Jacksonville, FL – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced six individuals in connection with a conspiracy to distribute marijuana and, with respect to four of the defendants, conspiracy to commit money laundering. Bao The Khuong (47, San Jose, CA) was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison, Hai Phi Tran (28, Jacksonville) was sentenced to 3 years in federal prison, Tantai Vo (30, Jacksonville) was sentenced to 26 months in federal prison, Phuc Nguyen Hoang (28, Jacksonville) was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison, Ray Thomas Balintucas (31, Jacksonville) was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison, and Hoi Nguyen (38, Orlando) was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison. Tantai Vo was also sentenced for the unlawful possession of a firearm and was ordered to forfeit his firearm and ammunition. In addition, Khuong was ordered to forfeit at least $1 million in proceeds, and Tran was ordered to forfeit assets of up to $500,000, all of which are traceable to proceeds of the offenses.  

All of the defendants had previously pleaded guilty.

According to court documents, beginning as early as April 2014, Khuong served as the source of supply for marijuana from California to Jacksonville. He received approximately $30,000 in marijuana proceeds from Tran, and Tran’s associates in Jacksonville, several times a week for at least 18 months. Hoang assisted Khuong and Tran in moving marijuana and marijuana proceeds between California and Jacksonville, and with packaging marijuana in California for shipment to Tran in Jacksonville. Khuong also supplied Vo with marijuana from California, which he sent to Vo in Jacksonville. Nguyen served as a secondary source of supply of marijuana to Vo. Vo sold at least 700 pounds of marijuana to Balintucas during the course of the conspiracy. At the time of Vo’s arrest, he was delivering 4 pounds of marijuana to Balintucas, and was carrying a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol.         

“Dismantling this organization is a big win for the people of Northern Florida,” stated Special Agent in Charge Mary Hammond of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Tampa Field Office. “This case took drugs, guns, and dirty money off our streets and out of the hands of criminals. We take our commitment to fighting narcotics and related financial crimes seriously, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to track down and prosecute offenders.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Marshals Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly S. Karase and Bonnie Glober.

Tampa, Florida– U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced Lelia Vanessa Perdomo Zapata (26, Colombia, South America) to 15 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine while onboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, for possession with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine on that vessel, and for perjury.

A federal jury had found Zapata guilty on September 3, 2019.

According to trial evidence, Zapata was the Colombian load guard for a Cartagena, Colombia-based cocaine smuggling crew and part of an international maritime drug smuggling operation involving at least 440 kilograms of cocaine, worth approximately $13 million. Prior to their interdiction by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Zapata and one of her co-conspirators were transporting 18 bales of cocaine onboard a 60-foot sailing vessel from Cartagena to Cancun, Mexico. Ultimately, USCG law enforcement officers from Tactical Law Enforcement Team (TACLET) Pacific boarded the sailing vessel and discovered 18 bales of cocaine and multiple electronic devices consistent with cocaine trafficking. Subsequent analyses of these devices yielded crucial digital evidence of the cocaine smuggling operation.  

During trial, Zapata testified under oath for nearly seven hours and made numerous statements that were demonstrably false.

This case was investigated by the Panama Express Strike Force, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) comprised of agents and analysts from the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes and Special Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas DeRenzo.

Florence, South Carolina ---- Acting United States Attorney A. Lance Crick announced today that Donna Faye Shird, 41, of Florence, was sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to aid in the preparation and filing of false federal income tax returns. 

The evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that Donna, and her codefendant Felicia Shird, operated a business known as Donna’s Income Tax Service, which provided tax preparation and filing services for customers.  During the period from 2012 and 2017, both Donna and Felicia began routinely adding fictitious information to the personal tax returns of customers in order to artificially increase the amount of tax refund the customers would receive from the IRS.  Investigators discovered that customers of Donna’s Income Tax Service provided correct tax related information to the Shirds with the expectation that they would accurately prepare and file the returns for the customers.  Instead, the Shirds would create returns which falsely claimed deductions, credits, exemptions and other tax benefits to which the taxpayers were not entitled.  Falsely claimed items included child and dependent care credits, business profits and losses, education credits, residential energy credits, and earned income credits.  As a result, customers received fraudulently inflated tax refunds and Donna’s Income Tax Service attracted more customers based on their reputation for producing such large refunds.  The illegal operations of Donna’s Income Tax Service, and the fraudulent conduct by the Shirds, resulted in a significant loss of tax revenue for the United States Government.          

Chief United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell sentenced Shird to 18 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system.  

The case was investigated by agents of the Internal Revenue Service.  Assistant United States Attorney A. Bradley Parham of the Florence office is prosecuting the case.

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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

Columbia, South Carolina --- Acting United States Attorney A. Lance Crick announced today thatResMed Corp., a manufacturer of durable medical equipment (DME) for sleep apnea and other sleep-related disorders, has agreed to pay more than $37.5 million to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act for paying kickbacks to DME suppliers, sleep labs, and other health care providers. 

The settlement resolves allegations that ResMed used various sales and promotional schemes to unlawfully induce the sales of ResMed equipment.  The schemes included providing free call center services and free and below cost masks and machines.

“Health care decisions should be based on what is in the best interest of the patient, and not on financial incentives and related schemes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Crick. “This settlement represents another example of our district’s commitment to prosecuting schemes that undermine the integrity of our nation’s health care system.”

The settlement resolves five lawsuits originally brought by whistleblowers under the False Claims Act.  The False Claims Act permits private citizens with knowledge of fraud against the government to bring a lawsuit on behalf of the United States and to share in the recovery.  The whistleblowers will collectively receive a roughly $6.2 million share of the settlement. 

This settlement was the result of a coordinated effort by the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice; the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of South Carolina, the Southern District of California, the Northern District of Iowa, and the Eastern District of New York; the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Counsel to the Inspector General and Office of Investigations; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the Defense Health Agency Office of General Counsel; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units.  

Former Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Aldrich investigated this case on behalf of the District of South Carolina. Assistant United States Attorneys Tina Cundari and James Leventis assisted on the case. 

The claims resolved are allegations only.  There has been no determination of liability. 

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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

On January 9, 2020 United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Jackson Alexander Vera Cabeza, an Ecuadorian national, for being caught in international water in the act of smuggling 1,916 kilograms of cocaine.

Court records established that on August 4, 2018, while on routine patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, a Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S) Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) visually detected a low profile go-fast vessel (LPGFV) operating in international waters, approximately 302 nautical miles Northwest of the country of Ecuador and suspected to be engaged in drug trafficking.  United States Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter “TAHOMA” diverted to intercept.  The LPGFV initially ignored warning shots fired from a USCG helicopter and the commands to stop given by personnel on the TAHOMA. The Helicopter activated its lights and gave commands in English and Spanish for the LPGFV to stop which the LPGFV ignored. The helicopter next completed three “stiches” firing 25 warning shots with a M240B machine gun, 5 yards off the bow of the vessel to get it to stop. The LPGFV still failed to stop. The TAHOMA had launched an Over the Horizon (OTH) vessel to intercept the LPGFV and eventually the vessel came to a stop.

The LPGFV yielded no flag flown, no vessel registration documents and no other indicia of nationality. The TAHOMA personnel completed the boarding of the LPGFV and recovered approximately 1,916 kilograms of cocaine stored on the vessel.  The 1,916 kilograms of cocaine had a retail street value of approximately of over $190,000,000 in the United States.

Jackson Alexander Vera Cabeza was charged in United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama along with William Toloza Cuero, and Cesar Xavier Garcia Vera, who were previously sentenced by the Court, and Luis Eduardo Montenegro Martinez, who remains to be sentenced. The smugglers were travelling a common seaborne smuggling route to transport the cocaine from Columbia and deliver it to Central America in order that it could be further distributed.
 
Title 46 United States Code, § 70501 states: Congress finds and declares that (1) trafficking in controlled substances aboard vessels is a serious international problem, is universally condemned, and presents a specific threat to the security and societal well-being of the United States and (2) operating or embarking in a submersible vessel or semi-submersible vessel without nationality and on an international voyage is a serious international problem, facilitates transnational crime, including drug trafficking, and terrorism, and presents a specific threat to the safety of maritime navigation and the security of the United States. Title 46 further provides that such offenses may be prosecuted in any United States federal district court.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May, Deputy Criminal Chief.  The case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 31-year-old Huntsville, Alabama, woman has been ordered to prison following her conviction for knowingly attempting to smuggle 20 pounds of pure meth, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Guadalupe Inostroza-Diaz pleaded guilty Sept. 26, 2019.

Today, Senior U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack handed Inostroza-Diaz a 70-month sentence to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court noted that even though Inostroza-Diaz had no prior criminal history and only played a minor role in the drug distribution scheme, a sentence of more than five years was appropriate for trafficking meth.

On June 21, 2019, Inostroza-Diaz drove a white Nissan Altima into the primary inspection area of the Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint near Falfurrias. An X-ray search of the vehicle revealed bundles of meth concealed within the walls of an ice chest located in the car’s trunk.

Laboratory analysis later confirmed the substance in the bundles was 100% pure meth totaling 12 kilograms with a street value of more than $919,000.

She has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of BP. Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Robert D. Thorpe Jr. and former AUSA Julie K. Hampton prosecuted the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared this week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty:

Appearing in Billings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan and pleading not guilty on Jan. 13 was:

Tyler James Fleming, 37, of Billings, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute meth and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. If convicted of the most serious crime, Fleming faces a minimum mandatory 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. Fleming was detained pending further proceedings. The Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force investigated the case. Pacer case reference. 20-03.

Kimberly Rosamond Fanslau, 39, of Charlotte, MI, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth and heroin and possession with intent to distribute meth and heroin. If convicted of the most serious crime, Fanslau faces a minimum mandatory 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. Fanslau was detained pending further proceedings. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Pacer case reference. 19-121.

Anthony Shoulderblade, 32, of Lame Deer, on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and use/discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. If convicted of the most serious crime, Shoulderblade faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on the assault charge and a consecutive minimum mandatory 10 years, $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release on the discharge of a firearm charge. Shoulderblade was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI investigated the case. Pacer case reference. 19-53.

Appearing on Jan. 14 was:

Charles Eyre, 60, a transient, on charges of possession with intent to distribute meth. If convicted of the most serious crime, Eyre faces a minimum mandatory 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. Eyre was released pending further proceedings. The Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force investigated the case. Pacer case reference. 19-145.

Jolson Hubert Bearcomesout, 39, of Lame Deer, on charges of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. If convicted of the most serious crime, Bearcomesout faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Bearcomesout was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Indian Affairs Investigated the case. Pacer case reference. 20-02.

Appearing on Jan. 16 was:

Justice Price Stiltner, 21, of Billings, on charges of felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Stiltner faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Stiltner was detained pending further proceedings. The case was investigated by the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force. Pacer case reference. 20-05.

Appearing in Great Falls before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston and pleading not guilty on Jan. 14 was:

Eric Shawn Roasting Stick, 37, of Box Elder, on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and domestic abuse by habitual offender. If convicted of the most serious crime, Roasting Stick faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Roasting Stick was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI investigated the case. Pacer case reference. 20-01.

If any of the above cases are of interest to your media organization and the community it serves, we encourage you to monitor the progress of the case regularly through the U.S. District Court calendar and the PACER system.

To establish a PACER account, which will allow you to review documents filed in the case, please go to, http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the district court’s calendar, please go to https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.

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HELENA – A jury on Thursday convicted a Helena man who worked for GardaWorld of multiple crimes after he was accused of taking money stolen from an armored truck and spending it gambling and shopping in Las Vegas, day trading and traveling to France, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

The jury found John Gregory Alexander Herrin, 30, of Helena, guilty of one count of interstate transportation of stolen property and eight counts of money laundering. The jury acquitted Herrin on four counts of money laundering and attempted witness tampering.

Herrin faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on the interstate transportation of stolen property and money laundering crimes.

The trial began on Monday, with U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon presiding. Judge Haddon set sentencing for May 19 and ordered Herrin detained.

“Those who transport or spend stolen money or money from illegal activities will be caught and convicted in federal court. Greed doesn’t pay. I want to thank Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tim Racicot and Michael Kakuk, the FBI and the Secret Service for their work investigating and prosecuting this case,” U.S. Attorney Alme said.

In evidence presented at trial, the prosecution said that on Nov. 20, 2013, three bags containing $390,000 went missing from a GardaWorld truck. Helena employees initially loaded the money into a truck and drove to Missoula, where they met Missoula employees and transferred some currency bags to another truck for local delivery. While in Missoula, the Helena employees left their truck locked, but unattended, several times while servicing banks and ATMs before continuing to Kalispell. After arriving in Kalispell, employees discovered three bags containing $390,000 were missing.

Herrin worked for Garda from 2012 until 2014. An internal investigation by Garda was unable to definitively implicate anyone in the theft.

Not long after the theft, the prosecution said, Herrin’s financial situation drastically changed.

Herrin went to Las Vegas twice in January 2014 and again in July 2014. While in Las Vegas, Herrin stayed at a high-end casino, gambled and went shopping with a female companion. He made large cash deposits at the casino and bought a watch for $22,600 with cash.  On return from his first trip, Herrin deposited a casino cashier’s check for $123,500 and $37,350 cash, for a total of $160,870, into his checking account. Prior to the deposit, Herrin’s account had a $945.65 balance. Herrin told the bank teller he went to Las Vegas with $500 and won $160,000 gambling. While the teller was counting the cash, a Garda courier came into the bank to make a pick up. Herrin walked away from the counter and sat at an online banking station until the courier left. He then returned to the counter to complete his transaction.

On his second trip to Las Vegas, Herrin’s buy in at the casino was $50,100 cash and he lost $50,000. He also used his Visa credit card to buy more than $30,000 in merchandize from luxury retail stores and transferred money from his checking account to pay down the card balance.

After the second Las Vegas trip, Herrin went to his bank with a shoe box full of $20 bills for deposit into his checking account. The day before the deposit, the account balance was $3,550. Herrin told the teller he wasn’t sure how much money was in the box but that he had “another big score” in Vegas. He thought he had about $120,000.

Herrin also told the teller he didn’t have a job but was doing some day trading. During the transaction, another Garda courier entered the bank. Herrin had already turned his back on the courier, seemingly in an effort not to be seen by the Garda employee.

In addition to the Las Vegas trips, Herrin started day trading in 2014. He opened an account with Ameritrade, deposited $111,100 and had significant losses. His losses were inconsistent with statements he made to bank employees that he was making money day trading.

In March 2014, Herrin traveled to France with a female companion and charged the trip to his Visa card. The trip cost more than $20,000.

In the spring of 2014, Herrin moved to Springfield, MO, and used his Visa card to enroll in college and for living expenses.

By the fall, Herrin’s financial situation turned dire. In January 2015, he owed $17,753 on his Visa card, and in February 2015, Ford Motor Credit repossessed his car, which he had purchased about one month before the Garda theft.

In interviews with law enforcement, all of the Garda employees denied knowledge about and involvement in the disappearance of the $390,000. A former employee, who was also a roommate of Herrin’s, indicated that Herrin had showed him a casino check for gambling proceeds purportedly won in January 2014. He also indicated Garda employees left trucks unattended from time to time against company policy and that a broom handle could be used to unlock the trucks. The former employee also told law enforcement he had seen Herrin unlock a truck using a broom handle.

Herrin’s former female companion told law enforcement she responded to his Craigslist ad seeking company for a trip to Las Vegas. Herrin gave her money, took her shopping and bought her a $5,000 Louis Vuitton bag and more than $2,000 in dresses. After the France trip, the pair had a falling out.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tim Racicot and Michael Kakuk prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Secret Service.

XXX

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that HAROLD COOK, also known as “Oink,” 42, of Bloomfield, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to life in prison for his role in the kidnapping, robbery and the execution-style murder of Charles Teasley, 35, of West Hartford, in January 2009.

According to evidence presented during trial, on January 12, 2009, Hartford Police responded to Colebrook Street in response to a 911 call concerning a dead body being found in the back seat of a vehicle parked on the street.  Upon arrival, Charles Teasley was found dead in the back seat of his own vehicle, a 1999 Acura TL.  He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his head and face, and his hands were zip-tied behind his back.

The investigation revealed that Cook, Gerund Mickens, Terrell Hunter and Jesus Ashanti were involved in committing armed robberies of persons they believed to be drug dealers operating in the greater Hartford area.  On January 9, 2009, an individual advised Cook that he had arranged to conduct a cocaine transaction with Teasley.  The individual provided the particulars of the planned transaction to Cook so that Teasley could be kidnapped and robbed of drugs and money.  After Teasley arrived at the arranged location, Cook, Mickens, Hunter and Ashanti kidnapped Teasley by using zip-ties to bind his hands and forcing him back into the rear seat of  his own vehicle.  In the vehicle, they threatened Teasley at gunpoint, assaulted him and forced him to make a telephone call directing his girlfriend to bring to Cook, Mickens, Hunter and Ashanti a safe that Teasley had kept at his and his girlfriend’s West Hartford residence.  They drove to the residence and acquired the safe.  Cook, Mickens and Hunter then drove Teasley to the Colebrook Street area of Hartford, and Ashanti followed them in a separate car.  On the way, Cook and Hunter shot Teasley in the head causing his death.  After arriving on Colebrook Street, Cook, Mickens and Hunter left the Acura and Teasley’s body, and then fled the area in the car driven by Ashanti.

Cook, Mickens and Hunter have been detained since their arrests on April 4, 2017.  On August 21, 2018, a jury found them guilty of one count of kidnapping resulting in death, one count of using a firearm during a kidnapping and causing a death, and one count of using a firearm during a Hobbs Act robbery and causing a death.

On January 13, 2020, Judge Underhill sentenced Mickens to life in prison.  Hunter awaits sentencing and also faces a mandatory term of life imprisonment.

Ashanti pleaded guilty to related charges on July 16, 2018, and also awaits sentencing.

This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Gang Task Force, Hartford Police Department and the Cold Case Homicide Unit of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney.  The Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.

The case is being prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Durham, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis and Peter D. Markle, and Assistant State’s Attorney Andrew Reed Durham, who has been cross-designated as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in this matter.

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Qushawn Brown, age 28, Wesley Garner, age 26, Anderson Ortiz, age 20, Tyquann Langston, age 24, Donza Brown, age 56, Jaionne Miller, age 19, Adieas Johnson, age 31, and Kaleaf Brown, age 24, all of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, were indicted by a federal grand jury in a superseding indictment on drug trafficking and firearms charges.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the superseding indictment charges the eight defendants with running a drug trafficking conspiracy from 2018 to the present in the Harrisburg area. Members of the conspiracy were affiliated with a music group named “Never Forget Loyalty” or “NFL.” As a part of their drug trafficking operation, the “NFL” posted videos on YouTube which were filmed in various Harrisburg locales. In the videos, members of the group brandished assault rifles, machine guns, and pistols with extended magazine clips, flashed cash, and displayed drugs. Defendants also described their drug trafficking activities and their willingness to act violently against rivals or perceived threats to their group, including those suspected of cooperating with law enforcement. 

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Harrisburg Bureau of Police, and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Consiglio is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement 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 enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce 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.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.  Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NCIS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.  For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justive.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-william-p-barr-announces-launch-projcet-guardian-nationwide-strategic-plan.

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

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

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

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          SANTA ANA, California– A doctor and the former owner of a Long Beach hospital was sentenced this morning to 15 months in federal prison for taking part in a long-running health care fraud scheme where he authorized sham contracts that concealed over $30 million in illegal kickback payments to physicians who steered spinal surgeries to his hospital. The overall scheme resulted in more than $900 million in fraudulent bills being submitted, primarily to California’s worker compensation system.

          Dr. Faustino Bernadett, 65, of Rolling Hills, was sentenced by United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton, who also ordered him to pay a $60,000 fine on top of $1 million he has already forfeited to the United States.

          Bernadett, a board-certified anesthesiologist and pain management physician who retired his license last year, pleaded guilty in August to a one-count criminal information charging him with misprision of a felony.

          The kickback scheme centered on Pacific Hospital in Long Beach, which specialized in surgeries, especially spinal and orthopedic procedures. Pacific Hospital’s owner, Michael D. Drobot, conspired with doctors, chiropractors and marketers to pay kickbacks in return for the referral of thousands of patients to Pacific Hospital for spinal surgeries and other medical services paid for primarily through the California workers’ compensation system.

          In 2005, Bernadett purchased Pacific Hospital from Drobot. Under the terms of the sale, Drobot guaranteed to Bernadett that 75 spinal surgeries per month would be performed at Pacific Hospital or else Drobot’s payout would be reduced by $25,000 for each surgery below that requirement.

          Bernadett, who became directly involved with the hospital’s day-to-day operations by late 2007, later learned that Drobot was making illegal kickback payments to physicians in order to cause those physicians to steer spinal surgeries to Pacific Hospital. By January 2008, Bernadett had learned that Drobot concealed the illegal kickback payments by entering into various types of sham contracts – such as management agreements, collection agreements and option agreements.

          Instead of putting a halt to Drobot’s kickback scheme, Bernadett authorized the continued use of Drobot’s sham contracts to incentivize surgical referrals to his hospital. Between January 2008 and October 2010 (when Bernadett sold his interest in Pacific Hospital back to Drobot), Pacific Hospital and related entities made more than $30 million in illicit payments to kickback recipients and performed approximately 1,400 kickback-induced spinal fusion surgeries.

          “Kickbacks corrupt the doctor-patient relationship and have a deleterious impact on the health care system because they incentivize doctors to put their financial interests before patients’ best interests,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum. “More so than other Pacific Hospital executives, [Bernadett] understands the sacred nature of the doctor-patient relationship because he is a physician himself.”

          Twenty-four defendants have been charged in connection with the scheme, and 15 of them have been convicted, including Drobot and his son.

          Drobot is serving a five-year prison sentence for conspiracy and paying illegal kickbacks, and has admitted that he orchestrated a wide-ranging fraudulent kickback scheme where paid more than $50 million in bribes to doctors to steer hundreds of millions of dollars in spinal surgeries to his hospital. Drobot ultimately profited millions of dollars from the scheme. Drobot currently awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to breaking additional federal laws by violating a court forfeiture order by illegally selling his luxury cars.

          The investigation into the spinal surgery kickback scheme was conducted by the FBI; IRS Criminal Investigation; the California Department of Insurance; and the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General.

          This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph T. McNally of the Violent and Organized Crime Section, Scott D. Tenley of the Santa Ana Branch Office, and Victor A. Rodgers of the Asset Forfeiture Section.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – January 17, 2020 – Cecil Clint Woodard, 42, of Nashville, Tennessee, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Eli J. Richardson to 45 years in federal prison for child pornography offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Woodard was charged in a 22-count indictment in August 2017 and pleaded guilty in January 2019 to 14 counts of production of child pornography; 6 counts of transportation of child pornography and 1 count of possession of child pornography.

According to court documents, during April through June 2016, Woodard subjected a 3-year-old child to multiple acts of sexual abuse, including rape. While committing these acts, at his Nashville home on 14 separate occasions, Woodard recorded over 300 sexually explicit images and produced more than 20 videos of this child and distributed it on the internet on numerous occasions.

Woodward was arrested on June 11, 2016, by officers with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and was in possession of other images and videos that he collected from the Internet that depicted other minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  Court records also illustrate that Woodard had previously sexually molested another child while she was between nine and 12 years of age and on other occasions he pretended to be a 15-16 year-old male while online, in an attempt to secure more sexually explicit images of children.  

This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Carran Daughtrey prosecuted the case.

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ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on a charge of violating federal drugs laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

The one-count Indictment named Joel Nicholas Gustave, Jr., 39, of Erie, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.

According to the Indictment presented to the court, on or about November 1, 2019, Gustave possessed with the intent to distribute five hundred grams or more of cocaine.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 40 years, a fine of $5,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Paul S. Sellers is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, and the Erie Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, man, James E. Woosley, 49, who previously admitted to coercing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography, was sentenced Friday to 360 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Danny C. Reeves.          

Woosley previously admitted that, in May 2018, he produced images of child pornography, and he admitted that he used KIK and Drop Box to receive and distribute child pornography images, including some images that he produced of a minor relative. According to his plea agreement, Woosley used a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct, and he knew or had reason to know that the visual depiction would be transmitted using any means or facility of interstate commerce.

Woosley pleaded guilty in May 2019.          

Under federal law, Woosley must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence and will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 15 years after his release from prison.

Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jerry Templet, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations Nashville; and Rodney Brewer, Commissioner, Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by HSI and the Kentucky State Police Electronic Crimes Branch.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Marye.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

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MIAMI, FL - Victor Manuel DeJesus, 47, of Miami-Dade County, a correctional officer at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Miami, pled guilty today to a 14-count indictment which included charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States and commit bribery, bribery, and other offenses in connection with a scheme to provide contraband items to inmates at the federal prison. 

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Field Office made the announcement.

According to the court record, including the federal indictment, DeJesus and others were charged with conspiring to bribe and bribing DeJesus with money in exchange for providing contraband to inmates within FCI-Miami.  From at least as early as December 2018 through September 2019, inmates and those acting on their behalf supplied DeJesus with bribe payments.  DeJesus then deposited these monies in his personal bank account. In exchange for these bribe payments, DeJesus used his official position to bring in prohibited items into the prison. DeJesus had inmate co-conspirators distribute the contraband in FCI-Miami.

DeJesus is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr. on April 1, 2020 (Case No. 19cr20660).

U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigatory efforts of the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and FCI-Miami in this matter.  She thanked the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General for their invaluable assistance. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandra L. López. 

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.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - On Thursday, January 16, 2020, following a three-day trial in Greensboro, a jury in federal court found a High Point resident guilty on four felony charges, announced United States Attorney Matthew G.T. Martin of the Middle District of North Carolina.

The jury found JABRELL CRAIG SMITH, age 27, guilty of possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, knowingly possessing a firearm after previously being convicted of a felony offense, and knowingly possessing an unregistered firearm.

Evidence presented at trial showed that on May 29, 2017, at approximately 2:00 a.m., officers from the Greensboro Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit followed and approached a black Chevrolet Malibu in the parking lot of a gas station located at 3302 South Holden Road in Greensboro. Police found an Intratec, Tec-9, 9mm Luger firearm sticking out from under the front passenger seat where SMITH had been seated. When officers recovered the weapon, they noticed that a red dot sighting system situated on top of the weapon was turned on and that a round of live ammunition had been chambered, making the Tec-9 ready to fire. The magazine contained twenty-six additional rounds of live ammunition. In the door pocket of the front passenger seat, officers recovered a plastic baggie containing 3.32 grams of heroin. At trial, the government presented text messages, videos, and photographs that established that SMITH possessed the heroin for the purpose of distribution and that he was previously familiar with, and had access to, the Tec-9. The Tec-9 had a modification, a forward grip attached to the frame of the weapon, which made it subject to additional regulation and registration in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 11, 2020, at 9:30 a.m., in Greensboro, before United States District Judge William L. Osteen, Jr. With regard to the drug offense, SMITH faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both, and a term of not less than three years of supervised release. For possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime, SMITH faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, and up to life, consecutive to any other sentence, a fine of up to $250,000, or both, and not more than five years of supervised release. For being a felon in knowing possession of a firearm, SMITH faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both, and not more than three years of supervised release. For possessing the weapon subject to regulation under the National Firearms Act, SMITH faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both, and not more than three years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the Greensboro Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John M. Alsup.

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WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice announced today that Thong Cao and his wife, Mai Cao, will be obligated to pay $160,000 in damages and civil penalties to resolve a Fair Housing Act lawsuit alleging that Thong Cao sexually harassed numerous female tenants since at least 2009 at residential properties he owned or operated in Wichita, Kansas. Mai Cao is named as a defendant in this lawsuit because she owned or co-owned certain rental properties at which harassment took place.

Under the consent order in United States of America v. Thong Cao, et al., which was entered today by the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, defendants are required to pay a total of $160,000, which includes $155,000 in monetary damages to eleven former tenants who were harmed as a result of the sexual harassment, and a $5,000 civil penalty. The consent order also bars the defendants from participating in the rental or management of residential properties in the future. 

“Sexual harassment of women in their homes is indecent, destructive, and illegal,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division. “The Fair Housing Act protects the right of women and their families to live in peace and security and without the fear that deviant people will intimidate and bully them for sexual favors. This department will continue tirelessly to pursue landlords and others who abuse their authority by preying upon vulnerable women.” 

“Access to fair housing is every person’s right,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen R. McAllister for the District of Kansas. “Landlords, property managers and their employees are legally prohibited from making sexual favors a condition of obtaining or maintaining a place to live.”

The department’s lawsuit, filed in 2017, arose from two complaints that former tenants filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  The lawsuit alleged that Thong Cao sexually harassed multiple female residents at the rental properties from at least 2009 to 2014. According to the complaint, Thong Cao engaged in harassment that included, among other things, making unwelcome sexual advances and comments, engaging in unwanted sexual touching, and terminating the tenancies of women who refused to engage in sexual conduct with him.

In October 2017, the Justice Department launched a new initiative to combat sexual harassment in housing. In April 2018, the Department of Justice announced the nationwide rollout, including three major components:  an outreach toolkit to leverage the department’s nationwide network of U.S. Attorney’s Offices, a public awareness campaign, including the launch of a national Public Service Announcement, and a new joint Task Force with HUD to combat sexual harassment in housing.

Since launching the initiative, the Department of Justice has filed 13 new lawsuits alleging a pattern or practice of sexual harassment in housing. The Justice Department has filed or settled 18 sexual harassment cases since January 2017, and has recovered over $2.7 million for victims of sexual harassment in housing.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division enforces the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of sexual harassment or other types of housing discrimination can call the Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, e-mail the Justice Department at fairhousing@usdoj.gov, or contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777 or through its website at https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/online-complaint.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

Jacksonville, Florida – Jamarius Tillie (28, Jacksonville) today pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the theft of firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers and conspiring to steal firearms from such dealers. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for the theft charge and up to 5 years in federal prison for the conspiracy charge. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, members of Tillie’s theft ring stole more than 10 firearms from at least 4 licensed firearms dealers in Jacksonville. While Tillie and others distracted the sales staff in these stores, another member of the ring would sneak behind the counters and steal firearms. Tillie kept some guns for himself, but sold the majority of them to a local drug dealer. For assisting Tillie, members of the theft ring were sometimes paid with crack cocaine. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.

This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts.  In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

Memphis, TN -We are pleased to join together today as the leaders of federal, state, and local law-enforcement agencies in Memphis and Shelby County to announce the crime statistics for 2019 in the City of Memphis. Special thanks goes to Deputy Chief Don Crowe at the Memphis Police Department for compiling and making these crime statistics available for our use and analysis on a regular basis. As you will see from the reported numbers, we are pleased to announce that overall Part I crime decreased by 6.3% in all precincts of the city, and in most major categories. Violent crime also decreased by 8.2% in 2019, adding to a two-year total decrease of 13.1% since 2017.

While none of us can take individual credit for these positive public safety outcomes, these numbers represent the collective work, vision, collaboration, and coordination of resources, specialties, and priorities of all of the law-enforcement agencies assembled here today. These significant decreases in major violent crime categories demonstrate that our policies, initiatives, and task force models are working to target and remove the most violent and repeat offenders from our community, which in turn improves overall public safety for law abiding citizens.

Three years ago, all of these agencies committed to participation in the Public Safety Partnership, also known as PSP, where the Department of Justice provided training and technical assistance for us to develop data-driven best practices and coordinated policies to drive down violent crime. We are now starting to see the positive fruits of our labors, and these numbers are more than just tough on crime or smart on crime rhetoric. These quantitative measures represent real lives saved, real victims avoided, and better quality of life for citizens, neighborhoods, and businesses in Memphis. To quote the Mayor, Memphis has Momentum in many areas, and now that momentum includes violent and overall crime reduction in a sustained and meaningful way. The anecdotal stories of crime that we often tell are now confirmed by the statistical results of our labor.

Reducing violent crime requires comprehensive and collaborative strategies. It also takes courage from all law enforcement agencies to find solutions that work, and commitment to follow through with them with sustainable approaches and long-term investments. This group of law enforcement leaders has done just that.

When armed carjacking incidents spiked in Memphis and Shelby County over 65% in late 2017, we launched the Carjacking Initiative to coordinate investigations and prosecutions, and as a result, carjacking incidents have decreased this past year by 12.1%.

The FBI Safe Streets Task Force has gotten back to the basics of response to and investigation of armed bank and business robberies, dramatically increasing the clearance rate of those cases. As a result, the incident rate of business robberies declined by 25.8% in 2019.

In August, 2019, the U.S. Marshals Service conducted a joint initiative with all of these agencies known as "Operation Bluff City Blues", which arrested 214 fugitives, many of whom had outstanding warrants for violent crimes. That successful operation included a total of 79 identified gang members, 65 individuals for aggravated assault, 34 individuals for homicide, 69 individuals for weapons offenses, and 40 individuals for drug offenses.

Over the last 2 years, the Department of Justice has invested resources into Memphis to combat violent crime, and we are using them effectively. The ATF has established a Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) to use the technology of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) to better respond to, solve, and correlate shooting incidents. The ATF has also added new agents to the Gun Strike Force, who is working with the Multi-Agency Gang Unit (MGU) to disrupt and dismantle criminal gangs and remove violent offenders from the streets of Memphis.

Because we know that violent crime is often associated with and motivated by drug trafficking activities, we have partnered with the DEA and the Memphis Police Department Organized Crime Unit in our Heroin Initiative to identify and stop the source of supply, punish and deter heroin and fentanyl dealers, prevent new users, refer addicts to treatment, deploy Narcan to hotspots, and save lives.

Our reinvigorated Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Task force is continuing their great work in coordinating and prioritizing firearms offenses for aggressive prosecutions, which take guns out of the hands of dangerous and violent offenders.

In a new approach led by the District Attorney’s Office that is already paying dividends, we have fully committed to "Operation Comeback," a focused deterrence crime-reduction strategy in which carefully selected high-risk offenders are advised of swift, severe and certain punishment for continued criminal behavior, while at the same time being offered social services such as job training, education, housing assistance, drug and alcohol treatment, counseling, life skills and anger management.

And finally, our newest initiative, "Operation Relentless Pursuit", will surge new federal resources and agents into Memphis to further reduce violent crime. As a result of federal grant funding, Memphis and Shelby County will be able to hire more officers, obtain new technology, training, vehicles, and other personnel, and assign more officers to federal task forces to effectively target violent offenders and hot spots. The first phase of the operation is being led by the U.S. Marshals Service, and the name of the operation speaks directly to its proactive nature and sustained duration.

Our return to proven law enforcement policies and our adoption of new initiatives and resources is working. Here in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we have dramatically increased our output in the number of firearms, violent crime, drug and gang prosecutions over the last 2 years, and the welcome outcome has been improved public safety. Putting the right people in prison incapacitates the most violent offenders, upholds the rule of law, deters criminal conduct with a strong message of significant consequences, and makes us all safer.

While many persistent violent crime challenges remain and much work is still needed in these areas, we are optimistic about these downward trends in crime, and we look forward to continuing to implement effective strategies with resolve and commitment to public safety in Memphis and Shelby County.

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GREENVILLE, Miss. – A man hired as the City Clerk for the Town of Coldwater was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison on Wednesday for Wire Fraud. U.S. District Judge Debra M. Brown sentenced George Nangah to serve the 21-month prison term consecutive to any state court term of imprisonment imposed in the Tate County Circuit Court and to pay $216,401.28 in restitution to the Town of Coldwater.

Nangah was hired to be the Town of Coldwater, Mississippi City Clerk, and over the course of three years, from 2014 to 2017, Nangah utilized an unauthorized Town of Coldwater debit card to purchase gift cards for airline tickets, hotels, and retail stores, none of which were used for the benefit of the Town of Coldwater. Nangah also used a charge account in the Town of Coldwater’s name at Best Buy, where Nangah purchased electronic equipment and gift cards not used or meant for use by the Town of Coldwater. Nangah made unauthorized payments to himself as well as one other person on the Town of Coldwater’s Clearing and General Fund bank accounts. Overall, $216,401.28 of loss was attributed to Nangah.

U.S. Attorney William C. Lamar noted that this prosecution was important for citizens throughout the State of Mississippi. “The citizens of Mississippi put a great deal of trust in our government employees and elected officials to utilize resources in a way that benefits the State and its residents. When city officials like Mr. Nangah take those resources and use them for their own personal gain, it is a betrayal of our State and every resident that they pledged to serve when they accepted their positions. Our office will continue to work alongside our federal, state and local partners to hold accountable those individuals who betray the public trust, steal our resources and embarrass our State” Lamar remarked.  

This case was investigated by both the State of Mississippi Office of the State Auditor and the FBI. Following the sentencing, State Auditor Shad White also expressed the commitment of his office to holding accountable those individuals who betray the citizens that they were hired to serve. "It's good to see Mr. Nangah sentenced in this case that started as a joint investigation between the Auditor's office and federal agencies. Mr. Nangah embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from a small Mississippi town and engaged in multiple fraudulent schemes that hurt taxpayers who could not afford to see their money wasted."

FBI Jackson Division Special Agent in Charge Michelle A. Sutphin also noted the importance of this prosecution. “Government officials are held to a higher standard and are expected to be good stewards of taxpayer money. When criminals use their position to line their own pockets, it erodes the public’s trust in government. Investigating public corruption in Mississippi continues to be a top priority for the FBI,” commented Sutphin.

The federal case was prosecuted by AUSA Parker S. Kline.