COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum announced on September 18, 2019, Jorge Alejandro Salazar Machado, age 28, was sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge James E. Gritzner for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance. Salazar Machado was sentenced to 10 years in prison to be followed by a five year term of supervised release.

In January 2019, Salazar Machado was arrested by Council Bluffs Police for possession of drug paraphernalia. A subsequent search warrant was executed on his vehicle. During the search, officers located two packages containing a total of 1,891.28 grams of heroin. Salazar Machado pleaded guilty to the charge in May 2019.

This case was investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department and the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

           WASHINGTON- Jesse Nunn, 24, of Maryland, was sentenced yesterday to 120 months in prison for his part in three separate kidnappings over the course of three weeks in Northwest Washington.

           U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) made the announcement.

           Nunn pled guilty on May 10, 2019, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to three counts of kidnapping. The Honorable Trevor N. McFadden sentenced Nunn on September 19, 2019, to a 10-year prison term, to be followed by five years of supervised release.

           According to the government’s evidence, on July 15, 2018, Nunn and his co-defendant lured Complaining Witness (“CW”) #1 into his car in the 1300 block of U Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., with the promise of selling him narcotics. When CW #1 entered the car, Nunn produced a handgun and pointed it at CW #1, demanding the victim’s debit/credit card, cellphone, and U.S. Currency. During the course of the kidnapping, the defendants drove to various financial institutions and other store locations, crossing state lines, in an attempt to use CW #1’s debit/credit cards to obtain U.S. Currency. At one point, Nunn also punched CW #1, causing minor injuries. CW #1 was eventually able to escape from the vehicle and flag-down a passing driver.

           On July 27, 2018, in the 600 block of U Street, N.W., Nunn and two co-defendants lured CW #2 into their car with the promise of selling him narcotics. CW #2 willingly got into the defendants’ vehicle so that the defendants could take him to an ATM to get money for the purchase of the narcotics. The defendants drove CW #2 to a 7-Eleven ATM located in Bladensburg, MD, so that CW #2 could use the ATM machine to withdraw U.S. currency to purchase narcotics from the defendants. When CW #2 and one of the co-defendants returned to the vehicle, Nunn produced a handgun and pointed the weapon at CW #2. The defendants demanded CW #2’s debit/credit card, cellphone, and U.S. currency. The defendants forcibly took CW #2 to various locations, including locations outside of the District of Columbia, to use or attempt to use CW #2’s debit/credit cards for money or other personal property. CW #2 was eventually able to escape from the vehicle in Virginia.

           On August 4, 2018, at approximately 2:30 am, CW #3 left a nightclub located in the 1300 block of U Street, N.W. to catch an Uber home. Believing Nunn’s vehicle to be his Uber, CW #3 entered the vehicle, in which Nunn was seated in the rear seat. Within minutes of CW #3 getting into the vehicle for his ride home, Nunn demanded CW #3’s phone and wallet and then produced and pointed a handgun at CW #3.  Nunn and his co-defendant drove CW #3 around and demanded that CW #3 give them his PIN number for his debit/credit card.  CW #3 was eventually able to escape from the vehicle in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, and Chief Newsham praised the work of the FBI Violent Crime Safe Streets Task Force, which is charged with investigating the most egregious acts of violent crime impacting the Capital Region Task Force, which involved members from the FBI and MPD. They also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Teesha Tobias, former Paralegal Specialist Jeannette Litz, and Victim/Witness Specialist Yvonne Bryant. Finally, they commended the outstanding work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole, who indicted and prosecuted the case.

Des Moines, IA—On September 17, 2019, Theodore Eric Watson, age 54, of Altoona, appeared before United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey and was sentenced to 18 months in prison for mail fraud and embezzlement of labor union assets, with three years of supervised release to follow his prison term. Watson pleaded guilty to these offenses on April 15, 2019.

Watson admitted from 2007 until September 2016, while employed as the Business Manager for Local 74 of the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers (AFL-CIO), he sent fraudulent requests for payment of grant funds for training to the United Way of Central Iowa. These fraudulent requests were unauthorized and unknown to Local 74.

Watson also admitted to embezzling from Local 74 by making unauthorized purchases and cash advances on a Local 74 credit card and then concealing the fraud by submitting altered credit card statements and false monthly reports to Local 74. Watson additionally opened a bank account in the name of Local 74, without Local 74's consent or knowledge, and from December 2013 through January 2016, Watson diverted Local 74 funds into this account for his personal use.

Watson was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $125,443.24 ($55,604.91 to Local 74 and $69,838.33 to United Way of Central Iowa).

This matter was investigated by the United States Department of Labor—Management Standards. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two Washington, D.C. area men were sentenced to nearly four years in prison combined for their roles in a firearm trafficking conspiracy.

“Giles and Pearce went to extraordinary lengths to illegally traffic dozens of firearms from Virginia to Maryland and Washington, D.C.,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “EDVA has made a commitment to do all we can to attack straw purchasing and firearms trafficking across the Commonwealth and in the National Capital Region. This case is proof positive of the resources we have dedicated and will continue to surge to fight this dangerous conduct.”

According to court documents, Darius Antonio Giles, 22, and his half-brother Daryl Antonio Pearce, 22,  conspired together to travel from Maryland and Washington, D.C.—where they resided—to Virginia to acquire firearms with the intent to engage in the business of dealing firearms. During the course of this conspiracy, Pearce and Giles purchased well over 33 firearms within the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere. After they purchased these firearms, they transported them from Virginia to Maryland and Washington, D.C., where Pearce and Giles resold the firearms to various individuals for profit. Seventeen of the firearms have been recovered by law enforcement in Washington, D.C. and Maryland, including from a convicted felon. Giles was arrested in February following a controlled firearm buy with undercover ATF agents.

“Those who buy guns to sell them illegally in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere, as Giles and Pearce did here, are not simply committing paperwork violations. These criminals are providing an iron pipeline of potentially lethal weapons to individuals who are prohibited under the law from possessing firearms,” said Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division. “We will therefore continue to vigorously pursue and arrest anyone involved in the illegal trafficking of firearms to protect our communities.”

Giles was sentenced to more than two and half years in prison, and Pearce was sentenced to more than a year in prison.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel H. Feil and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas U. Murphy II prosecuted 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 are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-139.

A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine while illegally possessing guns pled guilty September 20, 2019, in federal court in Sioux City.

Dustin Julich, 35, from Estherville, Iowa, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and illegal possession of a firearm.  Julich was previously convicted of theft and burglary, and was prohibited from possessing firearms in Iowa.

At the plea hearing, Julich admitted that from about December 2015 through February 2019 he and others distributed over 1 kilogram of methamphetamine in the Estherville, Iowa area.  During a search warrant of Julich’s truck and trailer, law enforcement seized approximately ½ pound of methamphetamine along with two guns. 

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Julich remains in custody of the United States Marshal and will remain in custody pending sentencing.  Julich faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment on the conspiracy conviction.  On the firearm conviction, Julich faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years of supervised release.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mikala Steenholdt and was investigated by Estherville Police Department, Emmet County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and Iowa Division of Criminalistics Laboratory. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 19-3010.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A St. Louis, Missouri, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for drug trafficking and illegally possessing and discharging a firearm in Newton County, Missouri.

E.F. Fitchpatrick, Jr., 46, was charged in a four-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Missouri, on Aug. 20, 2019. That indictment has been unsealed and made public.

The federal indictment alleges that Fitchpatrick participated in a conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine from Feb. 18 to March 1, 2017. Fitchpatrick is also charged with possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

Fitchpatrick is charged with discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug-trafficking crime. According to the indictment, Fitchpatrick discharged a Hi-Point .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun on March 1, 2017. Fitchpatrick is also charged with being a felon and an unlawful user of, or addicted to, a controlled substance while in possession of that firearm.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Fitchpatrick has two prior felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm; two prior felony convictions for the distribution, delivery, or manufacture of a controlled substance; three prior felony convictions for forgery; two prior felony convictions for possession of an illegal weapon; one prior felony conviction for using a telephone to facilitate the distribution of heroin; one prior felony conviction for burglary; and one prior felony conviction for tampering with a motor vehicle.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Keller. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team, and the Joplin, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Neighborhoods
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program that identifies the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Fayetteville, AR – Duane (DAK) Kees, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced today that Donald Tankersley, age 76, of Fort Smith, Arkansas, has pleaded guilty to an information on two counts of Tax Fraud.  The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks accepted the plea in the United States District Court in Fayetteville on September 19, 2019.

According to court records, Tankersley is the owner of the White Dairy Ice Cream Company, Inc. (WDIC).  WDIC also includes Tankersley Food Service, which supplies food to restaurants, schools, and government entities.  WDIC is a corporation located in the Western District of Arkansas.  IRS investigators discovered a fraudulent scheme in which Tankersley siphoned funds from WDIC by having checks created from WDIC accounts and made out to non-existent trucking companies.  Tankersley collected and deposited the checks into his personal bank accounts, or directed others to either deposit the checks into his personal bank accounts or cash the checks for his personal use.  In 2013, Tankersley falsified the corporate tax returns for WDIC by causing the checks to non-existent trucking companies to be listed as corporate expenses.  This reduced the corporate tax liability for WDIC and caused a tax loss for the 2013 WDIC corporate tax return.  Also in 2013, Donald Tankersley did not report the checks listed above as personal income, despite many of them being deposited into his personal bank accounts.  This false omission from his personal tax returns also caused a tax loss.  According to court records, Tankersley has agreed to pay restitution to the IRS for a total tax loss of $188,198.     

Tankersley’s sentence will be determined later by the court.  In this case, Tankersley faces a maximum sentence of 3 years in prison for each count.

The investigation was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation.  First Assistant United States Attorney Clay Fowlkes is prosecuting the case for the United States.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of an indictment charging Heidi Kalous (39, Dunedin) with conspiring to distribute a substance that contained a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, and distributing a substance that contained a mixture of heroin, fentanyl, and acetyl fentanyl, causing death. If convicted, Kalous faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 20 years, and up to life, in federal prison.

According to court documents, beginning no later than June 5, 2019, and continuing through June 28, 2019, Kalous conspired with others to possess and distribute heroin, fentanyl, and acetyl fentanyl.

On June 5, 2019, Kalous distributed two bags containing a mixture of heroin and fentanyl to an individual. The individual injected himself with the substance from the bags and died. A medical autopsy revealed that the cause of death was an accidental overdose caused by fentanyl toxicity.

Between June 5 and June 27, 2019, Kalous continued to distribute narcotics, including crack cocaine, fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl and heroin, out of a motel in Dunedin.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case is part of the Middle District of Florida’s anti-opioid strategy to combat opioid trafficking and abuse. This case was investigated by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.

Santos Roman Narvaez Ansazoy will be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Steven M. Gold at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn on charges of leading a continuing criminal enterprise.  The defendant was arrested in Colombia on a provisional arrest warrant and was extradited yesterday from Colombia to the United States.

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Raymond P. Donovan, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), and  Keith M. Corlett, Superintendent, New York State Police (NYSP), announced the extradition.

“The defendant will now face charges in an American courtroom for leading a major Colombian drug trafficking organization that imported huge quantities of cocaine into the United States,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue.  “We will cooperate with law enforcement here and abroad to dismantle drug rings that flood our streets and neighborhoods with lethal drugs.”  Mr. Donoghue extended his grateful appreciation to the assistance provided by DEA’s offices in Bogota, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Department of State, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the Colombian National Police and the Government of Colombia.

“For years, Roman Narvaez Ansazoy allegedly participated in a conspiracy to facilitate the distribution of multi-ton quantities of cocaine throughout the United States,” stated DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Donovan.  “Ansazoy’s arrest and extradition demonstrate the commitment of the United States and our partners in Colombia to bring to justice drug traffickers who fuel narco-terrorism and seek to flood our streets with addictive and deadly poisons.”

“I commend the members of the Task Force for their outstanding work on this case. All of the agencies involved are committed to taking down any criminal enterprise that imports these dangerous drugs into our county, and we will continue to collaborate on that mission. We simply will not tolerate this type of activity,” stated NYSP Superintendent Corlett.

According to the indictment, Narvaez was a founder and principal leader of a drug trafficking organization in Colombia responsible for producing multi-ton quantities of cocaine, on a monthly basis, in jungle laboratories in the Cauca region of Colombia.  The cocaine was then transported to Colombian ports on the Pacific coastline under the protection of paramilitary groups paid by Narvaez, including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.  The cocaine was then shipped by sea, primarily to the United States.

The extradition of Narvaez is the result of an ongoing investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the DEA.  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.

The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section.  Assistant United States Attorney Francisco J. Navarro is in charge of the prosecution.  The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs handled the extradition in this matter.

The Defendant:

SANTOS ROMAN NARVAEZ ANSAZOY (also known as “Roman Narvaez Ansazoy”)
Age:  45
Cauca, Colombia

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 14-CR-048 (S-1) (BMC)

SOUTH BEND – Jerry Harris, age 38, of South Bend, Indiana and David Gibson, age 47, of Chicago, Illinois were found guilty, late September 19^th,  after a four-day jury trial before U.S. District Court Judge Jon DeGuilio, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.

In March of 2018 Jerry Harris and Gibson were indicted for conspiracy to distribute heroin.  The jury deliberated about three hours and found them both guilty of conspiring to distribute over a kilogram of heroin in the South Bend area.   In an earlier case (United States v. Corey Harris, et al.), several individuals who sold heroin for Harris and Gibson pled guilty; some have been sentenced and others are awaiting sentencing.

U.S. Attorney Kirsch said, “I have directed my Office to focus on individuals who distribute heroin and other dangerous opiate narcotics, especially in light of the opioid crisis that exists across the United States.  This successful prosecution was the result of cooperative efforts throughout local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.  We will aggressively investigate, prosecute and hold accountable those who flood our streets with these drugs to make our communities safer.” 

According to evidence presented at trial, Jerry Harris and Gibson conspired with at least six others persons from that earlier case to sell heroin in and around the Miami Hills area of South Bend.  The conspirators shared a cellphone that customers called to arrange purchases of heroin.  The evidence showed that undercover law enforcement officers purchased heroin from members of the conspiracy on 28 separate occasions between March and October of 2017.  Phone records show that the shared cellphones had over 80,000 contacts during the time of the conspiracy.  The investigation included search warrants on five houses and cars.  Harris and Gibson directed the sales conducted by those who sold heroin to the undercover officers.

Mr.  Jerry Harris and Mr. Gibson are scheduled to be sentenced on January 30 of 2020.  Both face a minimum of ten years to life incarceration.   Gibson was recently convicted of carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime in Wyoming and is currently serving a twelve year sentence.

The case was investigated by the DEA and ATF with assistance from several local police agencies including the St. Joseph County Drug Investigation Unit, Indiana State Police, South Bend Police Department, Mishawaka Police Department, the Elkhart Police and ICE unit, the St. Joseph County Police Department and the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office.   The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joel Gabrielse and Molly Donnelly. 

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Two Reagor Dykes Auto Group employees pleaded guilty today for their role a $23 million “check kiting” scheme, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox. 

Sheila Evans Miller, 52, and Diana Herrera Urias, 53, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud before Magistrate Judge Lee Ann Reno in Amarillo Friday morning.

Their CFO, Shane Andrew Smith, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in the check kiting scheme and a related floor plan fraud scheme.

In plea papers, Ms. Miller, an RDAG group controller, and Ms. Urias, an RDAG office manager, admitted that the auto group – which was struggling with ballooning expenses due to aggressive growth, above market compensation and unnecessary overhead – engaged in widespread, systematic check kiting, a ploy that involves concealing fraud by cross-depositing checks across several banks.

In fact, the company had an entire team at its headquarters specifically designated to kite checks, both women admitted.

Due to the kiting, RDAG checks that should have bounced instead cleared during banks’ float time, the period between the deposit in the recipient account and the deduction from the payer’s account, according to their plea papers. 

At the instruction of RDAG Chief Financial Officer Shane Smith, Ms. Miller, Ms. Urias, and others would make up random amounts for each check to total the amount that needed to be kited for the day, often discussing the calculus over email, they said.

Ms. Miller and Ms. Urias each face up to five years in federal prison and may be required to pay at least $23 million in restitution. Mr. Smith faces up to 20 years in federal prison, and will be required to pay a mandatory restitution of more than $50 million, equal to the total amount of loss suffered by FMCC and victim banks.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Frausto, Jeffrey Haag, and Sean Taylor are prosecuting the case.

CHICAGO — A north suburban man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for enticing underage girls to engage in sex acts with him.

CASEY IRELAND, 36, of Antioch, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, and one count of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.  U.S. District Chief Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer imposed the 15-year sentence Thursday in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Leo Lamont, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Resident Agency Great Lakes.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Antioch Police Department and law enforcement authorities in Wisconsin.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney A.J. Dixon.

Ireland admitted in a plea agreement that in the spring of 2017 he had sex with two 15-year-old girls from Wisconsin.  Ireland began communicating with the girls via online messaging applications. 

On May 18, 2017, and June 1, 2017, Ireland drove to Wisconsin to pick up the first victim at her high school, and then drove her back to his home in Antioch to engage in sex acts.  On May 31, 2017, Ireland arranged to pick up the second victim at a park near her home in Wisconsin, and then drove her to his home to engage in sex acts.

After the second victim informed law enforcement about her encounter with Ireland, authorities took control of her messaging account and reestablished communication with him.  During subsequent messages, Ireland and law enforcement – posing as the victim – arranged for Ireland to pick up the victim at the same park near her home to engage in another sexual encounter.  When Ireland drove to the park on June 7, 2017, he was arrested.

If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678, or log on to http://www.missingkids.com.  The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Dennis Pulley, a/k/a Denmo, age 31, of Baltimore, to 35 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiring to participate in a drug distribution conspiracy and a violent racketeering enterprise known as Trained To Go (TTG), as well as possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm.  The racketeering conspiracy included eight murders, as well as drug trafficking and witness intimidation.  Pulley and his co-defendants were also convicted of a drug distribution conspiracy involving heroin, marijuana, and cocaine.  The TTG gang operated in the Sandtown neighborhood of West Baltimore.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby.

“Dennis Pulley and his fellow gang members brought violence and misery to West Baltimore, in the form of murders, shootings, armed robbery, witness intimidation, and drug dealing. Now, Pulley will spend 35 years in federal prison,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Hopefully criminals who are not deterred from terrorizing our neighborhoods by the threat of prison can be deterred by the reality of years spent in a federal prison far from home—where there is no parole.  Ever.”

According to the evidence presented at their 24-day trial, Pulley and his co-defendants are all members or associates of TTG, a criminal organization that operated in the Sandtown neighborhood of West Baltimore, whose members engaged in drug distribution and acts of violence including murder, armed robbery, and witness intimidation.  As part of the conspiracy, each defendant agreed that a conspirator would commit at least two acts of racketeering activity for TTG. 

The evidence at trial showed that members and associates of TTG sold heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, and worked to defend their exclusive right to control who sold narcotics in TTG territory.  Pulley served as one of TTG’s primary suppliers of heroin and marijuana.  TTG members routinely sold “packs” of heroin and gram quantities of marijuana from multiple locations in Sandtown.  Typically, a “pack” contained between 25 and 50 gel capsules of heroin.  In addition, the evidence proved that between May 20, 2010 and January 9, 2017, Pulley, his co-defendants, and other members of TTG committed acts of violence, including murders, shootings, armed robbery, and witness intimidation.  Murders were committed in retaliation for individuals robbing TTG members of drugs and drug proceeds, or while TTG members robbed others of their drugs and drug proceeds, as well as in murder-for-hire schemes.  Further, the defendants engaged in witness intimidation through violence or threats of violence, to prevent individuals from cooperating with law enforcement.

For example, in the summer of 2016, a feud developed between Pulley and Chris Pennington, a/k/a “Magic.”  Pennington and several other individuals robbed a marijuana distributor that Pulley supplied.  When Pulley learned that Pennington was offering money for information concerning Pulley’s location, Pulley solicited members of TTG and others to murder Pennington.  On January 9, 2017, Pennington was shot multiple times and died.  Search warrants were subsequently executed at Pulley’s home and the home of a co-defendant, Brandon Wilson.  Law enforcement recovered the gun used to murder Pennington at Wilson’s home and recovered a .22-caliber pistol, one pound of marijuana, and $32,758 in cash from Pulley’s home.  On October 18, 2018, a witness was on the stand testifying about Pulley during the trial.  While counsel were participating in a bench conference with the presiding judge, Pulley mouthed the words “I’ll kill you” to the witness, which was seen by a Deputy U.S. Marshal.

The leader of the gang, Montana Barronette, a/k/a Tana and Tanner, age 23, and his brother, Terrell Sivells, a/k/a Rell, age 27, both of Baltimore, were each sentenced to life in prison on February 15 and April 26, 2019, respectively.  Timothy Floyd, a/k/a Tim Rod, age 28, of Baltimore, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on July 19, 2019.  Co-defendants Brandon Wilson, a/k/a Ali, age 24, and Taurus Tillman, a/k/a Tash, age 30, both of Baltimore, were each sentenced to 25 years in prison on March 1 and May 21, 2019, respectively.  Two other co-defendants, John Harrison, a/k/a Binkie, age 28, and Linton Broughton, a/k/a Marty, age 25, both from Baltimore, were sentenced to life in prison and to 30 years in prison, respectively, on March 15, 2019.  Three other TTG members previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to between five and 25 years in prison.

Another defendant, Roger Taylor, a/k/a Milk, age 28, of Baltimore, a fugitive since July 2017, was arrested on June 30, 2019, and is now awaiting trial.  An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Baltimore Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force, which includes FBI special agents and task force officers from the Baltimore, Baltimore County, and Anne Arundel County Police Departments.  FBI Baltimore Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force is responsible for identifying and targeting the most violent gangs in the Baltimore metropolitan area, to address gang violence and the associated homicides in Baltimore.  The vision of the program is to use federal racketeering statutes to disrupt and dismantle significant violent criminal threats and criminal enterprises affecting the safety and well-being of our citizens and our communities.

This case was advanced by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).  NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms.  NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles.  For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.

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.  The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its 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.                       

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur and Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, the ATF, the DEA, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Romano, Daniel C. Gardner, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Hanley formerly of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

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SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kevin Charles Brown, age 39, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on September 19, 2019, to 240 months’ imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release, by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, for distribution and possession with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin, more than 280 grams of cocaine base (crack), and fentanyl (one kilogram is equivalent to approximately 40,000-50,000 individual doses).   

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Brown previously pleaded guilty to participating in the conspiracy during 2015 and 2016.  Brown rented a residence on East Birch Street in Hazleton where he and multiple other individuals distributed heroin, crack cocaine and fentanyl to customers on a daily basis.  Brown also admitted that he possessed a firearm in connection with his drug distribution activities.   

The case was investigated by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Jenny P. Roberts 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. The Department of Justice 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 was also 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.

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HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Clay Aaron Rasp, age 34, of McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday to 210 months’ imprisonment by Chief United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner, for distribution of child pornography.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, in April 2019, Rasp pled guilty to distributing child pornography between January 2017 to July 2017, in McConnellsburg. During Rasp’s sentencing hearing, Chief Judge Conner noted Rasp’s efforts to lure an eleven-year-old child from Washington State to produce pornography for him as a factor in the 210-month sentence.

The Lower Heidelberg Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Consiglio  prosecuted 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."

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HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jordan James, age 22, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced yesterday to 96 months’ imprisonment by Chief United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner, for distribution of child pornography.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, in May 2019, James pled guilty to distributing child pornography between May 2017 to May 2018, when he resided in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Consiglio prosecuted 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."

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two Falls Church men were sentenced today to a combined six years in prison for their roles and participation in a violent gang-related assault of a victim with multiple bats.

“Barrera and Melendez both participated in a violent assault whose reasons were as senseless as the brutality of the crime itself,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “MS-13 follows a warped code of violence to enforce the gang’s rules, and seeks to instill fear in those who would dare cross them. The involvement of Barrera and Melendez demonstrate their contempt for the law and their total disregard for the safety of the people who make up this community. I want to thank our investigative partners for their terrific work on this case, working to bring these violent criminals to justice. Hopefully, this lengthy sentence will achieve some measure of justice for the victim and his family, who have suffered the awful consequences of MS-13’s violent ideology and practice.” 

According to court documents, in October 2018, Kevin Barrera Barrera, 20, a paro to the Silvas clique of MS-13, and Denis Oklides Martinez Melendez, 20, a member of the Chilangueras clique of MS-13, conspired with several other members and associates of MS-13 to lure the victim to James Lee Park, in Falls Church, so that they could assault the victim. Barrera, Melendez, and other members and associates of MS-13 believed the victim was cooperating with law enforcement, falsely representing himself as a member of MS-13, and disparaging the Silvas clique of MS-13. After luring the victim to the park under false pretenses, Barrera, Melendez, and approximately 10 other members and associates of MS-13 beat the victim with bats, fists, and feet for approximately three minutes.  As a result of the beating, the victim suffered multiple broken limbs and was hospitalized for several days.

“Today’s sentencing demonstrates that the FBI and the Department of Justice will work to ensure that our message is clear: We will not tolerate this brutal and pointless violence in our community,” said Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division. “The FBI, alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively disrupt gang activity to prevent other acts of violence at the hands of MS-13.”

Martinez Melendez was sentenced to more than three years in prison, and Barrera was sentenced to three years in prison.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas U. Murphy II and Cristina Stam prosecuted the case.

This matter was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Safe Streets/HIDTA Task Force which is composed of FBI Agents, Agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, along with task force officers from the Fairfax County Police, the Prince William County Police, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Department, the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Department, the Leesburg Police Department, the Alexandria City Police Department, the Vienna Police Department, the Fairfax City Police Department, and the Herndon Police Department.  The task force further coordinates its efforts with ATF, USMS and DEA, FBI-Baltimore, along with law enforcement officers from Prince George’s County and Montgomery County, Maryland   The task forces is charged with identifying, disrupting and dismantling the most egregious gangs operating in the Capital Region which includes MS-13, a transnational violent gang.  

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 are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-129.

RALEIGH– Robert J. Higdon, Jr., the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces the arrest of two defendants pursuant to Federal Criminal Complaints for federal narcotics offenses.  The arrests occurred after law enforcement attempted to serve a search warrant in Henderson, North Carolina.  The defendants injured four Vance County Deputy Sheriffs, in their  attempt to flee the area where the search warrant was being executed. 

JASMELE ROBINSON, 36, of Henderson, is charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession with the intent to distribute heroin, and maintaining a premises for the purpose of manufacturing and distributing heroin, and aiding and abetting.  If convicted of these charges, ROBINSON could be sentenced to at least five years’ imprisonment up to life, and up to five years supervised release following any term of imprisonment.  KRISHANA WILLIAMS, 30, of Henderson, was charged with maintaining a premises for the purpose of manufacturing and distributing heroin, and aiding and abetting.  She faces up to twenty years’ imprisonment and up to three years of supervised release. 

The charges and allegations contained in the Criminal Complaints are merely accusations.  The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. 

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.  Since 2017 the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted 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 is also part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.  This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violence crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, and the Henderson Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Dodson is handling the case for the government.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment yesterday against Dave Perkins Jr., 58, of Sacramento, charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, Perkins was found in possession of a semi-automatic pistol and a revolver. Perkins is a previously convicted felon and is prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.  

This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, and the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael W. Redding is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Perkins faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. 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.