trauma.  He claimed that he served from August 1, 1967, through October 31, 1971.

This was all a fraud.  Hudson was never in the military.  He never served in the United States Navy, nor did he ever see combat in Vietnam.

Hudson asked for a probationary sentence, claiming poor health and noting his age, previous bypass surgeries, and cancer.  United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel denied Hudson’s motion for probation and instead sentenced him to 1 year of confinement, in a split sentence.  Six months of the confinement is to be served in federal prison, and six months is to be served as home confinement.  Hudson was also ordered to pay $297,237 in restitution.

U.S. Attorney Lydon emphasized the importance of this case for our country and for our community.  “This is an egregious crime,” she said.  “This Defendant trampled on the memory of those who have bravely served our country and suffered harm protecting us.  Hudson not only stole from the taxpayers by taking benefits he did not earn, he also stole directly from veterans who served our nation and protected our freedom.  Every minute of time he spent with a VA doctor or a staff member is a minute he stole from a real veteran.  He took resources that the VA just cannot afford to spare.  We are grateful to the Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General for their investigative work on this case.”

Kim Lampkins, the Special Agent in Charge for the Veterans Administration Office of Investigations Criminal Investigations Division, said, "Those who defraud the VA harm all veterans.  VA benefits are intended solely for those who have protected this nation’s freedoms. We investigate individuals who commit fraud against the VA and are dedicated to defending veterans who genuinely earned our support."

The case against Hudson was investigated by the VA Office of Inspector General and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean Kittrell of the Charleston office.

            #####

Following a sting operation at a Dallas hotel earlier this month, law enforcement liberated dozens of women sold for sex, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox. This week, a federal grand jury indicted Helen Kim – the alleged proprietor of the prostitution ring – on racketeering charges.  

“It takes a lot of coordination to ensure an operation like this goes without a hitch. I’m proud of the way law enforcement came together to fight for these young women,” said Nealy Cox. “The defendant’s willingness to demean women for financial gain is sickening. We cannot and will not allow this type of behavior to go unchecked in North Texas.”

More than 50 officers from the Dallas Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and Homeland Security Investigations participated in the Nov. 1 undercover operation. Agents, posted at the hotel bar and in rooms upstairs, posed as out-of-town businessmen prepared to pay for illicit sex.

According to the indictment, Ms. Kim, 58, had agreed to provide dozens of women for that very purpose.

In earlier conversations with a confidential informant and an undercover Dallas Police Department detective, Ms. Kim and her 36-year-old son allegedly negotiated private sexual liaisons with 20 to 25 women at a rate of $2,000 each, for a total of at least $40,000. The pair promised the “girlfriend experience,” and even allowed the CI and UD to meet several of the women at a local Sushi bar.

During another meeting at a nearby Starbucks, Ms. Kim allegedly accepted an upfront payment of $5,000. She insisted the men should not talk publicly about the affair. 

“The way this is set up,” her son told the undercover officer, “it could be considered human trafficking.”

At the Nov. 1 sting, Ms. Kim accepted the remainder of the cash, paid in marked bills, and was taken into custody shortly thereafter. Several of the women in her employ were taken to Mosaic House, a local shelter for women fleeing human trafficking. Many had been living at her purported “spas,” Pink One and Illusion, impelled to cater to customers at all times of the day and night. 

If convicted, Kim faces up to five years in federal prison. Prosecutors have seized assets from her home and massage parlors. 

An Indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Raybould and Cara Foos Pierce are prosecuting the case.

At the Nov. 1 sting, Ms. Kim accepted the remainder of the cash, paid in marked bills, and was taken into custody shortly thereafter. Several of the women in her employ were taken to Mosaic House, a local shelter for women fleeing human trafficking. Many had been living at her purported “spas,” Pink One and Illusion, impelled to cater to customers at all times of the day and night. 

If convicted, Kim faces up to five years in federal prison. Prosecutors have seized assets from her home and massage parlors. 

An Indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Raybould and Cara Foos Pierce are prosecuting the case.