Jackson, Miss. – A Lauderdale, Mississippi man was sentenced today to 72 months in prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Michelle Sutphin, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.

According to court documents, Levi Gibbs, Jr., 51, knowingly and intentionally possessed a firearm after having been convicted of a felony offense.  On March 27, 2020, officers of the Meridian Police Department stopped a vehicle being driven by Gibbs after an officer observed Gibbs crossing over the center line of the road and speeding.  When an officer approached the passenger side of the vehicle, he saw a pistol in an ankle holster on Gibbs’ right leg.  The officer checked Gibbs’ criminal record and discovered that Gibbs was a convicted felon.  In fact, Gibbs has multiple felony convictions, several of which are for drug crimes.  Gibbs is currently under indictment from the Circuit Court of Lowndes County, Mississippi for Armed Robbery.  As a convicted felon it is against federal law for Gibbs to possess any firearm.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Meridian Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham prosecuted the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Tauri Benjamin Rivas Nunez (23, Orlando) to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison for aiding and abetting the robbery of a cellphone store and aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm during the robbery. Rivas Nunez had been found guilty by a federal jury on May 12, 2021. His co-defendants, Victor Hugo Castillo Vallejo (29, Orlando) and Luis Miguel Valdez Mendez (28, Orlando), previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison sentences on July 14, 2021. Castillo Vallejo was sentenced to 7 years and 6 months in federal prison for aiding and abetting the robbery and aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm. Valdez Mendez was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for aiding and abetting the robbery.  

According to evidence presented at trial, on August 10, 2019, Rivas Nunez, Valdez Mendez, and a co-defendant entered a T-Mobile store located at 5420 Deep Lake Road in Oviedo. Rivas Nunez placed an employee in a chokehold, while a co-defendant took another employee into a back room at gunpoint and ordered the employee to empty a safe containing cellphones and merchandise. Valdez Mendez maintained control of a customer who was present inside the store during the robbery. Rivas Nunez removed money from the cash register and the three individuals ran from the store with the stolen items. Castillo Vallejo waited outside the store during the robbery and acted as a getaway driver. Rivas Nunez, Castillo Vallejo, and Valdez Mendez were located immediately after the robbery at a home in Orlando. The stolen merchandise was recovered from the residence, along with the firearm used during the robbery.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel P. Jancha and Chauncey A. Bratt.

I.  Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)

241 individuals were charged in June with illegal reentry

A.  178 of those 241 individuals had previously been convicted of non-immigration criminal offenses in the U.S.

Of the 178 individuals with non-immigration criminal records:

1.  40 had violent crime convictions, including:

6 individuals had homicide convictions
8 individuals had sex offense convictions
6 individuals had domestic violence convictions

2.  10 had property crime convictions

3.  36 had DUI convictions

4.  90 had drug crime convictions

B. 108 of those 241 individuals had been deported three or more times

II.  Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)

         74 individuals were charged in June with alien smuggling

III.  Illegal Entry (Criminal Consequence Initiative) (8 U.S.C. 1325)

          0 individuals were charged in June with illegal entry on the CCI calendar

Criminal conviction information is based on preliminary criminal history reports provided by the arresting agency.

These numbers represent United States Attorney's Office prosecutions only. These numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.

*The Department of Homeland Security instituted a policy in March 2020 of expeditiously returning aliens who illegally enter the United States rather than detaining them. The decreased number of individuals presented to this Office for prosecution coincides with the implementation of that policy and other COVID-19 related border restrictions.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2021-045_June Immigration and Border Crimes Report

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

SAN FRANCISCO – Aaron McArthur, aka Gangster Boogie, aka “G Boogie,” aka “Boogie,” aka “Suave,” was sentenced today to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay over $20,000 in restitution for his role in a conspiracy to commit armed home invasion robberies in Sonoma County, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair.  The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Edward M. Chen, U.S. District Judge.

McArthur, 31, of Virginia, pleaded guilty to the charge on April 21, 2021. According to his plea agreement, McArthur admitted that beginning in January 2018, he agreed with others to commit home invasion robberies in Northern California.  The object of the robberies was to steal marijuana and the cash proceeds of marijuana sales. McArthur acknowledged that he recruited two groups of co-conspirators to travel from his home state of Virginia to meet with additional co-conspirators in Northern California where home invasion robberies would be committed.  According to the plea agreement, McArthur explained to recruits how he previously had obtained marijuana and firearms from participating in Northern California home invasion robberies including how he coordinated the robberies with a contact in California, how the robberies were conducted, and how the marijuana and guns were shipped back to him in Virginia.  McArthur admitted he knew it was reasonably foreseeable his co-conspirators would possess and use firearms to carry out the crimes. 

The plea agreement describes how the two sets of McArthur’s recruits each participated in two home invasion robberies.  The first pair of robberies occurred on February 8, 2018.  After recruiting four individuals and helping to organize their travel from Virginia to Northern California, McArthur’s recruits were joined in California by a California-based co-conspirator.  At approximately 4:22 a.m., the co-conspirators, wearing masks and carrying guns, kicked in the door of a residence in Santa Rosa and demanded money and marijuana from the residents.  A co-conspirator struck one of the residents with a pistol, shot another resident in the arm, and stole several pounds of marijuana.  Later the same morning, the robbers invaded a second home, shot and killed one of the residents in the house, and stole several firearms.  Four of the co-conspirators were captured by law enforcement the same day and the fifth was captured about four months later.

The second pair of robberies occurred March 12, 2018.  McArthur admitted that he again recruited four co-conspirators and arranged for their transportation to Northern California.  McArthur assigned one individual to take the lead and maintained constant communication with the co-conspirators leading to the home invasion robberies.  The first robbery occurred at 3:00 AM; the co-conspirators entered a residence in Petaluma, struck and tied up an occupant, and searched for marijuana and cash. After leaving the home, the co-conspirators entered a second home, tied up the occupant, and again demanded marijuana and cash. During the robbery, the co-conspirators encountered a neighbor who was brought inside the residence, tied up, and struck several times.

A federal grand jury indicted McArthur on June 13, 2019, charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a); one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846; and four substantive counts of robbery and attempted robbery affecting interstate commerce, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a).  McArthur pleaded guilty to the conspiracy count and the remaining counts were dismissed.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Chen also sentenced the defendant to a three-year period of supervised release and ordered that the defendant pay restitution of $20,275.73 to the victims of his crimes. The defendant was arrested in Virginia on August 16, 2019, and has been in continuous federal custody since his arrest; he will begin to serve his prison term immediately.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christiaan H. Highsmith is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Alice Pai.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

This investigation and prosecution is part of OCDETF, which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

LAFAYETTE, La. - Acting United StatesAttorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that Scott Grigsby, 41, of Abbeville, Louisiana, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Robert R. Summerhays to 102 months (8 years, 6 months) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment charging Grigsby with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and he pleaded guilty to the charge on April 9, 2021. According to information presented in court, on January 28, 2020, deputies with the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Task Force were conducting surveillance of a residence in Kaplan, Louisiana and observed a vehicle being driven by Grigsby arrive at the residence. Law enforcement officers approached the vehicle and Grigsby attempted to flee the area driving at a high rate of speed in reverse. His vehicle struck a marked police unit and lost control and came to rest in a ditch. Officers arrested Grigsby and his passenger. Grigsby admitted to police that he had thrown a firearm out of the window of the car while attempting to flee. After a brief search of the area, officers located the 9mm pistol near the vehicle in the ditch.

As a convicted felon, Grigsby is prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition. His prior felony convictions were for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (2017); identity theft, simple burglary, and aggravated flight from an officer (2010); and simple robbery (2003).

The ATF and Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Bordelon prosecuted the case.

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BRUNSWICK, GA:  Two men implicated in a cocaine-distribution scheme after a traffic stop have admitted guilt on federal charges.

Avon Shuttleworth, a/k/a “Havan,” 46, of Rosedale, N.Y., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Georgia to Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, while Courtnay Anthony Drummond, 52, of Brunswick, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The pleas subject the defendants to statutory sentences of five to 40 years in federal prison, along with substantial financial penalties, followed by a period of supervised release.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“It’s truly incredible how so many elaborate criminal schemes fall apart because of a simple traffic violation,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “Thanks to an alert Georgia State Patrol trooper and outstanding work from our law enforcement partners, an operation that moved kilos of illegal drugs in the northeastern United States has been brought to a halt.”

Beginning in March 2020, agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, led by agents from the Savannah Resident Office, initiated an investigation of cocaine trafficking from Jamaica into the New York City area. As described in court documents and testimony, Drummond met with Shuttleworth and another conspirator on March 14, 2020, at Shuttleworth’s home in New York, when Drummond agreed to deliver two kilograms of cocaine to a buyer in Baltimore, Md. Drummond is a native of Jamaica and legal resident of the United States; Shuttleworth is a citizen of Jamaica.

On March 15, 2020, a Georgia State Patrol trooper pulled Drummond over on Interstate 95 in McIntosh County, Ga., for tailgating another vehicle, and during a subsequent search of the car troopers found the two kilogram bricks of cocaine. Drummond told investigators that he had been unable to contact the Maryland buyer and was headed to his then-home in Riviera Beach, Fla. Agents on a federal search warrant later searched Shuttleworth’s New York residence and found a ledger detailing drug transactions and a large press used to make kilo-sized drug bricks.

“This traffic stop led to the seizure of almost five pounds of cocaine, ensuring this dangerous and potentially deadly drug never reached the seller, and more importantly, the consumer,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “This case was successful because of the hard work and dedication between DEA and its law enforcement partners.”

“This case demonstrates the success of collaborative efforts between state and federal agencies,” said Vic Reynolds, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. “We continue to work with our partners to investigate drug trafficking and keep Georgia safe.”

The case is being investigated by the DEA, including agents from the DEA Atlanta Field Division Savannah Resident Office and New York DEA Task Force Group 43, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Georgia State Patrol, and is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer G. Solari.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that CURON JOHNSON, also known as “Buck,” 31, of East Hartford, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to 37 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in the summer of 2020, Hartford Police learned that Kyle Pitts, also known as “Bark,” and others, were selling fentanyl, and that Pitts was using his apartment on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford to store fentanyl.  Between August and October 2020, Hartford Police and the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force made multiple controlled purchases of fentanyl from Pitts, Johnson and Jabari Walcott, of Hartford.

Johnson has been detained since his arrest on November 4, 2020.  On April 29, 2021, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl.  This is Johnson’s second federal narcotics-related conviction.

Pitts and Walcott pleaded guilty to the same charge and await sentencing.

The FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.

WASHINGTON – A North Carolina return preparer was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the IRS.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2012 through 2016, Audrey Renetta Odom, of Durham, conspired with Karen Jones and Andrea Pasley to prepare false returns for clients. The returns fraudulently lowered the clients’ tax liabilities or inflated their refunds by claiming false education credits or dependents or by manipulating the clients’ income to qualify for larger earned income tax credits. Odom admitted that some clients were charged up to $2,000 for preparing returns. Based on an analysis of the falsely claimed education credits, the tax loss is over $1.2 million.

Jones pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the IRS on Nov. 5, 2020, and was sentenced to 22 months in prison for her role in the conspiracy. Pasley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the IRS on May 6 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 29.

In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge William L. Osteen Jr. ordered Odom to serve three years of supervised release and to pay approximately $1,239,847 in restitution to the United States.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston for the Middle District of North Carolina made the announcement.

IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

Assistant Chief Todd Ellinwood and Trial Attorney Kavitha Bondada of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.

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NASHVILLE – A federal indictment was unsealed today, charging Chad William Rudicel, 52, formerly of Springfield, Tennessee, with seven counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Mary Jane Stewart for the Middle District of Tennessee.  Rudicel was arrested by FBI agents at him home in Largo, Florida, earlier this morning. 

According to the indictment, Rudicel owned Ellis & Rudicel Welding (E&R), a steel fabrication and welding company located in Springfield, Tennessee.  In the summer of 2015, Rudicel offered to purchase Brown’s Welding and Steel Services / Brown Cliff Crane (Brown’s Welding), another steel welding and fabrication business.  The owner of the business gave Rudicel access to the books and records of the business so that Rudicel could have the business appraised.  Rudicel never actually purchased Brown’s Welding but instead, in the spring of 2016, Rudicel sought funding from Thermo Communications Funding, LLC (Thermo).  As part of the loan agreement, Rudicel falsely claimed that E&R had performed work for Brown’s Welding in the amount of $279,700.  E&R had not, in fact, performed any work for Brown’s Welding, and Brown’s Welding did not owe E&R any money.  Rudicel gave Thermo fabricated invoices and forged the signature of the owner of Brown’s Welding on a number of documents.  Further, Rudicel falsely represented to Thermo that the owner of Brown’s Welding had consented to the deal.  Rudicel did not repay the loan to Thermo but instead, took out another loan in the amount of $25,000 from an investment company called New Hope Properties, LLC, which he promised to repay within two months.  Rudicel opened a bank account in the name of “Brown’s Welding and Crane Service,” and deposited the check into that account. He then wrote Thermo a check for $25,000 out of that account, but that check was returned for insufficient funds because Rudicel had already spent the money he received from New Hope. 

In March 2017, Rudicel applied for another loan, this time from Construction Finance LLC.  Rudicel applied for that loan in the name of the owner of Brown’s Welding, without his knowledge, and forged the owner’s signature on several documents. Rudicel gave Construction Finance several false invoices and job contracts that made it appear that Brown’s Welding had entered into contracts with various clients, and that Brown’s Welding had subcontracted that work to E&R.  Rudicel falsely made it appear as though E&R was owed approximately $531,000.  Several of these false documents contained the forged signatures of a Brown’s Welding employee and representatives of the purported clients.  In addition to the forged signatures, these invoices and contracts were false and fraudulent because neither E&R nor Brown’s Welding had entered into contracts with these clients, nor completed the work, nor were they owed money by any of these clients. 

If convicted, Rudicel faces a mandatory two-year sentence on each aggravated identity theft count and up to 20 years and a $250,000 fine on each wire and mail fraud count.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn W. Booth is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an accusation.  The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced by Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Judge.

Kyle Martin, age 29, was sentenced on July 12, 2021, to 22 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

The conviction stems from Martin, who is a previously convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms, being found in possession of a Smith & Wesson, model 581, .357 Magnum caliber, double-action revolver, which was found after Martin came into contact with law enforcement in March 2020 in Rapid City.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice's violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.   As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. 

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

Martin was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA– Mark D. Schneider, 60, formerly of Niceville, Florida, pled guilty yesterday to multiple federal tax crimes, announced Jason R. Coody, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. Schneider, who lived in Niceville during the commission of his offenses, was recently arrested by the United States Marshals Service after becoming a fugitive when he failed to appear on the day of his trial in Pensacola in January 2021.

At his guilty plea, Schneider admitted in federal court that, while living in Niceville and then in Huntsville, Alabama, he evaded paying his federal income taxes between 2007 and 2016.  Schneider agreed that the taxes he evaded payment on totaled over $200,000.  During the plea, he also confirmed that he attempted to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service investigation into his criminal behavior by mailing false and fictitious documents, fraudulently trying to claim tax refunds, and interfering with federal grand jury subpoenas. When Schneider failed to appear for his federal jury trial in Pensacola in January, a warrant was issued for his arrest. The United States Marshals Service found Schneider working at a hotel outside Cleveland, Ohio, and took him into custody. At his guilty plea, Schneider also admitted to failing to appear to court as directed by Court Order.

“The United States relies on the payment of taxes to defend our country and maintain its operations,” stated Acting United States Attorney Coody. “We will investigate and prosecute those who falsely misrepresent their income – whether by traditional evasion or the filing of fraudulent documents. Notwithstanding, falsification and flight, this defendant has been held to account as a result of the collective efforts of IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service.”

“The defendant has demonstrated a flagrant pattern of evasion as indicated by his own admission to a years-long scheme to evade his tax obligations and further by his failed attempt to evade answering to the related charges by becoming a fugitive,” said Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne of IRS Criminal Investigation. “Thanks to our partnership with the U.S. Marshals, Mr. Schneider will now be held accountable for all of his attempts to elude justice.” 

Schneider’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 15, 2021, at 10:30 am, at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before the Honorable United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers. Schneider faces up to 30 years imprisonment on the tax related crimes. He faces up to 10 years, consecutively, for failing to appear in court as ordered.

The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the United States Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Kaitlin Weiss.   

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

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA–Taree Lamott Armstrong, 30, of Haines City, Florida, has been sentenced to twelve years in federal prison after pleading guilty to multiple drug-trafficking offenses. Jason R. Coody, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence.

According to court documents, on March 25, 2020, Armstrong was stopped by a trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol for having a license plate attached to the wrong vehicle. During the traffic stop, the trooper found approximately $1520 and two bags of marijuana in Armstrong’s pockets. A search of Armstrong’s vehicle revealed cocaine, crack cocaine, hydrocodone, 43.6 grams of methamphetamine, and 2.25 pounds of marijuana. Armstrong was arrested on state charges and released on bond.

On July 2, 2020, Armstrong was a passenger in a traffic crash which occurred in Tallahassee. During the accident investigation, officers of the Tallahassee Police Department discovered that Armstrong attempted to hide two black bags which contained marijuana, crack cocaine, and drug paraphernalia associated with the sale of controlled substances. Officers also discovered approximately $1453 in Armstrong’s pockets. Armstrong was arrested on state charges and was again released on bond.

On August 4, 2020, Armstrong was federally indicted for the previous drug-related charges. Armstrong was arrested by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with the assistance of the Florida Highway Patrol, on August 6, 2020, to address the federal charges. Upon his arrest, agents seized methamphetamine, marijuana, synthetic marijuana, approximately $1160 in cash, and two digital scales from his vehicle.

Armstrong’s prior criminal history includes nine felony convictions, several of which involve narcotics distribution and violence against law enforcement officers. Given the nature of his prior felony convictions, Armstrong qualified as a Career Offender and was subject to increased Federal sentencing penalties.

“Those who repeatedly commit serious crimes are deserving of significant prison sentences,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Coody. “This career criminal has demonstrated his unwillingness to abide by the law, committing repeated drug crimes – while on bond for identical violations. Given the outstanding work of our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners, he will no longer be distributing drugs in our community.”

“As always, the Drug Enforcement Administration is committed to working with our law enforcement partners as these relationships are vital to protecting our communities,” said DEA Miami Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge La Verne Hibbert. “The strong partnership with the Florida Highway Patrol and Tallahassee Police Department allowed us to quickly coordinate efforts that led directly to another career criminal being taken off our streets.”

This sentence resulted from an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Tallahassee Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys James A. McCain prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. Here in Tallahassee, the Sheriff’s ALLinLEON initiative has focused on enforcement, but also engaged community volunteers to regularly take at-risk youth to places of worship, activated Neighborhood Crime Watch programs, and conducted other activities to target neighborhoods that are perennial hotspots for violence. The effort also aims to help connect individuals who are reentering the community from incarceration with education, job skills and substance abuse treatment.

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

The man who allegedly shot and killed a SWAT officer during a standoff in Levelland, Texas earlier this month has been charged with assaulting a federal officer who responded to the scene, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah.

Omar Soto-Chavira, 22, was charged via criminal complaint on Friday with one count of forcibly assaulting a federal officer engaged in the performance of official duties. Mr. Soto-Chavira has also been charged by the state with capital murder.

“The state acted swiftly to charge Mr. Soto-Chavira in the murder of Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Josh Bartlett. Were Mr. Soto-Chavira to post the $500,000 bond set in the state case, he would be immediately transferred to federal custody, where criminal defendants can be detained without bond, ” said Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah. “We believe this defendant is a threat to the community, and needs to be kept behind bars. We mourn the loss of Sgt. Bartlett, who served with honor for nine years, and we pray for the other officers who were wounded in the standoff, including Sgt. Shawn Wilson.”

Local law enforcement has confirmed that during the almost 11-hours standoff, the defendant repeatedly opened fire at agents and officers. Lubbock County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Josh Bartlett was shot in the neck and killed; Levelland Police Sgt. Shawn Wilson was shot in the head and rushed to the hospital, where he remains in critical condition; and two other officers were also shot and wounded.

Though the federal criminal complaint against Mr. Soto-Chavira remains sealed, the federal arrest warrant was unsealed shortly after it was filed this morning.

A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Like all defendants, Mr. Soto-Chavira is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

If convicted in the federal case, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison. He faces a potential death sentence if convicted on state charges.

The Levelland Police Department, Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office SWAT, and Lubbock Police Department SWAT conducted the investigation with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Division, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Rangers, and the Hockley County District Attorney's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Long is prosecuting the federal case.

           ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Daniel Capehart, 36, of Bloomfield, New Mexico, was convicted on July 22 by a federal jury of three counts of distribution of marijuana and methamphetamine, two of which occurred within 1,000 feet of a school and playground, in Farmington, New Mexico.

           According to court records, on June 15, 2018, Capehart, then a patrol officer with the New Mexico State Police, conducted a traffic stop during which he came into contact with a 16-year old passenger identified as Jane Doe 1 in Farmington. Capehart requested Jane Does 1’s phone number, email address and date of birth. Capehart then gave Jane Doe 1 a business card with his personal cell phone number. Approximately an hour after the traffic stop concluded, Capehart began texting Jane Doe 1.

           On June 19, 2018, Jane Doe 1 reported the incident and text messages to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. Law enforcement immediately launched an investigation into Capehart’s conduct. As part of this investigation, Jane Doe 1 allowed law enforcement to use her phone and pretend to be her in further communications with Capehart.

           On June 20, 2018, Capehart offered to provide marijuana to Jane Doe 1, unaware he was communicating with law enforcement. In exchange, still believing he was communicating with a 16-year old girl, Capehart asked for “selfies” as payment. After Capehart instructed Jane Doe 1 on how to avoid being caught with marijuana and the two agreeing on a delivery point that was close to Jane Doe 1’s Farmington home, in the early morning hours of June 21, 2018, Capehart delivered marijuana to the agreed location.

           Over the next two days, Capehart continued sending messages to whom he thought was Jane Doe 1. After Capehart asked to speak with the 16-year old, detectives had an undercover deputy speak with the defendant in three separate recorded phone calls. In those calls, Capehart continued to discuss marijuana believing he was speaking with a 16-year-old girl.

           On June 23, 2018, Capehart again offered to provide marijuana to Jane Does 1. Not realizing he was communicating with law enforcement, Capehart specified a location in Farmington that was within 1,000 feet of Farmington High School and Brookside Park playground.  Capehart delivered the marijuana intended for the 16-year-old that same day.

           Law enforcement also developed a confidential source (CS) who had prior dealings with Capehart and she agreed to cooperate.  As part of the CS’s cooperation, she allowed law enforcement to use her phone to pretend to be the CS when communicating with Capehart. In those messages, Capehart devised a plan in which the CS would tell him when she was driving with someone who had methamphetamine. Capehart would conduct a traffic stop of the friend’s vehicle, locate the methamphetamine, and provide a portion of the methamphetamine to the CS in exchange for sex. Capehart was unaware that he was communicating this plan to law enforcement and that the CS’s friend would be an undercover agent.

           On June 28, 2018, Capehart executed the plan and conducted the traffic stop. Capehart arrested the undercover agent and located the methamphetamine in the undercover agent’s pocket. After booking the undercover agent in jail, in the early morning hours of June 29, 2018, Capehart drove to a park located by the CS’s home in Bloomfield. Capehart then delivered more than five grams of methamphetamine by bathrooms in the park, which was also located within 1,000 feet of Central Primary Elementary School. Capehart was arrested later that day.

           A sentencing date has not been scheduled. Capehart faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years and up to 40 years in prison on the methamphetamine count.

           The FBI, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Region II Narcotics Task Force, and Farmington Police Department investigated this case.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico is prosecuting the case.

           The HIDTA Region II Narcotics Task Force is comprised of officers and investigators from the Farmington Police Department, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, Bloomfield Police Department and Aztec Police Department, and is part of the HIDTA program created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988.  HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.

NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JILL LEWIS (“LEWIS”), age 40, resident of Slidell, Louisiana, entered a plea of guilty on July 21, 2021 to Conspiracy to Commit Mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of her involvement in a postal fraud scheme.    

According to today’s guilty plea, beginning on or before January 31, 2014, through in or around January 2016, LEWIS and a co-conspirator conspired to submit numerous false insurance claims for reimbursement to the United States Postal Service (“USPS”), causing the USPS to mail checks to LEWIS and a co-conspirator for approximately $42,000. For example, LEWIS and a co-conspiratorfalsely represented to the USPS that they had sent expensive jewelry and other items through the mail and that the USPS lost the items. In connection with the false claims, LEWIS and a co-conspirator submitted forged invoices from retailers to the USPS to support the reimbursement amounts. The false claims and forged documents caused the USPS to send the reimbursement checks to LEWIS and a co-conspirator through the mail.

LEWIS faces a maximum sentence of five (5) years imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000.00 or twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person of the offense under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571. After any term of imprisonment that may be imposed, LEWIS also faces a term of supervised release of up to (3) three years. Per the terms of the plea, restitution to the USPS in the amount of approximately $42,749.74 is owed.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 1, 2021 before U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, for its work in investigating this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shirin Hakimzadeh.

Miami, Florida – Reversing a federal magistrate judge’s ruling, United States District Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr. has ordered that Kenny Terlent, 19, will remain in a federal detention center without bond pending his trial on charges of illegally possessing a machine gun, identity theft, and Covid-19 benefit related fraud.

According to the indictment and criminal complaint affidavit filed in his case, Terlent and other members of the 77^th Street gang exploited programs that offered unemployment compensation benefits to people suffering Covid-19-related job loss.  As part of their scheme, Terlent and his co-conspirators obtained stolen identities (names, social security numbers, dates of birth and other personal sensitive information) from the dark web and other sources, says the affidavit.  With the stolen identities, Terlent and his co-conspirators filed for unemployment compensation benefits meant for individuals who had lost jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic, then used bank cards in other people’s names to collect the money and transfer it to bank accounts that they controlled, it is alleged.    

On June 24, law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Terlent’s residence.  According to the affidavit, Terlent ran from officers who approached him outside and threw his cellular telephone into a nearby lake.  Law enforcement recovered the phone, searched it pursuant to a warrant, and found that it contained stolen identity information.  Inside Terlent’s home, in addition to other evidence of fraud, officers found a stolen Glock 19 handgun with an auto-sear device affixed to it, says the affidavit.  When installed on a handgun, an auto-sear, colloquially called a “switch,” allows a handgun to expel more than one bullet by a single pull of the trigger, turning the weapon into a fully automatic machine gun. Terlent does not have a permit to possess a machine gun, according to the charges.

Law enforcement officers arrested Terlent, and a South Florida federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices, aggravated identity theft, and the illegal possession of a machine gun.

Juan Antonio Gonzalez, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Brian Swain, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Robert Cekada, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office, announced the charges.

A multi-agency gang task force consisting of the Miami Divisions of USSS, FBI, and ATF, as well as the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) and City of Miami Police Department (MPD) investigated the matter. 

AUSA Frederic “Fritz” Shadley is prosecuting this case.  

This case stems from Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  In 2017, PSN was reinvigorated as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime. 

Anyone with information related to possible gun crimes is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

This case also stems from the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat Covid-19 fraud.On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Indictments and criminal complaints are mere allegations.  A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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, under case number 21-cr-20380.

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

BUFFALO, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today the results of the first two weeks of the Federal Violence Prevention and Elimination Response (VIPER) Task Force, a 60-day surge aimed at removing violent gun offenders from the streets of Rochester and Buffalo to enhance public safety and reduce violent crime.  For the period between July 7 and July 22, 2021, the following combined results were achieved in Rochester and Buffalo through VIPER:

• Total Arrests – 138
o Firearm Related Arrests - 45
o Narcotics Related Arrests - 45
o Violent Felony Arrests - 38
• Total Illegal Firearms Seized - 22
• Defendants Adopted for Federal Prosecution - 15 (with 21 additional defendants currently under review for federal prosecution).

“All residents in both Rochester and Buffalo deserve, and are entitled, to feel safe in their own homes,” stated U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “Our efforts are designed to remove the worst of the worst from the streets of our communities, and the guns from their hands, so that residents can do just that.  The tremendous coordination between federal, state, and local law enforcement combined with the outstanding cooperation we have received from the community have combined thus far to produce some pretty remarkable results.”

Representative Investigations and Federal Prosecutions in both Rochester and Buffalo:

Among the cases charged federal in Rochester, NY, was Raquon Lewis, 24, of Rochester, NY, who was charged by criminal complaint with two separate incidents of being a felon-in-possession of a firearm. According to the criminal complaint, on June 24, 2021, at approximately 2:00 p.m., Rochester Police Officers responded to a call for multiple “shots fired” in the area of the North Union Street/Lays Alley/Weld Street. Prior to the call, numerous civilians were congregating in the area for the funeral procession/celebration of life for 26-year-old Lavar Beard, who was murdered there two days earlier. Given heightened tensions surrounding the murder, several Rochester Police officers were already assigned to the area to monitor the gathering and personally heard multiple gunshots being fired. The eruption in gunfire resulted in at least one person being struck with non-life threatening injuries. At least two firearms were recovered at the scene, as well as numerous casings.

Immediately prior to these gunshots, defendant Lewis was observed, via city blue light cameras, standing with others in front of “Awsan Grocery,” located at the intersection of North Union and Weld Streets, facing east. Another male walked up behind Lewis and pointed a gun point-blank at Lewis’ head. As a result, everyone in the area, including Lewis, fled the area in all directions. Lewis was observed running behind the store and west bound on Weld Street to his vehicle. As Lewis was running, he collided with several other individuals who were involved in the melee, causing him to fall to the ground near the rear of his car. As he fell, Lewis dropped a 9mm semiautomatic pistol loaded with 18 rounds of ammunition. 

On July 16, 2021, a search warrant was executed at Lewis’ residence on Travers Circle in Rochester. During the search, investigators found a loaded 9mm pistol in a couch where Lewis had been sitting. Investigators also recovered approximately $2,395 in cash on Lewis’ person. In addition, quantities of crack cocaine, cocaine, and three electronic scales were also recovered. In 2013, Lewis was convicted of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Weapon in New York State Court and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

In Buffalo, Michael Johnson, 43, of Buffalo, NY, was charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes and being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the criminal complaint, On July 21, 2021, investigators from the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and Buffalo Police Intelligence Unit set up surveillance in the vicinity of the defendant’s Rogers Avenue residence and observed Johnson carrying a blue shopping bag out of the residence and entering the front passenger seat of a vehicle bearing Ohio plates. Law enforcement executed a traffic stop and Johnson initially provided a false name. Johnson was ordered out of the vehicle but refused and struggled with law enforcement. While law enforcement attempted to remove the defendant, officers observed the blue shopping bag inside the vehcile. During a search of the vehicle, investigators recovered a loaded 9mm handgun from inside the blue shopping bag, approximately 28 grams of suspected fentanyl, ammunition, unidentified pills, and a digital scale. Investigators then executed a search warrant at Johnson’s Rogers Avenue residence and recovered a revolver, ammunition, and a digital scale. In March 2008, Johnson was convicted in Albany County Court of Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree, and as a result is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

The VIPER Task Force involves enhanced information sharing, enhanced proactive investigations and prosecutions, and the improvement relations between the community and law enforcement. 

Members of the VIPER Task Force include the United States Attorney’s Office, under the direction U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr.; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; the United States Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina; Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division. VIPER Task Force members in Rochester also include: the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney Sandra Doorley; the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter; and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Cynthia Herriott-Sullivan. VIPER Task Force members in Buffalo also include: the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney John Flynn; the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard; and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Chief Byron Lockwood.

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NEW ORLEANS –U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ANTHONY SMALLS, age 32, of New York, New York, pleaded guilty on July 22, 2021 to conspiracy to pass altered U.S. Postal money orders, passing altered U.S. Postal money orders and possessing stolen U.S. government property today before United States District Court Judge Carl J. Barbier of the Eastern District of Louisiana.

According to court records, SMALLS and a co-defendant who has not yet pled, travelled from New York to Louisiana in October of 2019 to cash stolen U.S. Postal money orders that had been altered to show amounts worth hundreds of dollars. SMALLS and the co-defendant cashed two such postal money orders in Kenner and Metairie, LA. When arrested, the defendants also possessed 58 U.S. Postal money orders that they had stolen from an Ascension Parish U.S. Post Office the day before.

SMALLS faces a sentence of up to ten years in prison on the possession of stolen U.S. government property charge and up to five years in prison for each of the Postal money order charges.  SMALLS also faces for each of the three charges up to $250,000 in fines, a mandatory $100 special assessment fee and up to three years of supervised release.  Sentencing is set for October 28, 2021.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Postal Inspection Service, along with assistance from the Louisiana State Police - Criminal Investigations Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, in investigating this matter.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera is in charge of the prosecution.

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SHREVEPORT, La. – Angelena Adams, 52, of Princeton, Louisiana, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote to spend 27 months in prison, followed by 1 year of supervised release and restitution to be paid in the amount of $188,328, for defrauding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Acting United StatesAttorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced.

Angelena Adams, a.k.a Angelena Morris, was indicted by a federal grand jury on tax fraud charges in May 2020.  She pleaded guilty on March 15, 2021 to making and subscribing to a false return. Adams worked in the tax return preparation business from 2008 through 2015. Beginning in 2012 and continuing through 2015, Adams opened and operated Angie’s Tax Service, a tax return preparation business in Ringgold, Louisiana.

Angie’s Tax Service prepared and submitted client tax returns electronically to the IRS. The business income from Angie’s Tax Service was deposited into Adams’ personal bank account. Adams did not report the income from the business on her Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return for tax years 2013, 2014 and 2015 which, as a result, greatly reduced her adjusted gross income for those tax years. On or about October 15, 2014, Adams completed and filed a false tax return for tax year 2013 stating that her adjusted gross income in 2013 was $166,011, when in truth and in fact, her adjusted gross income was substantially more than that, with gross receipts totaling $702,855 during 2013 for tax return preparation.

The IRS – Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Cassidy prosecuted the case.

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