BOSTON – A leader of the Rhode Island Chapter of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (“Latin Kings”) pleaded guilty today to conspiracy charges.

Eric Thomas a/k/a “King E,” 46, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel scheduled sentencing for Dec. 8, 2020. Thomas was arrested and charged in December 2019, at which time he had been identified as the leader of the Rhode Island Chapter of the Latin Kings.

During the plea proceedings, Thomas admitted that in August 2019, he conspired with others to purchase cocaine from members of the Latin Kings in New Bedford for resale. Days later, on Sept. 4, 2019, a co-conspirator was captured in a video recording purchasing 186 grams of cocaine from members of the New Bedford Chapter in a deal facilitated by Thomas. 

The Latin Kings are a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Latin Kings adhere to a national manifesto, employ an internal judiciary and use a sophisticated system of communication to maintain the hierarchy of the organization. As alleged in court documents, the gang uses drug distribution to generate revenue, and engages in violence against witnesses and rival gangs to further its influence and to protect its turf.

The conspiracy charge provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was also provided by the FBI North Shore Gang Task Force and the Bristol County and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard and Mark Grady of Lelling’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

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

PHILADELPHIA, PA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced today that Patrick Shaknitz, 29, of Croydon, PA, has been arrested and charged by Complaint with one count each of distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography. These charges arise out of the defendant’s alleged distribution of images and videos of child pornography to others, including undercover federal agents, over the Internet.

According to the Complaint, beginning in November 2019, undercover federal agents exchanged private messages with a user identified as “intoeverything1991,” who distributed images and videos containing child pornography. One such video depicts an adult female in a dark blue face mask molesting a minor child. During chats with the agents, the same user described in explicit detail how he abused other children. Subpoenas issued for “intoeverything1991” revealed an IP address and other identifying information allegedly belonging to Shaknitz.

“As alleged in the Complaint, Shaknitz is a depraved abuser of children who multiplied the impact of that abuse by sharing images of it over the Internet,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “These children will have to deal with the impact of this abuse for the rest of their lives. We can never make them fully whole again, but we can bring them some measure of justice by investigating and prosecuting the people responsible for stealing their innocence.”

“The distribution of child pornography results in the continued sexual exploitation of innocent children,” said Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division. “That’s what pushes the FBI to keep investigating these disturbing but important cases. Protecting kids is paramount and we’ll never give up that fight.”

If convicted, Shaknitz faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years’ incarceration with a 5-year mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn Deal.

An Indictment, Information or Criminal Complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced that a federal complaint has been filed charging Eilin Castillo-Montano with illegally reentering the United States. According to court documents, authorities received information in May of 2020 that an individual who had previously been deported from the United States was living in a residential neighborhood on St. Thomas. The ensuing investigation revealed that the individual was Eilin Castillo-Montano.

Criminal and immigration records checks confirmed that on April 19, 2016, Eilin Castillo-Montano was removed from the United States by Immigration Officers of the Immigration & Naturalization Service and returned to his native country, the Dominican Republic, following his conviction for possessing a firearm by an illegal alien on August 31, 2015, in the District Court of the United States.

Eilin Castillo-Montano was apprehended by law enforcement on August 10, 2020. According to court documents, he acknowledged that he entered the U.S. Virgin Islands in January of 2020, travelling by boat form Tortola, British Virgin Islands to St. John and then to St. Thomas.

A detention hearing was held before the Honorable Ruth Miller on Tuesday August 11, 2020. Castillo-Montano was released to home incarceration, among other conditions.

United States Attorney Shappert reminds the public that a criminal complaint is merely a charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement.

St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced that a federal complaint has been filed charging Yamini Potter with eighty counts of wire fraud, two counts of impersonating a federal judge, obstruction of justice in violation of federal law, two counts of acting in assumed character, and one count of grand larceny in violation of Virgin Islands law.

According to the affidavit filed in this case, between May 2019 and July 2020, Potter received over $100,000 from the victims, at least one of whom is elderly, for purported legal fees associated with a lawsuit filed against the United States. Potter claimed he could assist the victims with a lawsuit to obtain a money judgment and return of one of the victim’s medical licenses. Investigators located no such lawsuit anywhere in the United States. Potter is not a licensed attorney in any jurisdiction in the United States.

Initially, Potter claimed to be the son of former Lt. Governor Osbert Potter. According to court documents, Yamini Potter is not Osbert Potter’s son. The affidavit alleges that Potter used this supposed familial connection to influence his victims to pay money for the alleged lawsuit and claimed that the victims could expect to recover millions of dollars. The affidavit further alleges that, Potter also impersonated Osbert Potter, former federal District Judge Curtis Gomez, federal Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller, and Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George for fraudulent purposes. According to the affidavit, Potter telephoned his victims pretending to be various people, including himself, while he was detained in the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections, pending charges in the Virgin Islands Superior Court. All of his calls were recorded. Potter also allegedly sent text messages to the victims as part of his fraudulent scheme, and in at least one case, tried to persuade the victims to destroy text messages he sent to them.

According to court documents, Potter pled guilty in 2015 to impersonating an FBI agent in violation of federal law. He was sentenced to one year in prison.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Virgin Islands Police Department, and the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alessandra P. Serano.

United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert encourages anyone, and especially elderly victims, who may be a victim of fraud – or of any other crime - to come forward and make a report to the FBI at (340) 777-3363. U.S. Attorney Shappert also reminds the public that a criminal complaint is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

For more information on the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative, please see: https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice .

St. Louis – Bruce Edward Johnson, 27, of St. Louis, was sentenced to 36 months in prison.  Johnson was involved in a conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl centered in the Clinton-Peabody housing complex on the near south side of the City of St. Louis.   He appeared before the Honorable Catherine D. Perry.   

According to court documents, between September 2014 and July 2018, Johnson acted as a distributor for drug customers seeking fentanyl in the St. Louis Metropolitan area.  Johnson and other associates used various apartments within the Clinton-Peabody housing complex for purposes of storing and distributing fentanyl, among other things.

On July 18, 2018, investigators conducted a search warrant at Johnson’s residence.   Inside Johnson’s bedroom, officers located a Glock 27, .40 caliber firearm with an extended magazine, an Anderson Arms AR-15 rifle and ammunition.  Johnson knew he was a convicted felon prior to July 18, 2018.

In February, Johnson pled guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and one felony count of felon in possession of a firearm.  

This case was an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis Division of the FBI, the St. Louis Division of the DEA, the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the United States Marshals Service and the St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department.

            WASHINGTON – Maxine Williams, 48, of Washington, D.C., was presented today in federal court on a one-count criminal complaint charging her with interstate transportation of stolen property stemming from the theft of more than $100,000 of donor checks from a local non-profit organization, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael R. Sherwin, U.S Postal Inspector-in-Charge for the Washington Division, Peter Rendina, and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham.

           The affidavit in support of the criminal complaint alleges that Williams was employed as an administrative assistant by a non-profit organization in the District of Columbia between February 2015 and March 2018. Her job included performing clerical tasks, such as opening mail; processing donation checks; and preparing and mailing checks from the organization to vendors, service providers, and individuals.  In March 2018, after the non-profit organization became aware that six donation checks totaling approximately $18,000 had been stolen, it confronted Williams, who admitted to depositing four checks into her Bank of America account. A subsequent investigation revealed that approximately 123 checks payable to the non-profit organization were deposited into Williams’ Bank of America account from approximately February 2016 through December 2017. Those checks totaled $110,830. The investigation also revealed that between approximately November 2015 and May 2016, an additional 21 checks payable from the non-profit organization to individuals and/or a vendor in amounts totaling $11,702 were deposited into Williams’ account.

            The defendant was presented today before United States Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.  A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct for purposes of establishing probable cause, not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

            The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division and the Metropolitan Police Department.   The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman.

St. Louis, Missouri – United States District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig sentenced Gayron Sloan, 39, of St. Louis, to 137 months in prison for possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to the plea agreement, on January 15, 2019, police served a search warrant at the home of Gayron Sloan in St. Louis, Missouri.  During the search, police found in the living room fentanyl, marijuana, and drug distribution paraphernalia, including scales, blenders, and suboxone.  In Sloan’s bedroom, police found individually packaged fentanyl, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine. Also in the bedroom, police found a loaded 9 mm Taurus make semiautomatic handgun with a large capacity magazine.  Drugs and drug paraphernalia were in places accessible to a toddler. 

While police were conducting the search and interviewing Sloan, his 14-month-old son was in daycare in St. Louis.  Daycare workers grew concerned when his son was uncharacteristically sleepy and having trouble breathing.  The son was transported to the hospital.  Blood tests confirmed that the child had fentanyl and a metabolite of cocaine in his system.  Medical professionals successfully treated the child with narcan, a drug that works to counteract the effects of opioid overdoses.  The child regained consciousness after being treated with two doses of narcan.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives investigated this case.  Assistant United States Attorney Jason Dunkel handled this case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO –Michael Brooks, 55, of St. Louis, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for distribution of actual (pure) methamphetamine. The quantity of actual methamphetamine, for which Brooks is accountable, is at least 50 grams but less than 150 grams. Brooks appeared in federal court today before United States District Judge Henry E. Autrey.

According to court documents, on October 12, 2016, at the direction of investigators, a Confidential Source (CS) arranged a meeting with Brooks to deliver a money counter they had previously discussed. The CS met Brooks at his house in St. Louis to deliver the money counter to Brooks. Brooks gave the CS a sample of the methamphetamine directly from a clear plastic bag.

On October 13, 2016, at the direction of investigators, the CS met Brooks at his house and bought two ounces of methamphetamine for $2,000.

On November 15, 2016, at the direction of investigators, the CS met Brooks at his house again to buy more methamphetamine. When Brooks opened the door to his house, he had a gun in a black holster under his arm. The CS mentioned something about carrying the gun in broad daylight, and Brooks responded "all day, everyday." The CS then bought two ounces of methamphetamine for $1,700.

On December 15, 2016, investigators conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle that Brooks was driving. Brooks possessed a loaded Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum in a black holster that was between the center console and driver's seat.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Fairview Heights Resident Office, investigated this case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Koppenaal handled the case.

CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr. announced today that Mary Kettle, 36, Olean, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute, and distributing, butyryl fentanyl. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a $1,000,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that between July 2018 and December 30, 2018, the defendant conspired with Erin Cameron and others sell butyryl fentanyl.

On October 22, 2018, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force set up a controlled purchase of butyryl fentanyl with Erin Cameron. The delivery of the butyryl fentanyl was made by the defendant. A second controlled purchase of butyryl fentanyl was made on February 6, 2019, and once again Kettle made the delivery.

Erin Cameron was previously convicted and is awaiting sentencing. 

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, under the direction of Jason Thompson, Associate Director of the Office of Justice Services; the Southern Regional Drug Task Force, under the direction of Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb; and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 9, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. before Judge Sinatra.

# # # #

CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Samuel Mara, 24, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with posting a video on Facebook threatening to injure or kill another person. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on June 6, 2020, the FBI and New York State Police began investigating a two (2) hour and ten (10) minute live stream video posted on Facebook Live. The video, apparently taken in front of the Buffalo Police Department -- C District Station, was live streamed by an individual identified as A.M., a close associate of Samuel Mara. In the video, a crowd is peacefully protesting, and at times, A.M. is heard commenting in the video. Defendant Mara is also seen sporadically throughout the video. Approximately 45 minutes into the video, several members of the crowd begin shouting, “hey hey, ho ho, [Victim 1] has got to go.”

Facebook users watching the live stream video posted comments, including information about a purported KKK rally which was allegedly scheduled to take place in downtown Buffalo on the following day. A.M. and defendant Mara are then heard discussing the rally. Mara can be heard saying: “Listen…what they’re gonna do is, they’re gonna drive themselves crazy outta’ all the overwhelming fear and one of them is (inaudible) gonna hurt us or kill us and that’s gonna start (inaudible) and then we gonna do whatever the (expletive) we want. It will happen, we are in power. They are scared. They will act off impulse and they will try to kill us, when they do that. Then they will all die. We will kill them all. I will personally kill [Victim 1].”

According to investigators, the defendant made multiple threatening posts on social media accounts he controlled, including:

• On June 16, 2020, Mara posted on Facebook: “Hey slave (redacted social media name known to law enforcement).. I’ll be at the Niagara Square today around 2-3 for a few hrs, if you or [Victim 1] the ROBOT wanna talk to me MAN to MAN then come see ME, we can do it without cameras as well idc.”

• On June 18, 2020, Mara posted a photo on Instagram of an apparent redish-brown handprint on the McKinley Monument in Niagara Square. The text below the photo read, “samplicitybrand MY blood (syringe icon) MY kingdom (crown icon).” Mara tagged the social media accounts of [Victim 1], the Buffalo Police Department, the Governor of New York State, and A.B., a Buffalo Police Officer.

• Also on June 18, 2020, Mara posted a video on Instagram of himself sitting on the McKinley monument. The text across the video read, “Come take me off MY throne.. I dare you.” During the video, Mara shows a large redish-brown stain between his feet and says, “That’s my blood.” The defendant then shows a redish-brown handprint on the monument and states, “That’s my (expletive) hand.” Mara then returns the camera to show his face and states, “Do something about it, take me down. Come here right now, take me down, and come take me off this (expletive).”

• In a June 24, 2020, post on Twitter, which included a screenshot from the social media account of [Victim 1], Mara listed the phone number for the Buffalo Employment Training Center. The text above the photograph read, “I will haunt you for the rest of your life; I already know I am in your soul. Now I will get deeper and deeper. My anger is inexplainable and you will FEEL it.”

• Mara posted a second Tweet on June 24, 2020, which read, “You really got me angry now bra.. you made the WORST decision you could’ve possible made, y’all NEVER try this shit when I’m here.” In that post, the defendant tagged the social media accounts of [Victim 1], the Buffalo Police Officer A.B., and the Buffalo Police Department.

• On June 25, 2020, Mara posted a 37 second video on Instagram showing several individuals from the middle of the street. Police officers are seen facing the crowd as [Victim 1] is walking down the street to a parked car. The defendant is seen with a backpack on walking towards [Victim 1], getting within a several feet of [Victim 1]. A police officer is then seen preventing Mara from approaching and getting any closer. The text below the video read, “samplicitybrand IS THIS YOUR KING???” The Buffalo Police Department was tagged in the post.

• On July 3, 2020, Mara posted four photos of [Victim 1] on Twitter. One photograph showed [Victim 1] wearing a suit and shaking hands with an individual. Another photograph, apparently from a different event, shows [Victim 1] wearing a t-shirt and baseball hat hugging an individual. The text above the photographs read, “Lol really? I know that YOU know MOST ppl won’t see this and see the DIRECT hidden message you’re sending to racists… you really holding a blue lives matter flag man I’m showing you ZER0 mercy when the time comes.. you continue to make me angry.” Victim 1 was tagged in the post.

• The following day, on July 4, 2020, Mara posted a 28 second video on Instagram taken from the sidewalk filming up the driveway of Victim 1’s residence. The defendant commented, “gotta be quicker than thaaat (first name of [Victim 1]).” Mara can also be heard shouting, “yo (first name of [Victim 1]). Can we talk?” At that time, Mara points the camera up the driveway and zooms in on Victim 1 who can be seen standing in the driveway carrying a recycling bin.

• On July 5, 2020, the defendant posted on Snapchat a text which read, “Your son’s soul is next.. warn him.” Another post appears to be a screen capture from a Facebook Messenger direct message conversation between Mara and Victim 1’s son. The text reads:

Sammy Jay: I want your soul
Sammy Jay: Give it to me or I’ll take it from you, thru your eyes.
Sammy Jay: A screenshot of Mara’s feet from the McKinley Monument with the redish-brown stain on June 18, 2020.
Sammy Jay: That’s my hand.. come do something about it since your father isn’t man enough.

On July 15, 2020, Mara posted a 17 minute video on Facebook showing the driveway of his residence. Text for the video read, “COPS HERE!!!!!!” Buffalo Police Officers are seen standing in the driveway of the residence, along with members of Erie County Crisis Services who are attempting to speak with Mara. The defendant is agitated and can be heard accosting the individuals. At one point in the video, Mara is walking towards one of the police officers and says, “little (expletive) gun too, lucky I don’t take that shit.” The defendant tells the individuals repeatedly that he will not answer to his name, he will only speak to them if they refer to him as, “King Caeser.” Mara was admitted to ECMC where he remained until July 27, 2020. The defendant began uploading new content on social media in the afternoon of July 27, 2020.

On July 18, 2020, the office of Victim 1 was notified by ECMC of a potential threat against his or her person.

On July 29, 2020, Mara posted on Instagram: “No Mercy Buffalo Police Department [Victim 1].” The text was linked directly to the Buffalo Police Department’s official Facebook page and [Victim 1]’s official Facebook page.

“Much as an act of violence is not a Constitutionally protected form of protest, an actual threat of violence is not a Constitutionally protected form of speech,” stated U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “As alleged in the criminal complaint, the defendant’s actions here crossed the line from protected speech to prosecutable conduct.”         

The defendant made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and was held pending a detention hearing on August 12, 2020, at 10:30 a.m.

The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major James Hall; and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

# # # #

Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and John C. Demers, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, announced today that JESUS WILFREDO ENCARNACION, a/k/a “Jihadistsoldgier,” “Jihadinhear,” “Jihadinheart,” “Lionofthegood,” was sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to Lashkar e-Tayyiba (“LeT”), a Pakistan-based designated foreign terrorist organization responsible for multiple high-profile attacks, including the infamous Mumbai attacks in November 2008.  ENCARNACION pled guilty on January 22, 2020, before U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams, who also imposed today’s sentence.

Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “Jesus Encarnacion plotted to travel abroad, to join and train with Lashkar e-Tayyiba, infamous worldwide for the jihadist murder of innocent civilians, and to carry out shootings, bombings, and beheadings on behalf of that terrorist organization.  Thanks to the FBI, the NYPD, and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, Encarnacion has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term for his crime.”

According to the criminal Complaint, Indictment, other court filings, and statements during court proceedings:

In November 2018, ENCARNACION expressed his desire to join a terrorist group in an online group chat, where he met another individual (“CC-1”).  CC-1 introduced ENCARNACION to an individual who, unbeknownst to CC-1 or ENCARNACION, was in fact an undercover FBI employee (“UC-1”).  ENCARNACION repeatedly expressed, in the course of recorded communications through a social media service with CC-1 and through an encrypted messaging service with UC-1, his allegiance to and support for LeT, which, since approximately 2001, has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by both the United States Secretary of State and the Immigration and Nationality Act. 

Over several months, ENCARNACION discussed his desire and plans to join LeT overseas so that he could receive training and participate in violent acts of terrorism.  For example, ENCARNACION told UC-1 that he was “ready to kill and die in the name of Allah” and sought UC-1’s assistance to help ENCARNACION travel abroad to serve as an “executioner” for LeT, stating, “I want to execute.  I want to behead.  Shoot.”  ENCARNACION further stated that he aspired to commit terrorist attacks (“a bombing and shooting”) in the United States, but lacked “guidance” and “guns” to do so.

By early 2019, ENCARNACION and UC-1 agreed on a plan that ENCARNACION believed would allow him to join LeT in Pakistan.  ENCARNACION told UC-1 that he had made arrangements to travel to a particular city in Europe (the “European City”), as the first step in traveling to Pakistan to join LeT.  ENCARNACION purchased an airline ticket for a flight scheduled to depart on February 7, 2019, from John F. Kennedy International Airport (“JFK Airport”) to the European City.  On February 7, 2019, ENCARNACION traveled to JFK Airport, where he was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) after he attempted to board that flight.

*                      *                      *

In addition to the prison term, ENCARNACION was also sentenced to serve a life term of supervised release.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding efforts of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies.  Ms. Strauss also thanked the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, as well as the New York Office of U. S. Customs and Border Protection.

This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys David W. Denton Jr. and Kimberly J. Ravener are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Bridget Behling of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A St. Joseph, Missouri, man was charged in federal court today with producing, distributing, and possessing child pornography.

Tyler Bradley Wirth, 31, was charged in a four-count criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., with two counts of producing child pornography, one count of distributing child pornography over the internet, and one count of possessing child pornography. Wirth remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Friday, Aug. 14.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s federal criminal complaint, Wirth communicated online with FBI online covert employees in New York and Kansas City during an investigation into a group of users who expressed a sexual interest in minors. Wirth allegedly sent each of the FBI online covert employees the same image of child pornography depicting a prepubescent girl identified in court documents as “Minor Victim 1 (MV1).”

Wirth sent the FBI employee in Kansas City several videos of child pornography, the affidavit says. 

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Wirth’s residence on Monday, Aug. 10. Wirth told officers he possessed about 1,000 images of child sexual abuse, including images of MV1 and a second victim, identified in court documents as “Minor Victim 2.” He allegedly produced pornographic images of both child victims and distributed those images to other users via social media in order to receive additional images of child pornography from those users.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Borgnino. It was investigated by the FBI.

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

            ALBUQUERQUE – Erich Deolax Riker, 44, of Portales, New Mexico, appeared in federal court Friday, August 7, for an arraignment on an indictment charging him with failure to register as a sex offender.

            According to the indictment and other court records, Riker, under the name of Jamie Lee Wood, was convicted of criminal sexual offenses in Minnesota. Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, those convictions require Riker to register as a sex offender.

            While living in Portales, New Mexico, Riker was arrested by the New Mexico State Police on November 13, 2019, in the course of an unrelated criminal investigation.  Subsequently, it was determined that Riker had failed to register as a sex offender between October 10, 2019, and November 13,2019, in Roosevelt County in the State of New Mexico.

            Riker was transported to Eugene, Oregon, following his November arrest for violating his terms of supervised release related to a separate federal conviction for failure to register as a sex offender. Earlier this month, he was returned to New Mexico, where he will remain in custody pending his trial for the federal charge. The trial date has not yet been scheduled. Riker faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the charged offense. 

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

            The Roswell office of the United States Marshal Service investigated this case with assistance from the New Mexico State Police.   Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer M. Rozzoni is prosecuting the case.

# # #

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that Nelson Pablo Yester-Garrido (62, of Cuba) today pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a large amount of high-grade marijuana in the Middle District of Florida. Yester-Garrido faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison. Sentencing is set for October 22, 2020.

According to court documents, from the late 1980s through early 1997, Yester-Garrido was part of a group involved in importing kilogram amounts of cocaine and other narcotics into the United States, including by negotiating the purchase of a Russian diesel submarine for Colombian drug suppliers. Around 1997, Yester-Garrido fled to South Africa to escape prosecution related to charges that had been filed in the Southern District of Florida (which have since been dismissed). 

Yester-Garrido then conspired with Juan Almeida, Andrew Cassara, and others to possess with the intent to distribute a large amount of marijuana in the Middle District of Florida.

In January 2015, the DEA began investigating the conspiracy, and in January 2017, an indictment was returned in the Middle District of Florida charging three of Yester-Garrido’s co-conspirators, Almeida, Cassara, and Wade Jones, Jr. (All three were sentenced in 2018 to varying terms of imprisonment.)

In October 2017, Yester-Garrido himself was indicted in the Middle District of Florida for conspiracy, from February 2012 through February 2015, to distribute marijuana and on related gun charges. Yester-Garrido was arrested in October 2017 by Italian authorities on a provisional arrest request at the Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy. In July 2019, the Italian judicial authorities and the Ministry of Justice granted the request for Yester-Garrido’s extradition to the United States, and he was brought to the Middle District of Florida to answer the indictment against him.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s extradition from Italy. The U.S. Marshals Service also provided critical assistance in the extradition to the Middle District of Florida. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean P. Shecter.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man has been charged in federal court with illegally possessing a firearm after he used it to threaten a restaurant employee.

Edward Latimore, 46, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Monday, Aug. 10, with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

This Sig Sauer .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol was seized from Edward Latimore when he was arrested.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, an employee at a KFC restaurant at 3014 Independence Blvd., Kansas City, confronted Latimore on the afternoon of Saturday, Aug. 8, when Latimore went to the rear of the restaurant to publicly urinate. After they argued, Latimore left the restaurant. But the employee then saw Latimore in the drive-through window area of the restaurant, and they argued again. Latimore allegedly pulled up his shirt and showed the employee a Sig Sauer .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol in his waistband. Latimore drew the firearm from his waistband, the affidavit says, pointed it at the employee, and threatened to kill the employee.

A second KFC employee had taken a photograph of Latimore, which they provided to the police. Officers searched the area for Latimore and found him walking northbound on the east side of Gladstone Boulevard. Officers contacted Latimore, and took the pistol from his waistband and a magazine, loaded with 10 .22-caliber rounds of ammunition, from his left pants pocket.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Latimore has prior felony convictions for assault and armed criminal action.

The charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 

Operation LeGend
Operation LeGend is a federal partnership with local law enforcement to address the increase in homicides and violent crime in Kansas City, Mo., in 2020. The operation honors the memory of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, one of the youngest fatalities during a record-breaking year of homicides and shootings. Additional federal agents were assigned to the operation from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

          LOS ANGELES– A San Fernando Valley man now believed to have fled the United States today faces federal criminal charges today for allegedly obtaining more than $860,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for a shell company and then transferring the bulk of his illicit gains to his personal bank accounts.

          Arman Manukyan, 49, of Panorama City, was charged with one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft in a criminal complaint filed Monday in United States District Court.

          According to an affidavit in support of the complaint, Manukyan in June submitted two applications for PPP loans to Bank of America for $1.7 million on behalf of two shell companies registered in his name – Argo Global, Inc., and Express Wiring.

          Manukyan allegedly claimed Argo Global was a sewing business with 73 employees and submitted to Bank of America, and later the Small Business Administration, false tax documents purporting to show wages and taxes for the company. The underwriting packet also did not include a list of employees or associates for Argo Global, which listed a virtual office address in Beverly Hills as its place of business, according to the affidavit. Ultimately, an $867,187 loan was approved for Argo Global, Inc.

          Shortly after receiving the funds in Argo Global’s name, Manukyan allegedly transferred most of the balance to two of his personal bank accounts. When a bank investigator contacted Manukyan after one of his accounts had been frozen because of suspicious activity, he allegedly told the bank he was going to use the PPP loan to start a limousine business, contradicting what he wrote on his loan application, the affidavit states.

          In June, Manukyan also allegedly submitted to Bank of America a loan application of $884,748 for Express Wiring, a shell company with a Glendale address. The Small Business Administration rejected the application, indicating it either had been submitted after the June 22 deadline for PPP loans or the allocated PPP funds had run out, according to the affidavit.

          In July, a seizure warrant was executed on Manukyan’s bank accounts, recovering $866,019.

          A search warrant executed at Manukyan’s home on July 22 revealed multiple debit cards used for unemployment benefits from the California Employment Development Department (EDD) that were in the names of different people, the affidavit states. Manukyan allegedly told law enforcement that he found two of the EDD cards on the street and decided to keep them, but insisted that he never used them. Investigators recovered another $118,474 from debit cards linked to Manukyan.

          On August 9, law enforcement received information that Manukyan had boarded a flight from Mexico City inbound to Paris with a final destination of Minsk, Belarus, the affidavit states.

          A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

          If convicted of both charges, Manukyan would face a statutory maximum sentence of 32 years in federal prison.

          The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act is the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP. In April, Congress authorized more than $300 billion in additional PPP funding.

          The PPP allows qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of 1 percent. Businesses must use PPP loan proceeds for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. The PPP allows the interest and principal to be forgiven if businesses spend the proceeds on these expenses within a set time period and use at least a certain percentage of the loan towards payroll expenses.

          This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Treasury Inspector General to the Tax Administration, the Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Employment Development Department, Investigation Division.

          This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew G. Brown of the Major Frauds Section.

MEDFORD, Ore.—U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that a Klamath Falls, Oregon man is facing federal criminal charges for cashing more than $458,000 worth of social security checks issued in the name of his deceased aunt. George Doumar, 76, has been charged by complaint with theft of public funds and mail theft.

According to court documents, in February 2020, the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Office of Anti-Fraud Programs identified a 114-year-old supercentenarian who appeared to be the second-oldest living person in the U.S. receiving Social Security retirement benefits. SSA systems indicated that no updates had been made to the person’s benefit record in more than 30 years, leading SSA staff to believe that the person may be deceased. The matter was referred to the SSA Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG).

SSA records indicated that the benefit recipient was born on August 7, 1905 in New York City and had first applied for retirement benefits in August 1970. The person did not receive any payments until September 1977 after she reached her delayed retirement computation age. SSA records further showed that from 1977 until present day, the benefit recipient received monthly Social Security retirement checks disbursed by the U.S. Treasury and delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. The last known update to the recipient’s SSA benefit record was in July 1989, when the recipient’s address was updated to Frontier Parcel & Fax Service on S. 6th Street in Klamath Falls, a commercial mail receiving agency that accepts mail from the Postal Service on behalf of third parties.

In March 2020, an investigator with SSA-OIG interviewed two of the benefit recipient’s nieces. Both nieces claimed that their aunt died in the 1960s or 1970s and recalled attending her funeral in Brooklyn, New York, where she had reportedly lived her entire life. According to one niece, their aunt did not have any children and was not married. She recalled that Doumar, her Aunt’s nephew, was close with her aunt near the time of her death and was named the sole beneficiary of her life insurance payout.

Investigators soon discovered that Doumar himself was an active Social Security beneficiary and received his checks at the same address on S. 6th Street in Klamath Falls. State of Oregon Employment Department records showed that Doumar had owned Frontier Parcel & Fax Service since 1990. He owned the property on which the business was located and a residence approximately 20 miles southwest of Klamath Falls city limits. According to SSA records, Doumar purchased the property on S. 6th Street seven days prior to the address on his aunt’s benefit record being changed to the same address.

On April 1, 2020, a U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Postal Inspector obtained the most recent commercial mail receiving agency report for Frontier Parcel, which showed the names of current postal box owners. The list did not contain anyone with the first or last name of Doumar’s aunt. On May 1, 2020, an Economic Impact Payment of $1,200 was issued to Doumar’s aunt by the U.S. Treasury, as authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act. Two weeks later, the check was deposited at a nearby bank after being endorsed with the aunt’s purported signature.

On June 16, 2020, SSA-OIG investigators obtained a copy of the aunt’s death certificate from the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, confirming that she had died on March 7, 1971 in Brooklyn. Investigators determined that Doumar had added his aunt to he and his wife’s shared checking account in 1989. His aunt’s Social Security checks were often bundled in deposits with other checks made payable to Doumar. Doumar’s account was used to pay for various living expenses including mortgage, car loan, medical, and utility payments.

Investigators obtained bank surveillance footage from February 2020 that showed a man, who appeared to match Doumar’s physical description, depositing one of his aunt’s retirement checks. On July 14, 2020, investigators from SSA-OIG and USPIS interviewed Doumar at his Klamath Falls residence. When asked about his aunt, Doumar sighed, slumped his head, and stated, “that’s a long story…what happened was, well she’s passed and yes, I’ve been collecting her Social Security.”

Doumar will make his first appearance in federal court on August 24, 2020. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $25,000 fine, and 3 years’ supervised release. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will also seek restitution on behalf of SSA.

This case was jointly investigated by SSA-OIG and USPIS. It is being prosecuted by Rachel Sowray, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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.

PORTLAND, Ore.—U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that Robert J. Jesenik, 61, a former chief executive officer of Aequitas Management, LLC and several other Aequitas-owned entities, has been indicted along with three other former company executives for their roles in a fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

Jesenik, a former resident of West Linn, Oregon, is charged in a 32-count indictment with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. Also charged are Nelson Scott Gillis, 67, of Lake Oswego, Oregon; Brian K. Rice, 54, of Portland; and Andrew N. MacRitchie, 56, formerly of Palm Harbor, Florida.

According to court documents, Jesenik, Gillis, MacRitchie, Rice, and others used the Lake Oswego company to solicit investments in a variety of notes and funds, many of which were purportedly backed by trade receivables in education, health care, transportation, and other consumer credit areas.

From June 2014 through February 2016, the former executives solicited investors by misrepresenting the company’s use of investor money, the financial health and strength of Aequitas and its related companies, and the risks associated with its investments and investment strategies. Collectively, the defendants also failed to disclose other critical facts about the company, including its near-constant liquidity and cash-flow crises, the use of investor money to repay other investors and to defray operating expenses, and the lack of collateral to secure funds.

Jesenik founded the Aequitas group of companies, and, as chief executive officer, controlled the organization’s structure and had ultimate decision-making authority over company activities.      

Gillis, who was previously indicted for conspiring to submit false statements to a federally insured creditor, was the company’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer. In these roles, he was responsible for directing Aequitas’s overall financial policies and accounting functions. He established and maintained the company’s accounting principles, practices, procedures and initiatives, prepared financial reports and presented findings and recommendations to the executive teams, and oversaw all financial functions.

MacRitchie was the company’s executive vice president and chief compliance officer. As such, he was responsible for the development and implementation of risk management and compliance processes and procedures. MacRitchie oversaw all Aequitas accounting, legal, and audit functions, and participated in fundraising. He also established Aequitas’s New York Office and directed Aequitas’s “Lux Fund,” a Luxembourg-based fund used to solicit international investors.

Rice served as Aequitas’s executive vice president and president of wealth management. Among his responsibilities, Rice oversaw the solicitation of investments through registered investment advisors (RIA) and managed Aequitas’s affiliated RIAs.

If convicted on all charges, each of the defendants could face decades in prison and millions of dollars in fines and restitution, as well as five years’ supervised release following their prison terms.

Former Aequitas executives and co-conspirators Brian A. Oliver and Olaf Janke previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud and money laundering on April 19, 2019, and June 10, 2019, respectively. As part of their plea agreements, they have both agreed to pay restitution in full to their victims as determined and ordered by the court.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration. It is being prosecuted by Scott E. Bradford and Ryan W. Bounds, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

ABINGDON, VIRGINA – A Grundy, Va., coal company, its owner, and one of its foremen, were sentenced yesterday in the United States District Court in Abingdon for conspiring to defraud the United States by committing dust-sampling fraud to avoid the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s health standards designed to protect miners from black lung. United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen and Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) David G. Zatezalo announced the sentencings.

Daniel Tucker, 57, of Russell County, Va., the owner of D&H Mining, was sentenced yesterday to three months in federal prison.  As part of his guilty plea, Tucker previously paid an $80,000 fine. Also yesterday, D&H Mining was placed on probation for a term of 1-year.

Gerald Ball, 39, of Russell County, a foreman at D&H Mining, was sentenced yesterday for his role in the conspiracy to three years’ probation.

Tucker and Ball both previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit dust-sampling fraud. D&H Mining pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to defraud the United States for the dust-sampling fraud and a misdemeanor violation of the Mine Act for willfully allowing miners to conduct roof-bolting in return air in violation of the mine’s MSHA-approved ventilation plan.

“As this case illustrates, the Department of Justice is committed to protecting our nation’s coal miners,” U.S. Attorney Cullen stated today. “We will continue to investigate and prosecute unscrupulous owners and operators who jeopardize miners’ wellbeing by cutting corners and putting profits ahead of safety.” 

“Enforcing the mandatory dust standards is a top priority for the Mine Safety and Health Administration,” said MSHA Assistant Secretary David G. Zatezalo. “These standards are important in reducing black lung disease in this country and they provide an effective framework to hold operators accountable when they are violated. The Department of Justice has done great work in enforcing these crucial standards and protecting miners.”

As part of its investigation, MSHA inspectors discovered irregularities in the record keeping of mandated dust sampling. Upon further investigation, MSHA determined that Tucker and Ball had conducted an organized effort to avoid accurate dust sampling in an attempt to avoid MSHA health violations and avoid requirements to reduce the respirable coal dust levels. As part of MSHA’s mandatory respirable dust standards, mine operators are mandated to conduct dust-sampling for 15 consecutive shifts every quarter. During the sampling, designated miners are required to wear continuous personal dust monitors for the entire time they are underground. Yet Tucker intentionally programed the dust monitors to shut off after 9 hours despite the miners working 10-hour shifts underground.

Ball, as the underground foreman, checked dust monitors and when one approached the limits of authorized exposure to respirable dust, he would take the monitor off the miner and hang the monitor in fresh air in an attempt to prevent the sampling device from recording the actual levels of dust underground.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Norton Office of the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Special Assistant United States Attorney Jason Grover from the Department of Labor and Assistant United States Attorneys Lena Busscher and Randy Ramseyer prosecuted the case for the United States.

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

The three-count Indictment named Brian L. Gustafson as the sole defendant.

According to the Indictment presented to the court, when the IRS sought to bring Gustafson into compliance with his filing and payment requirements, Gustafson engaged in several acts of evasion: 1) he closed a bank account known to the IRS and replaced it with an undisclosed account; 2) he failed to disclose personal and corporate bank accounts to the IRS on Form 433-A; 3) upon discovery of the undisclosed account, he lied to an IRS revenue agent about his use of the account, and; 4) he withdrew significant cash from the undisclosed account.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 11 years in prison, a fine of $750,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division 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.