PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida Lawrence Keefe today announced a criminal complaint against Robert Odom, a crew member on a commercial fishing vessel who allegedly attacked and wounded the vessel’s captain with a pellet gun and long-blade knife as the vessel was underway in the Gulf of Mexico off Pensacola. The criminal complaint against Odom, 46, was lodged by the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service.

Odom is being held by the United States Marshals Service pending a detention and probable cause hearing on Thursday, October 3, 2019, at 2:30 pm CST at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola.

According to the complaint, the vessel was at sea approximately 20-26 nautical miles south-southeast of Perdido Pass, with a captain and two crew members. While fishing shortly before 9:30 pm on Friday, September 27, Odom allegedly shot the captain in the chest with a pellet rifle and then, after a struggle, stabbed the captain twice, causing "immediate, profuse bleeding." Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers responded to a call for help, and Coast Guard personnel administered first aid to the captain. The captain was taken by helicopter to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. Odom was taken into custody by the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Love is prosecuting the case.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
 

SAN JUAN, P.R. – United States District Court Judge Francisco A. Besosa sentenced Alexander Greaux-Gómez to 20 years in prison followed by a supervised release term of 15 years for sexual enticement of a minor, and transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, announced United States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. On May 22, 2019, after a three-day jury trial, Greaux-Gómez was found guilty. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ginette Milanés.

On February 9, 2017, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, working jointly with Puerto Rico Police Department’s Division of Sexual Crimes in Guayama, and prosecutors from the Puerto Rico Department of Justice, arrested Greaux-Gómez, former teacher and track and field coach of the Salinas’s specialized sports school, “Albergue Olímpico,” for sexual enticement of a minor and production of child pornography.

During the trial, the government’s evidence proved that the female minor first met the defendant when she was in 7th grade and went to train and attend boarding school at “Albergue Olímpico.” The defendant, a former Olympic athlete, took a special interest in the minor. This interest became personal and then eventually sexual in nature. The minor was 15 years old and the defendant was 39 when he began preying on her and convincing her to engage in sexual acts at the school, in his car, and at an abandoned home school he once operated.

The defendant also communicated with the minor over WhatsApp about the secrecy of their relationship and would send extremely sexually graphic communications to her.

“The defendant was entrusted by the families of our community to care for their children and act as a role model. He betrayed that trust in the most profound way – by preying on a student he was supposed to protect. This sentence should serve to reassure the public that we are paying close attention to the well-being of our children, and that we will spare no expense to take child predators off the streets,” said United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. “We will continue to focus on protecting our children from the depraved individuals who would seek to abuse them.”

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A Bellingham, WA man was charged in federal court today with two drug crimes related to cocaine and heroin found in his apartment, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran.  TONY LEE WILLIAMS, 33, was arrested this morning following an investigation by the Lummi Tribal Police and the FBI.  The investigation began late yesterday, when medics responded to a home on the Lummi reservation where a woman was unresponsive.  The woman could not be revived with NARCAN and is deceased.  Pills ingested by the woman are linked to those sold by WILLIAMS.  Lab analysis of the pills is underway to determine whether they are tainted with a substance such as fentanyl.

“It is critically important that the word go out about these potentially deadly pills,” said U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran. “Right now we don’t know whether the pills are directly connected to the death.  However, anyone buying street pills that appear to be oxycodone 30s – like those described in this case -- could be risking his or her life by ingesting them.”

The pills were sold to those associated with nightclubs in Bellingham, as well as on the Lummi Reservation.

WILLIAMS is charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of heroin with intent to distribute.  According to the criminal complaint, WILLIAMS sold the pills to a brother and sister who distributed them to others.  When law enforcement searched WILLIAMS’ apartment, they recovered cocaine, heroin, and 30 additional pills that appear to be oxycodone.

The drug crimes are punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations.  A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca Cohen, Chantelle Dial, and J. Tate London.

williams_complaint.pdf

     TUCSON, Ariz. – On September 27, 2019, U.S. District Court Judge James Soto sentenced Gary Steven Colldock to 120 months in prison and ordered Colldock to pay a money judgment of $884,203.93 for Bitcoins obtained through his drug trafficking business. Colldock previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

     During a two-week period in October 2015, Colldock mailed over 50 packages of illegal drugs to various buyers across the United States. The investigation revealed that Colldock was a prolific dark web vendor who used the pseudonym “Dr. White” to advertise illegal narcotics, prescription drugs, firearms, ammunition, and Bitcoin on the dark web. During the investigation, law enforcement officials seized various firearms at Colldock’s trailer where he ran his illegal business, over 4,000 rounds of ammunition, Bitcoins, and cash.           

     The investigation in this case was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Price for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson.

     TUCSON, Ariz. – On September 27, 2019, U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer Zipps sentenced Faye Ann Singer to 18 months in prison for defrauding a 92-year-old vulnerable-  victim. The court also ordered Singer to pay $93,378.25 in restitution for the victim’s losses. Singer previously pleaded guilty to bank fraud.

     Singer worked as a caregiver at a senior living facility where the victim resided. Singer admitted that she gained access to the victim’s banking information while working at the facility. For 17 months, Singer wrote checks for her own personal benefit out of the victim’s account and used the victim’s account information to electronically pay her own bills. The victim was unaware that Singer had the victim’s bank account information or that Singer was stealing money from the account.            

     The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Price for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson.

Baltimore, Maryland – Mark David Franklin, age 44, of Ellicott City, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to the federal charge of attempted possession of child pornography. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

According to his guilty plea, between September 7 and October 10, 2018, Franklin used online applications to attempt to induce an individual he believed to be a 13-year-old girl to engage in sexually explicit activity and send Franklin photos of the sexual conduct. In fact, Franklin was communicating with an undercover FBI Special Agent.

As detailed in his plea agreement, Franklin engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the minor female, sent her sexually explicit photographs of himself, and requested that she send him sexually explicit photographs of herself.  During their conversations, Franklin also discussed meeting in person to engage in sex acts and described the photographs he wished to take during their sexual encounter.

On October 10, 2018, Franklin traveled from Ellicott City to Frederick, Maryland, to meet and engage in sex acts with the 13-year-old girl.  When Franklin arrived at the agreed-upon location, he was arrested.  At the time of his arrest Franklin was in possession of a teddy bear requested by the 13-year-old girl, condoms, two blankets, and a towel.

Franklin faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.  U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for December 17, 2019 at 10:15 a.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 the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force for their work in the investigation and thanked the Frederick City Police Department for its assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel A. Loveland, Jr. and Paul E. Budlow, who are prosecuting the federal case.

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Columbus — Leaders from several of west Georgia’s largest companies discussed the most pressing cybersecurity threats facing businesses at a roundtable meeting held in Columbus, Georgia on Friday. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia (USAO MDGA) and the Columbus Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) organized a joint Cybersecurity Roundtable, a half-day event on September 27, 2019 featuring presentations from law enforcement agencies that fight cybercrimes as well as opportunities for key leaders within these organizations to speak frankly about the threats they face. This was the first IIA Columbus Chapter Cybersecurity Roundtable, and the largest attendance ever at an IIAColumbus Chapter meeting.

“Cybercrime is on the rise in the United States and in the Middle District of Georgia. Our office is committed to working with our business community and law enforcement to identify, arrest and prosecute cybercriminals, wherever they are. The first step in fighting cybercrime is to educate businesses, individuals and law enforcement on the landscape of threats, how to prevent an incident and how to best respond to threats,” said Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. “I want to thank the Columbus Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors and the Columbus business community for their support in this important conference. Working together, we can better protect our citizens and businesses from cybercrime."

“The IIA Columbus Chapter was proud to partner with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to present the Cybersecurity Roundtable in Columbus. As evidenced by our record attendance of over 100 people, cybersecurity is a key risk to businesses in Columbus and important topic of interest to the IIA Columbus Chapter,” said Matt Jones, President, IIA Columbus Chapter. “The IIA Columbus Chapter would like to thank U.S. Attorney Peeler and his office for all of their hard work in preparation for the conference and for providing the subject matter experts for the cybersecurity conference.”

Industry experts and business leaders joined law enforcement experts from the FBI, Secret Service, Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Georgia Cyber Crime Center (G3C), and the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section at the Cybersecurity Roundtable. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.

WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice announced that it filed a complaint yesterday in federal court in the Northern District of Mississippi against Coahoma County, Mississippi (Coahoma County), to protect the employment rights of an Army Reservist, Staff Sergeant First Class (SSG) Jason Sims Sr.  

According to the complaint, SSG Sims was employed with the Coahoma County Sheriff’s Office from 2014 to 2018 during which time he also performed military service by teaching leadership courses at the United States Army Installation at Fort Knox, Kentucky.  The complaint alleges that he was fired because of this military service obligation, in violation of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).  The lawsuit seeks reinstatement of SSG Sims to his employment with the Coahoma County Sheriff’s Office and the recovery of back wages and other benefits of employment that Sims lost as a result of his termination. 

“Our Nation has made a commitment to protect the civilian jobs of its servicemembers while they serve our Country,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “Federal law frees members of the armed forces from the stress associated with the fear they will be fired because they were called to military service.”

“The legal rights of the members of our Armed Forces, who routinely make personal sacrifices to protect our nation, must be respected,” said U.S. Attorney William C. Lamar of the Northern District of Mississippi. “The Department of Justice is committed to protecting those rights, so that these brave men and women can return from their service to their civilian jobs with the full benefits to which they are entitled.”

USERRA protects the rights of uniformed servicemembers to retain their civilian employment following absences due to military service obligations, and provides that servicemembers shall not be discriminated against because of their military obligations. The Justice Department gives high priority to the enforcement of servicemembers’ rights under USERRA.  Additional information about USERRA can be found on the Justice Department’s websites at www.justice.gov/crt-military/employment-rights-userra and www.justice.gov/servicemembers as well as on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) website at www.dol.gov/vets/programs/userra.

This case stems from a referral by the U.S. Department of Labor, at SSG Sims’ request, after an investigation by the DOL’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service. The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Luke Benedict and Stuart Davis in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi and Brian McEntire in the Employment Litigation Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Jimmie Dwight Whitfield (43, Atlantic Beach) to 37 months in federal prison for failing to register as a sex offender after absconding from supervision in Georgia and establishing residence in Florida. Whitfield was also sentenced to a 5-year term of supervised release and required to register as a sex offender. He has been in custody since his arrest on October 25, 2018.          

According to court documents, in 1995, Whitfield was convicted of sexually assaulting a 4-year-old child in Jacksonville. In 2006, he was convicted of sexual battery and sodomy against a mentally challenged adult in Valdosta, Georgia. Following his release from prison, Whitfield resided at a motel in Valdosta while serving a term of supervised probation. In March 2018, he cut off his ankle monitor, fled to Florida, and established a residence in Atlantic Beach. Whitfield failed to register as a sex offender in Florida as required by federal and state law. On October 25, 2018, he was arrested at his home in Atlantic Beach for violating his probation. During an interview with law enforcement, he admitted that he had cut off his ankle monitor and that he knew he was not allowed to leave Georgia without permission.

The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The Adam Walsh Act also provides for the use of federal law enforcement resources, including the United States Marshals Service, to assist state and local authorities in locating and apprehending non-compliant sex offenders. 

This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service, the Lowndes County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

This is another case 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.justice.gov/psc.

           WASHINGTON – Robert E. Little, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to eight and a half years in prison on a charge of voluntary manslaughter in a crash that killed bicyclist, David Salovesh in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  

           Little pled guilty on July 23, 2019, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for the eight and a half years prison sentence, which was agreed upon by the government and the defense. The Honorable Craig Iscoe accepted the plea and sentenced Little accordingly. 

           According to the government’s evidence, the fatal crash occurred on Friday, April 19, 2019, at approximately 10:15 a.m. Uniformed MPD officers in a marked cruiser attempted to stop the van that Little was driving earlier near the intersection of Bladensburg Road and Benning Road NE, because the van was reported stolen from Maryland the day before. When officers activated their emergency lights behind Little’s van, he fled from police, turning west onto Florida Avenue NE. For safety concerns, officers discontinued their attempt to stop the van, after realizing that the van was not going to stop.

           Continuing to flee, Little drove at a high rate of speed west in the 1200 block of Florida Avenue NE. He ran a red light at the intersection of Florida Avenue, 12^th Street and Montello Avenue, and struck a vehicle that was driving through the intersection with the green light. The collision caused Little’s van to be redirected, and it struck the victim, David Salovesh, who had been riding a bicycle and was stopped at the red light waiting to continue east bound on Florida Avenue. During the crash, Little’s van dragged Mr. Salovesh’s body, struck a tree, a trash can and came to a rest, pinning Mr. Salovesh against a second tree, killing him. 

           The pursuing officers came upon the crash scene while Little was still behind the wheel of the stolen van. Little, who was injured, was taken to a hospital and treated. His blood taken at the hospital was later analyzed and found to contain PCP. The crash data recorder of the van was downloaded and showed that the Little was driving at speeds up to 78 miles per hour, in a 25 mile per hour zone, leading up to the crash.    

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of the officers and detectives who investigated the case from the Major Crash Investigations Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin, Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Siegerist and Lorce Applewhite, and Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker. 

           Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward A. O’Connell, who prosecuted the case.

DES MOINES, Iowa – On September 19, 2019, a federal grand jury returned an Indictment charging defendants, Jessica Rae Reznicek and Ruby Katherine Montoya, with one count of conspiracy to damage an energy facility, four counts of use of fire in the commission of a felony, and four counts of malicious use of fire, announced United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum. Montoya was recently arrested in the District of Arizona and detained pending court proceedings to determine her appearance in the Southern District of Iowa. Reznicek appeared in Des Moines on October 1, 2019 and was conditionally released pending trial. Trial is currently scheduled for December 2, 2019, before United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger.

According to Count 1 of the Indictment, from at least as early as 2016 and continuing in 2017, in the Southern District of Iowa and elsewhere, Reznicek and Montoya conspired to knowingly and willfully damage and attempt to damage the property of an energy facility involved in the transmission and distribution of fuel, or another form or source of energy, in an amount exceeding or which would have exceeded $100,000, and to cause a significant interruption and impairment of a function of an energy facility.

Counts 2 through 9 of the Indictment allege specific instances of damage or attempts to damage portions of the Dakota Access Pipeline in the Southern District of Iowa by Reznicek and Montoya on various dates in 2017.

The public is reminded that an Indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless they are proven guilty.

If they are convicted of Count 1, conspiracy to damage an energy facility, Reznicek and Montoya face up to 20 years imprisonment, not more than a $250,000 fine, or both such fine and imprisonment.

If they are convicted of Counts 2, 4, 6 and/or 8, use of fire in the commission of a felony, Reznicek and Montoya face a mandatory minimum 10 years imprisonment to be served consecutive to the sentence imposed on Count 1. For each second or subsequent conviction of Counts 2, 4, 6 and/or 8, Reznicek and Montoya face a mandatory minimum 20 years imprisonment to be served consecutive to the sentence imposed on Count 1.

If they are convicted of Counts 3, 5, 7 and/or 9, malicious use of fire, Reznicek and Montoya face a mandatory minimum 5 years imprisonment and a maximum of 20 years imprisonment, not more than a $250,000 fine, or both such fine and
imprisonment.

The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

BOSTON – A Worcester man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Worcester for his role in a cocaine trafficking ring responsible for smuggling over 20 kilograms of cocaine into central Massachusetts. 

Japhet Garcia, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to three and a half years in prison and two years of supervised release. Garcia previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute in excess of five kilograms of cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine.

In December 2017, Garcia was captured on postal facility surveillance footage, with co-conspirator Jose Gonzalez, attempting to retrieve a package sent from Puerto Rico that had been found to contain three kilograms of cocaine. That month, agents also recovered over $70,000 in cash from Garcia’s luggage as he attempted to board a flight to Puerto Rico.  

In January 2018, wiretaps and surveillance revealed Garcia’s participation in the attempted smuggling of six kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico, using a U.S. Postal employee to retrieve the packages of cocaine. As the scheme unfolded, agents seized one of the packages (found to contain three kilograms of cocaine) and allowed the second to be delivered to the conspiracy members under continuing electronic and physical surveillance. After observing the postal employee deliver the suspect package to a member of the conspiracy, authorities arrested Garcia and the co-conspirators. The second package was seized, and was found to contain another three kilograms of cocaine. Over $40,000 in cash and drug ledgers documenting the sale of well over 20 kilograms of cocaine were also seized during a search of Garcia’s residence and an adjacent apartment.

Garcia is the second of four defendants charged to be sentenced in this investigation. Jose Gonzalez was sentenced on Sept. 25, 2019, to 10 years in prison. Co-defendant Deibby Garcia is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 1, 2019, and co-defendant Erick Cruz is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 8, 2019.  Another alleged member of the conspiracy, Caroline Cartagena, faces state charges.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; Joseph Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent; and Leicester Interim Police Chief Kenneth Antanavica made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady of Lelling’s Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

The Justice Department recently announced more than $17 million worth of grants to agencies in Northern Ohio that will pay for the citywide expansion of the Cleveland Division of Police’s domestic violence high risk team, improve DNA testing capabilities in several areas, expand drug courts in several cities, allow the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office to build a database to track violent crime trends, provide transitional housing in Ottawa County and Canton for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, and numerous other programs.

“These funds will save lives, whether that is expanding a program that identifies the most dangerous abusers, provides emergency shelter to our most vulnerable victims, allows law enforcement to do a better job tracking and sharing crime data, just to name a few,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “These grant awards demonstrate the Justice Department’s commitment to working across the state and country, with jurisdictions large and small, to make our communities safer.”

Below is an incomplete list of grant recipients announced in the past few weeks. Additional grants may be announced in coming days. They are grouped geographically:

NORTHEAST OHIO

The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office’s Sexual Assault Kit Task Force will receive $3 million from the Justice Department. The money will be used to expand the Task Force’s DNA project, implement geneaology searches of “John Doe” indictments, continue partnership with Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center and maintain personnel and training.

Cleveland will receive $500,000 from the Office on Violence Against Women. The money will be used to support the expansion of the Domestic Violence High Risk Team program to all police districts, employ two full-time detectives, a full-time victim advocate to be embedded with the police, develop training for law enforcement on trauma, victim engagement and trauma-informed interviewing.

The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office will receive $360,000 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The money will be used to help law enforcement agencies throughout the county to collaborate and build a database that will detect and track violent crime trends to improve information sharing.

The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office will receive $609,019 from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The money will be used to support the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Lake County will receive $270,013 from the National Institute of Justice. The money will pay for a DNA analyst to complete up to 400 cases a year, as well as purchase laboratory automation instrumentation to perform DNA extraction.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office will receive $339,459 from the National Institute of Justice. The money will be used to fund a DNA forensic scientist, procure supplies, and train staff.

The Cleveland Rape Crisis Center will receive $424,977 from the Office on Violence Against Women. The money will be used to work with the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center to establish a multidisciplinary team, provide services to individuals with disabilities who are victims of violence and abuse, among other areas.

The Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center will receive $550,000 from the Office on Violence Against Women. The Center will work with the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court to provide supervised visitation and safe exchange services. The money will pay for a supervised visitation intake specialist housed at the court, two supervised visitation monitors, a supervised visitation coordinator and contract security services over three years.

Cleveland will receive $750,000 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The money will be used to improve responses and outcomes for individuals with mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorder who come into contact with the justice system.

The following entities will receive money from the Bureau of Justice Assistance to fund drug courts and/or veteran’s treatment courts: Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, $439,924; Geauga County, $500,000.

The following cities received money from Bureau of Justice Assistance as part of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant, which can be used for a broad range of crime control and prevention strategies based on local needs. The cities are: Cleveland, $602,791; Lorain County, $32,410, and Lake County, $24,459.

AKRON/CANTON AREA

Summit County will receive $500,000 from the Office on Violence Against Women. The money will be used to support the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office Domestic Violence Unit Program; centralize prosecution, probation and victim services; and employ additional domestic violence prosecutors, a domestic violence probation officer and a full-time victim advocate.

The Domestic Violence Project, Inc. will receive $310,147 from the Office on Violence Against Women. The money will allow the Canton-based organization to work with several community partners to provide housing and support services to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence or stalking.

Coleman Professional Services in Kent will receive $363,795 from the Office of Victims of Crime. The money is awarded as part of OVC’s Transforming America’s Response to Elder Abuse. The money will be used to increase coordination of services for those meeting the needs of victims and moving cases more successfully through the judicial system.

The following entities will receive money from the Bureau of Justice Assistance to fund drug courts and/or veteran’s treatment courts: Medina County, $500,000, and Summit County, $455,471.

The following cities received money from Bureau of Justice Assistance as part of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant, which can be used for a broad range of crime control and prevention strategies based on local needs. The cities are:Akron, $125,149, and Canton, $75,633.

NORTHWEST OHIO

Lucas County will receive $775,775 from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Lucas County will use the money to realign referral requirements to the Community Treatment Center to improve services and balance traditional probation responses with extended incarceration.

Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. in Toledo will receive $448,222 from the Office of Violent Crime through the Enhancing Community Responses to the Opioid Crisis program. ABLE will provide free, trauma-informed civil legal services for children affected by the opioid crisis, including resolving custody disputes, obtaining civil protection orders and accessing public benefits and health care.

The Mental Health & Recovery Services Board of Lucas County will receive $400,000 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The money will be used to improve responses and outcomes for individuals with mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorder who come into contact with the justice system.

The Hancock County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services and the Erie County Health Department will each receive $600,000 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Comprehensive Opioid Abuse site-based Program. COAP aims to reduce opioid abuse and the number of overdose fatalities, as well as supporting comprehensive, collaborative initiatives.

Ottawa County Transitional Housing, Inc. will receive $449,823 from the Office on Violence Against Women. The money will be used to allow the Port Clinton-based group to work with community partners to provide to provide housing and support services to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence or stalking, as well as their families.

Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc. will receive $425,000 from the Office on Violence Against Women. The money allow Legal Aid to work with community partners to provide accessible, safe and effective services to individuals with disabilities who are victims of domestic violence and abuse.

Bowling Green State University will receive $797,079 from the National Institute of Justice. The money will be used to fund research into criminality trends of 12- to 18-year-olds who resided in Lucas County, to establish the importance of individual and social factors on changes in offending/criminal behavior.

Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio will receive $999,974 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The grant is part of the Second Chance Act’s Comprehensive Community-Based Adult Reentry Program and will be used to provide individualized transitional reentry services to participants.

Lima will receive $31,351 from Bureau of Justice Assistance as part of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant, which can be used for a broad range of crime control and prevention strategies based on local needs.

MANSFIELD

Mansfield will receive $250,000 from the National Institute of Justice. The money will be used to reduce any forensic DNA backlog, provide for continuing education training for DNA analysts, and purchase necessary equipment, software and training.

MAHONING VALLEY

Youngstown will receive $181,695 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance to fund drug courts and/or veteran’s treatment courts.

The following cities received money from Bureau of Justice Assistance as part of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant, which can be used for a broad range of crime control and prevention strategies based on local needs. The cities are: Youngstown, $43,212, and Warren, $21,927.

MARION

Marion will receive $10,995 from Bureau of Justice Assistance as part of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant, which can be used for a broad range of crime control and prevention strategies based on local needs.

MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS

The Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services will receive $259,188 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The money is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program and will be distributed to police departments in Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Elyria, Lorain, Mansfield, Toledo and Youngstown to help fund initiatives designed to help reduce gun violence.

NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that FELIX ANTONIO SANCHEZ-GOMEZ, age 54, a citizen of the Republic of Panama pleaded guilty on September 26, 2019 to possession of fraudulent immigration documents, in violation of 18 U.S.C. ' 1546(a).

U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorney Irene González is in charge of the prosecution.

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that JENNIFER KELLNER, 29, of Bridgeport, was sentenced yesterday by Senior U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford to 18 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for committing two bank robberies in Bridgeport in 2017.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 15, 2017, Kellner entered the Chase Bank at 723 Boston Avenue in Bridgeport, handed the teller a brown paper bag and a note demanding money.  She told the teller not to do anything “stupid” because “there were a lot of people here and small children.”  The teller placed $1,987 in the bag and handed it to Kellner, who then exited the bank.

On August 23, 2017, Kellner also robbed approximately $1,000 from the Chase Bank located at 2125 Main Street in Bridgeport, and threatened to shoot the teller if the teller pushed any buttons in an effort to alert law enforcement.

Kellner was arrested on related state charges on August 27, 2017.  On April 8, 2019, she pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery.

Kellner, who is released on bond and residing in a drug treatment facility, is required to report to prison on January 6, 2020.

This investigation is being conducted by the Bridgeport Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.

U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, Chief W. Howard Harrison of the Planation Police Department, and Chief Dale Engle of the Davie Police Department, announced that on Sept. 27, 2019, a federal jury in Miami, Florida convicted Joseph Isaiah Woodson, Jr., 30, of Ashburn, Virginia, of using the internet to target and extort children through sexual exploitation (“sextortion”) and pornographic offenses.

Woodson, Jr. was convicted at trial on three counts of Production of Child Pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a) and 2251(e), one count of Distribution of Child Pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2), one count of Sending Extortionate Threats, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 875(d), and one count of Conspiracy, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371 (Case No. 18cr60256).  Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 2, 2019, before U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez.  The defendant faces a statutory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 117 years in prison.

According to the evidence presented at trial, beginning in October 2017 through September 2018, Woodson. Jr. persuaded, induced, enticed and coerced numerous minor female children across the country to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct using the camera on their cellular telephones. Woodson, Jr. infiltrated the Snapchat accounts of these children by pretending to be one of their friends on social media.  Once given the passwords, Woodson, Jr. took over the victims’ Snapchat accounts and demanded the children send him sexually explicit videos and images of themselves using the web based texting application “KIK” in order to get back and regain control of their accounts.  Woodson, Jr. conspired with others to systematically extort and exploit children using the internet.

U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of FBI Miami’s Child Exploitation Task Force, in partnership with the Davie Police Department and Plantation Police Department. Coral Springs Police Department, Fairfax City Police Department, FBI Dallas, FBI Indianapolis, FBI Operation Rescue Me, FBI Technical Analysis Unit, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command all assisted with the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jodi L. Anton and Francis Viamontes.

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

           WASHINGTON – Delonte Bridges, 28, of Northwest, D.C., was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for his possession of a stolen loaded firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           Bridges pled guilty in July 2019 before the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. Judge Jackson sentenced Bridges to 36 months in prison to be followed by 36 months of supervised release.

           According to the government’s evidence, on October 21, 2018, at approximately 4:30 p.m., officers of MPD’s Gun Recovery Unit were on patrol in two vehicles in the First Police District. As officers turned south onto the 1100 block of First Place, Northwest, an area known for narcotics and firearms offenses, individuals standing in the street made an announcement that law enforcement was entering the area. In response to the announcement, Bridges initially walked away from law enforcement and then started to run unprovoked. In response, law enforcement officers exited their vehicle, activated their body camera video, and followed in pursuit. Body camera video of responding officers showed that a firearm was visible on the waistband of Bridges after he gave up running from law enforcement and was on the ground. Upon his arrest, officers recovered from Bridges’ waistband a Glock 27 .40 caliber firearm with one round of .40 caliber ammunition in the chamber and five rounds of .40 caliber ammunition in the magazine. MPD officers learned that the firearm was reported stolen during a theft that occurred on July 23, 2018 in the 900 block of Rhode Island Avenue, Northeast.

           In 2011, Bridges was convicted in the D.C. Superior Court of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine at the same location that he was found with the stolen loaded firearm in this case.

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham, commended the work of those who investigated the case. They also cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Macchiaroli of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section, who prosecuted the case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Julan Morrison, a/k/a “Weez,” age 38, of Hudson, New York, pled guilty on Monday to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 280 grams of crack cocaine between August and December 2017.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Keith M. Corlett, Superintendent of the New York State Police; James N. Hendricks, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Chief L. Edward Moore of the Hudson Police Department.

Morrison is the last of five defendants indicted in February 2018 to plead guilty in connection with the Hudson-based crack cocaine distribution ring.  Morrison faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a term of supervised release of between 5 years and life, and a fine of up to $10 million when he is sentenced on February 11, 2020 by Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

As part of his guilty plea, Morrison admitted that between August and December 2017, he was involved in a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine in Columbia County.  Morrison admitted that members of the conspiracy made weekly trips to New York City where they purchased hundreds of grams of powder cocaine, returned it to Hudson, converted it to crack cocaine, and then sold it to customers.  The defendant admitted that the organization sold at least 464 grams of crack cocaine between August and December 2017.

This case was investigated by the New York State Police’s Special Investigations Unit, the FBI, and the Hudson Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wayne A. Myers and Joshua R. Rosenthal.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk woman was sentenced yesterday to more than four years in prison for her role in a conspiracy to prepare false tax returns for her customers.

According to court documents, Tinesha L. Bert, 33, was the assistant manager of a now-closed, Virginia Beach-based tax preparation service known as Express Tax Preparation Services. From December 2014 to February 2016, Bert was responsible for using false information in her customers’ tax returns in order to generate a higher refund amount. In some cases, she falsely stated that the customer had dependent children so that the customer would qualify for beneficial tax credits. She also filed returns using the names and social security numbers of real persons without their knowledge. The court found that she was responsible for a tax loss of approximately $174,000.  Last month, the manager of the tax business, Markita D. Simon, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy C. Stoker 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. 2:18-cr-149.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - A Las Vegas, Nevada, tax return preparer pleaded guilty yesterday to multiple tax crimes, which caused a total tax loss of more than $3.4 million, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada.

Michael A. Sandoval pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion, one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of a false tax return, and one count of making and subscribing a false tax return.

According to documents filed with the court, Sandoval provided payroll and tax preparation services for individuals and companies through his Las Vegas business Nevada Financial Solutions Inc. (NFS). Sandoval used NFS to commit multiple tax crimes. First, when two of his clients provided NFS with $471,178 in payments to be forwarded to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as money due for their quarterly employment taxes, Sandoval did not provide those payments to the IRS, but instead spent the funds for his personal benefit. Second, Sandoval filed and caused the filing of false individual income tax returns for a substantial number of clients by reporting fraudulent deductions, including false Schedule C business losses and charitable contribution and state and local tax deductions. These fraudulent deductions caused a tax loss of over $2.8 million. Lastly, Sandoval fraudulently understated his income from NFS on his individual income tax returns for the years 2010 through 2017, causing an additional tax loss of $100,138. In total, Sandoval caused a tax loss totaling $3,425,654.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 9, 2020. Sandoval faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison on the tax evasion charge and three years in prison for each of the false tax return charges. Sandoval also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Trutanich thanked special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorneys Thomas W. Flynn and Eric C. Schmale of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.

Additional information about the Tax Division’s enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.

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