NewzIntel.com

Category: Finance

  • MIL-OSI Security: Eight Men Charged in Connection with Interstate High-End Car Theft Ring

    Source: US FBI

    NEWARK, N.J. – Eight men have been charged for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to steal luxury cars in New Jersey, New York, and elsewhere, and transport them across state lines, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.

    Ahmad Franks, aka “Mahdi,” 24; Shaquan White, aka “QBandz,” aka “Q Bands,” 23; Nathan Braswell, aka “Troub,” 20; Ibn Bellamy, aka “YC,” 24; Zamir Wright, aka “GBz,” 20, all of Newark; Ryan Bowen, aka “Prob,” 26; Khyree Lawrence, aka “6,” 20, both of East Orange, New Jersey; and Mohammed Buhari, aka “Sakina,” 45, of Woodbridge, Virginia; are all charged by complaint with conspiring to receive, possess, or sell stolen vehicles in interstate commerce.

    Franks is also charged with five counts of possession of a stolen vehicle and one count of interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle. Bellamy is also charged with one count of possession of a stolen vehicle, and Buhari is charged with one count of sale, receipt, or possession of a stolen vehicle. Bellamy and Lawrence were arrested on Nov. 6, 2024, and made their initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court. Buhari remains at large. The remaining defendants are already in custody on prior charges and will appear at a later date.  

    “The defendants are charged with orchestrating a brazen conspiracy to steal high-end, luxury vehicles, targeting our community and profiting from their illegal activities,” U.S. Attorney Sellinger said.  “These charges underscore our commitment to work with all of our law enforcement partners to protect the community from  the variety of crimes committed by  those who seek to enrich themselves unjustly by victimizing our residents.”

    According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

    In November 2021, law enforcement began investigating a series of high-end car thefts and learned that the eight defendants, and others conspired to possess, receive, conceal, sell, dispose, and/or transport high-value stolen cars in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and elsewhere. Some of the stolen cars were used during the commission of other crimes, including the theft of additional cars, shootings, and a homicide. From November 2021 to July 2022, Franks exchanged photographs of at least 400 known or suspected stolen cars with at least a dozen conspirators.

    The 14 cars stolen by the defendants as alleged in the complaint have an estimated total value of at least $550,000.

    The conspiracy count carries a maximum term of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain to the defendant or loss to the victims, whichever is greatest. The charges of sale, receipt, or possession of a stolen vehicle and interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle each carries a maximum potential penalty of ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain to the defendant or loss to the victims, whichever is greatest.

    U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr.; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II; Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas; the Newark Police Division, under the direction of Director Fritz G. Fragé; the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Colonel Patrick J. Callahan; the Millburn Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Gilfedder; and the Fairfield Police Department, under the direction of Chief Anthony G. Manna, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Port of New York/Newark, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York Police Department, the Port Authority Police Department, the Jersey City Police Department, the Tenafly Police Department, the East Brunswick Police Department, the Ridgewood Police Department, the Ramapo Police Department, the Spring Lake Police Department, the Paramus Police Department, the Woodbridge Police Department, the Edison Police Department, the Essex Fells Police Department, the East Orange Police Department, the West Caldwell Police Department, and the Nassau County Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Olta Bejleri and Megan Linares of the Criminal Division in Newark.

    The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Latham Man Sentenced to More Than Eight Years for Possessing Child Pornography

    Source: US FBI

    ALBANY, NEW YORK – Scott Weinbloom, age 49, of Latham, New York, was sentenced today to 97 months of imprisonment, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release, for possessing child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

    As part of his guilty plea, Weinbloom admitted that on May 18, 2022, he possessed hundreds of images and videos of child pornography on a USB flash memory stick found in his residence and that two computers recovered from his residence had also been used to store and view child pornography. 

    In addition to the imprisonment and supervised release terms, Weinbloom was ordered to pay a total of $72,000 in restitution to child victims depicted in the files he possessed, and will be required to register as a sex offender upon release from imprisonment.

    The FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated this case.  The Task Force includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Dustin C. Segovia prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

    Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).  Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locates, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Jersey Man Charged with Drug Conspiracy

    Source: US FBI

    Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on August 29, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a four count indictment charging Andy Soto, 32, of Jersey City, New Jersey, with conspiring to distribute controlled substances; possessing with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine; possessing with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl; and possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year. Soto entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on September 3, 2024, before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle previously had ordered that Soto be detained during the pendency of this matter.

    According to court records, Soto was arrested by state authorities in North Troy, Vermont on July 24, 2024, in connection with the execution of a state search warrant at a residence where he had recently been staying. Law enforcement located over 600 grams of suspected cocaine powder, over 300 grams of suspected cocaine base, over 700 grams of suspected fentanyl, over 80 grams of suspected xylazine, approximately $46,000 in currency, and five loaded firearms from the bedroom identified as Soto’s. The majority of the suspected narcotics, the currency, and a loaded .40-caliber firearm were located in a safe bolted to the floor of that room. Soto had been the subject of a long-standing drug investigation, during which authorities conducted multiple controlled purchases involving Soto between July and December 2023.

    The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Soto is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Soto faces at least ten years’ and up to life imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

    United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the Vermont State Police, the Northeast Vermont Drug Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations. This case is part of ongoing collaborative efforts between those agencies, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to address drug and gun trafficking in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. 

    The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Lasher. Soto is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Utica Mayor and School Board President Sentenced for Mail Fraud Scheme

    Source: US FBI

    SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Louis LaPolla, age 79, of Utica, New York, was sentenced today in federal court in Syracuse to 3 years of probation, after previously pleading guilty to mail fraud for soliciting and then stealing donations intended for a scholarship fund in his late wife’s name. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced the guilty plea.

    In pleading guilty previously, LaPolla admitted that he set up a scholarship fund in honor of his late wife, Andrea LaPolla, after she passed away in 2018, with the stated intention of benefitting Utica City School District students who planned to pursue post-secondary education in health-related fields. LaPolla further admitted that he received nearly $40,000 in donations intended for the scholarship fund from individuals and businesses and that he spent nearly all the donated money on himself rather than depositing it into the scholarship fund. LaPolla served as the mayor of Utica from 1984 to 1995, and he served as President of the Utica City School Board from 2018 to 2022, following 21 years of service as a member of the board.

    As part of his sentence, LaPolla will pay restitution in the amount of $38,616, and he will separately owe a forfeiture money judgment in the same amount.

    Earlier this year, LaPolla pled guilty in Oneida County Court to a misdemeanor petit larceny charge after admitting that he used envelopes, stamps, and mailing labels belonging to the Utica City School District to send out fundraising flyers relating to the scholarship. In that case, LaPolla was sentenced to 60 days of house arrest, 3 years of probation, and ordered to pay $3,100 in restitution.

    The FBI investigated this case with assistance from the New York State Police and the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Virginia Man Sentenced for Bank Robbery Conspiracy

    Source: US FBI

    ALBANY, NEW YORK – Brian Tierney a.k.a. “Wodanaz,” age 31, of Lynchburg, Virginia, was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for conspiring to commit bank robbery.

    United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

    As part of his guilty plea, Tierney admitted that between November 14 and November 27, 2022, he agreed to and planned to commit an armed bank robbery at a bank branch in Johnstown, New York, with two co-conspirators, Luke Kenna a.k.a. “Lt.” and Michael Brown, Jr. a.k.a. “Russ.” As part of that conspiracy, Kenna conducted surveillance of the bank and purchased items, including weapons, to commit the robbery; Tierney ordered handgun parts for use in the robbery and sent photographs to Kenna of a handgun and a radio scanning and jamming device for use in robbing the bank; and Brown drove to New York to conduct surveillance of the bank with Kenna.

    Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes also ordered that Tierney serve a 3-year term of supervised release following his release from prison.

    Tierney’s two co-conspirators, Luke Kenna, and Michael Brown, Jr., pled guilty and were sentenced on June 14, 2024, to 41 months and 37 months in prison, respectively.

    The FBI Albany Field Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), which includes FBI Special Agents, and federal, state, and local investigators, including from the New York State Police, investigated the case. The FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office, the FBI’s Richmond Field Office and New York State Police Special Investigations Unit also provided assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Michigan Resident and Heavy-Duty Diesel Parts Supplier Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Violate the Clean Air Act

    Source: US FBI

    Kyle Offringa and Highway and Heavy Parts, LLC Admit to Conspiring with Heavy-Duty Diesel Truck Operators to Tamper with Emissions-Control Monitoring Devices

    ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kyle Offringa, age 33, of Caledonia, Michigan, and Highway and Heavy Parts, LLC (“HHP”), a heavy-duty diesel parts supplier headquartered in Coleman, Michigan, recently pled guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act (“CAA”).  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Tyler Amon, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”)’s Criminal Investigations Division (“CID”), Northeast Area Branch, made the announcement. Offringa pled guilty to the indictment today and HHP pled guilty to the indictment last month.

    Offringa and HHP were indicted by a grand jury in the Northern District of New York earlier this year.  As alleged in the indictment, the purpose of the CAA is, among other things, “to protect and enhance the quality of the Nation’s air resources so as to promote the public health and welfare and the productive capacity of its population.”  Pursuant to the CAA, the EPA enacted regulations that required heavy-duty diesel engine manufacturers to limit emissions on those engines.  To comply with these regulations, manufacturers install hardware components, including filters, exhaust recirculation systems, and exhaust aftertreatment systems.  Heavy-duty diesel trucks are also required under the CAA to maintain an onboard-diagnostic system (“OBD”), which monitors the functionality of the hardware emissions control components.  If the OBD detects that an emissions control component is not working, or has been removed, it will ultimately put the truck into what is known as “limp mode,” which limits the top speed to as low as 5 miles per hour.  This is designed to incentivize truck operators to repair any faulty components.

    As further alleged in the indictment, truck operators deleted the emissions control hardware on their heavy-duty diesel trucks, which significantly increased pollution emitted by those trucks but allowed them to run at higher horsepower, with greater fuel efficiency, and with reduced maintenance cost. 

    As part of their pleas, Offringa and HHP admitted that between at least June 2017 and March 2019, they conspired together and with HHP’s customers, including coconspirators DAIM Logistics, Inc. and Patrick Oare of Fultonville, New York, to tamper with (“tune”) the emission control monitoring devices and systems of numerous diesel vehicles.  As part of the conspiracy, HHP referred its customers who had removed emissions hardware on their heavy-duty diesel trucks to Offringa, who then reprogrammed the OBDs to bypass the CAA monitoring functions so the trucks would remain operational in exchange for a fee of $1,000 to $1,500 per OBD.  HHP charged its customers approximately $250 for each tune performed by Offringa on top of what Offringa charged.

    HHP is scheduled to be sentenced on December 17, 2024, and Offringa is scheduled to be sentenced on January 17, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino in Albany.  If HHP’s plea agreement is accepted, it will be required to pay a fine of $25,000.  Offringa has agreed to pay a fine of $100,000 and also faces a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison and a term of supervised release of up to three years.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

    Coconspirators Patrick Oare and DAIM Logistics, Inc., of Fultonville, New York, previously pled guilty to violating the CAA and are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino in Albany on October 23, 2024.

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigations Division (EPA CID) is investigating the case, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police.  Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Clark is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to New Charges

    Source: US FBI

    BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Jeffrey Paden, 57, of Kennedy, NY, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to possession of child pornography following a prior conviction, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a $250,000 fine.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that in June 2015, Paden was convicted on a federal charge of possession of child pornography and sentenced to serve 57 months in prison and five years’ supervised release. On August 29, 2023, the New York State Police executed a search warrant at Paden’s residence based on information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Several electronic devices were seized, including a thumb drive and a laptop computer. Approximately 83 images of child pornography were stored on the thumb drive and approximately 468 images on the laptop computer. Some of the images depicted prepubescent minors, and violence against children.

    The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Stanley Edwards III, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

    Sentencing is scheduled for November 13, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. before Judge Wolford.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: West Seneca Man Arrested, Charged with Possession of Child Pornography

    Source: US FBI

    BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Joseph A. Buelow, 29, of West Seneca, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on February 7, 2024, the West Seneca Police Department was advised by members of the Finger Lakes Pred Catchers that they had information regarding Buelow contacting underage minors. Pred Catchers is a group of volunteers who work to expose online child predators. The operator of Pred Catchers, Dakota Liddiard, stated that Buelow reached out to him on the dating application Meet24, believing that he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl named “Amanda.” Liddiard said that Buelow began communicating in sexual terms almost immediately and made plans to meet “Amanda.” However, Buelow never showed up at the meeting location. In addition to “Amanda,” Buelow also reached out to “Caitlyn” on Meet24, an alleged 14-year-old girl, who was actually another member of the Pred Catchers. These conversations were also sexual in nature and Buelow requested to meet with “Caitlyn” on two occasions but did not show up either time.

    On April 18, 2024, West Seneca Police reached out to the FBI, providing the images of conversations between Fred Catchers and Buelow. During some of these conversations, Buelow sent nude pictures of himself and attempted to get the minors to send nude images of herself. During the execution of a search warrant on Buelow’s cell phone, investigators recovered multiple communications between Buelow and individuals he believed were minors. They also recovered sexually explicit images of child pornography. Investigators have identified at least one minor victim that Buelow allegedly sexually abused.

    Buelow made an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was detained.

    The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the West Seneca Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Cosgrove and the Town of Tonawanda Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Stauffiger.

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

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: North Tonawanda Man Pleads Guilty to Using Stolen Credit Card Numbers to Purchase Tens of Thousands of Dollars Worth of Gas

    Source: US FBI

    BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Kingsley Brown, 22, of North Tonawanda, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.  

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who is handling the case, stated that between August 2022, and July 2023, Brown, along with co-defendant Cross Malik Williams, purchased approximately 570 stolen bank cards from various online marketplaces. Williams and Brown then used a card-making device to load the stolen banking card information onto blank plastic bank cards with magnetic strips, which allowed purchases to be made using the victims’ funds from the victims’ bank accounts. Williams and Brown used, or allowed others to use, the stolen bank card information to purchase gas for other individuals. The gas customers would then pay Williams and/or Brown an amount of money less than the cost of the gas. As part of his plea agreement, Brown agreed that he was responsible for $192,673 of total loss.

    Cross Malik Williams was previously convicted and is awaiting sentencing.

    The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.

    Sentencing is scheduled for December 11, 2024, before Judge Sinatra.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Buffalo Man Arrested on Multiple Child Pornography Charges

    Source: US FBI

    BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Sean Braven, 37, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with receipt, distribution, and possession of child pornography, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, and a maximum of 20 years.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that on July 26 and August 17, 2018, an undercover law enforcement officer identified an IP address that had made available suspected child pornography on a peer-to-peer file sharing network. The officer downloaded eight files which constitute child pornography. Subsequent investigation determined that the IP address belonged to Braven. In October 2018, a search warrant was executed at Braven’s residence, during which investigators seized several items, including a computer. A forensic review of the computer recovered more than 420 image files and 540 video files containing child pornography, some of which included depictions of violence against children.

    Braven made an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was released on conditions.

    The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the Town of Tonawanda Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Stauffiger, and the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina.

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

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes in Exchange for Smuggling Narcotics Into Rikers Island

    Source: US FBI

    Edward Y. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that GHISLAINE BARRIENTOS, a former corrections officer, pled guilty today to bribery in connection with her participation in a scheme to accept bribes in exchange for smuggling narcotics into Rikers Island.  BARRIENTOS pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16, 2025.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim said: “Ghislaine Barrientos took bribes when working as a corrections officer at Rikers Island.  Rikers Island is less safe, for inmates and officers alike, when corrections officers and others in positions of public trust accept bribes to smuggle contraband.  We will not tolerate any breach of trust or corruption that jeopardizes the well-being of inmates and staff.”

    As reflected in the Complaint, Information, and statements made in court:

    BARRIENTOS, a former New York City Department of Correction (“DOC”) correction officer, conspired with others to smuggle contraband, including cocaine, smokeable synthetic cannabinoids (known as “K2”), and food to inmates housed at the Robert N. Davoren Complex on Rikers Island in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribe payments.

    For example, on April 11, 2024, CC-1, an associate of an inmate (“Inmate-1”), and BARRIENTOS discussed CC-1 sending BARRIENTOS a package through a delivery service.  On April 15, 2024, surveillance footage showed BARRIENTOS entering Inmate-1’s cell, where surveillance footage could not capture her actions.  Two days later, DOC searched Inmate-1’s cell and recovered sheets of paper that tested positive for the presence of cocaine.

    On April 24, 2024, CC-1 sent BARRIENTOS another package using the delivery service.  When BARRIENTOS went to work later that day, a drug-detecting canine alerted for the presence of narcotics.  DOC employees searched BARRIENTOS’s belongings and found approximately 10 sheets of paper that tested positive for the presence of K2.  In an interview with law enforcement, BARRIENTOS falsely stated, among other things, that no inmate had ever asked her to bring them contraband.  Law enforcement officers then searched BARRIENTOS’s vehicle and recovered additional sheets of paper, as well as approximately $2,466 in cash, as shown in the following photographs:

    *               *                *

    BARRIENTOS, 37, of Mount Vernon, New York, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

    The statutory maximum sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

    Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Department of Investigation.

    This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption and Narcotics Units.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Coyle is in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: High-Ranking MS-13 Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Seven Murders, Multiple Attempted Murders, Arson and Firearms Offenses

    Source: US FBI

    Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Jairo Saenz, also known as “Funny,” a high-ranking member of the Brentwood/Central Islip chapter of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in connection with his participation in seven murders, namely, the January 28, 2016 murder of Michael Johnson; the April 29, 2016 murder of Oscar Acosta; the September 13, 2016 murders of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens; the October 10, 2016 murder of Javier Castillo; the October 13, 2016 murder of Dewann Stacks; and the January 30, 2017 murder of Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla.  Saenz also pleaded guilty to his participation in three attempted murders, arson, narcotics trafficking, firearms offenses and a conspiracy to kill Marcus Bohannon, who was murdered on September 5, 2016 by other members of the MS-13.

    Today’s guilty plea proceeding was held before United States District Judge Gary R. Brown.  When sentenced, Jairo Saenz faces up to 60 years in prison, and a minimum sentence of 40 years in prison under the terms of his plea agreement. 

    Carolyn Pokorny, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) and Robert E. Waring, Acting Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the guilty plea.

    “Today, Jairo Saenz pleaded guilty to seven murders that can only be described as barbaric, and multiple acts of senseless gang violence that had turned parts of Long Island into a war zone, with MS-13 gang members wielding guns, machetes, bats and fire that threatened the safety of our communities,” stated Acting United States Attorney Pokorny.  “I commend my Office’s prosecutors and the Long Island Gang Task Force who are committed to holding MS-13 gang members accountable for the crimes they have committed and harm they have caused.  It is my sincere hope that today’s guilty plea brings some measure of solace and closure to the families of the defendant’s victims who continue to mourn the deaths of their loved ones.”

    According to court filings and statements made during today’s guilty plea proceeding, Jairo Saenz was a high-ranking member of the Brentwood/Central Islip chapter of the Sailors clique of the MS-13 – one of the more powerful, violent and well-established cliques on the East Coast of the United States.  At the time, he was second in command to his brother, Alexi Saenz, who pleaded guilty to the same crimes on July 10, 2024.  Jairo Saenz committed the following crimes in order to maintain and increase his membership and status within the gang, and to further the mission of the MS-13:

    January 28, 2016 Murder of Michael Johnson

    On January 28, 2016, Alexi Saenz and other MS-13 members and associates were at the Jocorena Deli in Brentwood, where they saw 29-year-old Michael Johnson, and claimed to recognize him as a member of the rival Bloods street gang.  At that point, Johnson was marked as their “food” – a reference to their intention to kill him. 

    After receiving the requisite approval from the New York leader of the Sailors clique to commit this murder, Alexi Saenz contacted Jairo Saenz and several other MS-13 members, informed them of the plan to kill Johnson and instructed them to bring weapons, including a machete and a baseball bat, to a wooded area in Brentwood.  Alexi Saenz then lured Johnson to that secluded meeting location under the guise of smoking marijuana.  The MS-13 members and associates, including Jairo Saenz, ambushed Johnson from behind – striking Johnson with the baseball bat, stabbing him with a knife and taking turns hacking him with the machete.  They fled after hearing police sirens in the area.   

    Johnson was reported missing by family members.  Less than one week after his murder, on February 2, 2016, members of the SCPD responded to a 911 call about a body found in the woods by a passerby and recovered Johnson’s body.  An autopsy determined Johnson’s cause of death to be sharp and blunt force injuries.   

    April 29, 2016 Murder of Oscar Acosta

    In early 2016, Alexi Saenz, Jairo Saenz and their fellow Sailors clique members decided to “green light,” or approve, the murder of 19-year-old Oscar Acosta because they suspected that he was associating with the rival 18th Street gang after previously aligning himself with the MS-13.  The New York Sailors clique leader assigned roles as to which members would take the lead in planning and carrying out the murder. 

    On April 29, 2016, MS-13 members met Acosta in a wooded area near an elementary school in Brentwood where he had been lured under the guise of smoking marijuana.  They brutally beat Acosta with tree limbs, knocking him unconscious. They bound Acosta’s hands and feet, wrapped an article of clothing around his mouth to prevent him from making noise and summoned other MS-13 members, including Alexi Saenz and Jairo Saenz, who arrived together.  The MS-13 members loaded Acosta into the trunk of the Saenz brothers’ car, and drove to a more secluded area in Brentwood near the abandoned Pilgrim State Psychiatric Hospital.  At the direction of Alexi Saenz, the MS-13 members removed Acosta, who was still alive, from the trunk and carried him deeper into the woods where they took turns hacking him to death with a machete.  The murder was supervised by the Saenz brothers.  The MS-13 members then buried Acosta’s body in a shallow grave. 

    Acosta’s body was discovered by law enforcement nearly five months later, on September 16, 2016, during a search for another MS-13 victim.  His cause of death was homicidal violence, including sharp and blunt force injuries to his head and torso.

    July 18, 2016 Attempted Murders of John Doe #1 and John Doe #2

    On July 18, 2016, during a Sailors clique meeting at the Saenz brothers’ house in Central Islip, Alexi Saenz instructed the group to hunt for rival gang members who had been disrespectful to the MS-13, in order to attack and kill them.

    Later that evening, Jairo Saenz and other members of the MS-13, who were driving around Brentwood armed with firearms and a machete, spotted a group of men on Apple Street.  Believing these men to be members of a rival gang, three MS-13 members got out of the car driven by Jairo Saenz and attacked the group, firing rounds from two different guns, and then using a machete to hack at one of the men who had fallen to the ground.

    Two individuals were injured as a result of this attack.  John Doe #1 was struck with a bullet, but survived.  John Doe #2 was attacked with a machete, and was permanently disfigured.

    August 10, 2016 Attempted Murders of Suspected Rival Gang Members

    In 2016, members of the MS-13 were engaged in a series of disputes with members of the Goon Squad, a rival gang in Brentwood. 

    On August 10, 2016, Alexi Saenz and another MS-13 member drove through the neighborhood around Lukens Avenue in Brentwood, and spotted several men who they believed were members of the Goon Squad.  They then rallied other members of the Sailors clique, including Jairo Saenz, to come kill the rivals. 

    The MS-13 members divided into two vehicles and drove towards the house where the suspected Goon Squad members had been spotted. The Saenz brothers’ car kept watch for the police, while two other MS-13 members, each armed with a gun, approached the group of suspected rivals and fired numerous shots in their direction. No one was hit, although a stray bullet entered a neighbor’s house and struck the headboard of a bed in which the neighbor was sleeping.

    September 5, 2016 Murder of Marcus Bohannon

    On September 4, 2016, after a Sailors clique meeting at the Saenz brothers’ house in Central Islip, Jairo Saenz, Alexi Saenz and other MS-13 members went out hunting for rival gang members to kill.

    The MS-13 members separated into several cars and drove around Central Islip and Brentwood, until Alexi Saenz’s group spotted 27-year old Marcus Bohannon walking along Lowell Avenue in Central Islip in the early morning hours of September 5.  Suspecting that Bohannon was a member of the rival Bloods gang, two MS-13 members, carrying firearms, got out of the vehicle, approached him and started shooting.  Bohannon was struck nine times, including in his head, neck, and chest, and died from his wounds.

    September 12, 2016 Arson

    During the summer of 2016, Sailors clique members of the MS-13 were regularly having altercations with local gang members based in a neighborhood on Freeman Avenue in Brentwood.

    On September 12, 2016, the MS-13 members retaliated by setting fire to a car parked in the driveway of one of the houses in that rival gang neighborhood.  Alexi Saenz directed other gang members to purchase gasoline and carry out the arson, while he drove around watching for police. Jairo Saenz drove the other MS-13 gang members to that house, where they poured gasoline on a car parked in the driveway, and set it on fire.  The car exploded and set another parked car on fire.   

    September 13, 2016 Murders of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens

    On September 13, 2016, Sailors clique members brutally murdered 15-year-old Nisa Mickens and 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas, both students at Brentwood High School.

    In the months leading up to the murders, Cuevas was involved in a series of disputes with members and associates of the MS-13.  Approximately one week before the murders, these disputes escalated when Cuevas and several friends were involved in an altercation with MS-13 members at Brentwood High School.  After that incident, the MS-13 members vowed to seek revenge against Cuevas.

    On the evening of September 13, 2016, the Saenz brothers and other members of the Sailors clique of the MS-13 were driving in separate cars around Brentwood in search of rival gang members to attack and kill.  One group of MS-13 members spotted Cuevas and Mickens walking down residential Stahley Street.  Recognizing Cuevas, they called the Saenz brothers and were granted permission to kill the girls.  Several MS-13 members then chased down and attacked both Cuevas and Mickens, wielding baseball bats and a machete, striking each of the girls numerous times in their heads and bodies, while the Saenz brothers’ car drove around watching for police.  After the murders, the group retreated to the Saenz brothers’ home in Central Islip, where they changed clothes and hid the weapons.   

    Mickens, whose body was discovered later that evening on Stahley Street, not far from Cuevas’s home, sustained significant sharp force trauma to her face and blunt force trauma to her head.  Cuevas, whose body was discovered the following day behind a house adjacent to where Mickens’s body was found, sustained significant blunt force trauma to her head and body and multiple lacerations.

    October 10, 2016 Murder of Javier Castillo

    In October 2016, the MS-13 targeted 15-year-old Javier Castillo because he was believed to be a member of the 18th Street gang, one of MS-13’s principal rivals. 

    On October 10, 2016, Jairo Saenz and other members of the Sailors clique convinced Castillo, who lived in Central Islip, to drive with them to Freeport – approximately 30 miles away – to smoke marijuana.  Once there, they met Alexi Saenz and other Sailors clique members.  The group then lured Castillo to an isolated marsh area in Cow Meadow Park, where they attacked him, taking turns hacking him to death with a machete. 

    Afterwards, the MS-13 members dug a hole and buried Castillo’s body, which was not recovered until one year later, in late October 2017.  Castillo was determined to have suffered multiple sharp force injuries to his head, neck, torso and extremities.

    October 13, 2016 Murder of Dewann Stacks

    On the evening of October 13, 2016, the Saenz brothers and other members of the Sailors clique of MS-13 were driving around Central Islip and Brentwood in search of rival gang members to attack and kill.

    That night, they spotted 34-year-old Dewann Stacks and, believing him to be a rival gang member, Alexi Saenz authorized his murder.  While Alexi Saenz drove around watching for police presence, Jairo Saenz drove three MS-13 members, armed with two machetes and a baseball bat, to attack Stacks.  The three armed MS-13 members got out of the car, and beat and hacked Stacks to death on American Boulevard, a residential street in Brentwood.  Stacks sustained severe sharp and blunt force trauma to his face and head, leaving his body nearly unrecognizable.

    January 30, 2017 Murder of Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla

    On the morning of January 30, 2017, Alexi Saenz and other members of the Sailors clique of MS-13 spotted 29-year-old Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla inside El Campesino Deli in Central Islip.  Alvarado-Bonilla was wearing a football jersey bearing the number “18,” which led the MS-13 to conclude that he was a member of a rival gang, and they plotted to kill him.

    After Alvarado-Bonilla was observed in the Deli, Jairo Saenz drove MS-13 members to get a mask and another vehicle, both of which would be used when committing the murder.  Alexi Saenz provided the clique’s 9-millimeter handgun for use in the murder.

    At approximately 10:30 a.m., a masked MS-13 member entered the deli, approached Alvarado-Bonilla from behind, and shot him multiple times, killing him.  One of the bullets pierced through Alvarado-Bonilla’s head and struck the chest of a female employee of the deli, who was standing directly in front of him.  The deli employee survived the gunshot wound.   

    Narcotics Trafficking Conspiracy

    For a year and a half, from approximately April 2016 through March 2017, in order to finance the illegal operations of the Sailors clique, the Saenz brothers obtained wholesale quantities of cocaine and marijuana, which they distributed to other Sailors clique members and associates for street-level sales in Brentwood and its surrounding areas.  After the sales, the profits were turned over to the Saenz brothers, for use in, among other things, purchasing firearms for use by clique members, wiring money to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador and buying additional narcotics for further distribution.     

    Today’s guilty plea is the latest achievement in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent, transnational criminal organization.  The MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States.  With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island.  Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults.  Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 70 murders in the Eastern District of New York, resulting in the convictions of dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders.  These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF 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.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Durham, Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Kerry Ucci and Automated Litigation Specialist Michael Compitello.

    The Defendant:

    JAIRO SAENZ (also known as “Funny”)
    Age: 28
    El Divisadero, Morazán, El Salvador; and Central Islip, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-403 (S-8)(GRB)

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Member of Five-Nine Brims Street Gang Sentenced to Life in Prison for Retaliatory Gang Murder

    Source: US FBI

    Defendant Shot and Killed Victim in Broad Daylight in a Residential Brooklyn Neighborhood

    Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Marvin Pippins, also known as “Mukk,” was sentenced by United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen to life imprisonment for murdering a rival gang member by shooting at him six times.  Following a three-week trial in April 2023, Pippins was convicted by a federal jury of racketeering conspiracy, murder conspiracy, murder in-aid-of racketeering, drug conspiracy and related firearms charges.  Pippins was also sentenced today to a concurrent term of 30 years for racketeering conspiracy and to a consecutive term of five years in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm, among other things.

    Carolyn Pokorny, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentence.

    “Marvin Pippins will deservedly spend the rest of his life in prison for this cold-blooded murder, undertaken in service of a years-long gang war,” stated Acting United States Attorney Pokorny. “Pippins committed predatory and deadly crimes on behalf of a violent street gang that, for years, polluted the streets with drugs, preyed on unsuspecting victims of financial fraud and subjected rivals and innocent civilians alike to acts of violence.  My Office is focused on dismantling violent criminal organizations, and today’s sentence should send a message that the most serious of crimes will be met with the most serious of consequences.”

    Ms. Pokorny expressed her appreciation to the New York City Police Department for their outstanding work on this investigation.

    “In 2015, Marvin Pippins, a 5-9 Brims gang member, ruthlessly murdered a rival associate in a twisted attempt to restore the gang’s honor and thwart future attacks,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy.  “Pippins’ myriad of crimes strengthened the gang’s presence across Brooklyn and fueled persisting territorial disputes. May today’s lifelong sentence reflect the FBI’s renowned commitment to disrupting all criminal enterprises plaguing our city with violence and illicit substances.”

    Between 2012 and 2020, Pippins was a member of the 5-9 Brims—a violent set of the Bloods street gang, responsible for sophisticated fraud schemes, prolific narcotics trafficking and violent crimes, including gunpoint robberies, shootings and murders. This crew of 5-9 Brims was also known as “Breadgang.” Pippins and his fellow members operated principally in and around the Marlboro Houses in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn.   Pippins personally engaged in a broad array of criminal activity and earned a reputation as a “shooter” and as someone who generated money for the gang.  He participated in financial fraud on behalf of the gang, sold drugs and carried guns to protect the gang’s criminal rackets. Pippins was also convicted of several crimes related to the gang’s violent rivalry with “Real Ryte,” a Canarsie-based rival crew.  In September 2015, the defendant’s brother Melvin Pippins, also known as “Melly,” was murdered. The defendant and his fellow gang members blamed Real Ryte for the murder, and there was an “expectation” that members of the 5-9 Brims would retaliate against Real Ryte with violence. On December 19, 2015, Pippins murdered Sean Peart, a member of Real Ryte, while the victim was alone and unarmed in his parked car on Dean Street outside the Weeksville Gardens housing development.  Peart tried to speed away but crashed his car before succumbing to his injuries.  After the murder, Pippins bragged to fellow members and associates of the gang admitting that he “did boy dirty.”  In rap lyrics, the defendant described Peart’s murder in detail, including references to the victim “hanging out the window” and giving him “shot after shot.”

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States  Attorneys Lindsey R. Oken and Dana Rehnquist are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Assistant United States Attorneys Nicholas J. Moscow and Drew G. Rolle.

    This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF 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.

    The Defendant:

    MARVIN PIPPINS (also known as “Mukk”)
    Age: 34
    Brooklyn, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-378 (PKC)

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Five People Charged with Gun-Point Home Invasion Robbery That Involved Zip Tying Two Victims in Front of Their Children

    Source: US FBI

    Edward Y. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and James E. Dennehy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of a Complaint charging BHUPINDERJIT SINGH, ELIJAIH ROMAN, COREY HALL, ERIK SUAREZ, and DIVYA KUMARI with perpetrating a gun-point home invasion robbery of the home of a small business owner in Orange County, New York.  The defendants were arrested today, and will be presented in White Plains federal court before the Hon. Victoria Reznik, United States Magistrate Judge.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim said: “Bhupinderjit Singh and his co-defendants allegedly planned and executed a violent robbery, during which four children watched as their parents were zip tied and held at gunpoint while four men ransacked their home looking for money and valuables.  Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement partners and the career prosecutors of this Office, the defendants will now face charges stemming from this brazen robbery.”

    FBI Assistant Director in Charge James E. Dennehy said: “These five defendants participated in a robbery in which a firearm was brandished to gain unauthorized entry into a family’s home and steal valuable jewelry and thousands of dollars. This alleged forceful intrusion violated the privacy and security expected inside one’s home, and terrorized four young children left to helplessly beg for the safety of their restrained parents. The FBI will continue to apprehend any individual who utilizes weapons to intimidate victims to fulfill their criminal agenda.”

    As alleged in the Complaint filed on January 15, 2025, in White Plains federal court and unsealed today:

    On or about December 1, 2024, SINGH, ROMAN, HALL, SUAREZ, and KUMARI perpetrated a gun-point home invasion robbery in the vicinity of the Town of Wallkill, New York.  When they arrived at the house, SINGH, ROMAN, HALL, and SUAREZ forced the homeowner (“Victim-1”) and Victim-1’s daughter, who is approximately 10 years old, into the house at gunpoint.  When SINGH, ROMAN, HALL, and SUAREZ entered the home, Victim-1’s wife was sitting with the couple’s other three children, who ranged from approximately two to nine years old.  SINGH, ROMAN, HALL, and SUAREZ then zip tied the hands and legs of both Victim-1 and his wife and placed the couple on the couch next to their children.  Three of the four robbers then began to search throughout the house, while the fourth robber remained with Victim-1 and his family, armed with what appeared to be a small black pistol.  At one point, Victim-1’s daughter begged the robbers to not hurt her parents and indicated that she would tell them where the family stored their valuables.  Certain of the robbers then took Victim-1’s daughter to the house’s master bedroom where there was a safe, but Victim-1’s daughter was unable to get the safe open.  The robbers then took Victim-1’s daughter back to her parents and forced Victim-1’s wife to come with them instead.  Once in the bedroom, Victim-1’s wife opened the safe and watched as the robbers removed from it, among other items, numerous pieces of jewelry and approximately $10,000 in U.S. currency.  While the robbery was ongoing, KUMARI was waiting in the vicinity of Victim-1’s house to act as a lookout.  Eventually, SINGH, ROMAN, HALL, and SUAREZ left Victitm-1’s house with various stolen items, including the jewelry and U.S. currency stolen from the safe. 

    *               *                *

    SINGH, 26, of South Ozone Park, New York; ROMAN, 22, of Far Rockaway, New York; HALL, 45, of Saint Albans, New York; SUAREZ, 24, of Elmhurst, New York; and KUMARI, 26, of Massapequa, New York, are all charged with one count of Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of Hobbs Act robbery, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  SINGH, ROMAN, HALL, and SUAREZ are additionally charged with one count of using, carrying, possessing, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

    The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.

    Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, as well as the assistance of the Town of Wallkill Police Department and the New York State Police.

    The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division.  Assistant U.S Attorney David A. Markewitz is in charge of the prosecution.

    The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Global Cryptocurrency Exchange BitMEX Fined $100 Million for Violating Bank Secrecy Act

    Source: US FBI

    Company Willfully Flouted U.S. Anti-Money Laundering Laws to Boost Revenue

    Matthew Podolsky, Attorney for the United States, Acting under Authority Conferred by 28 U.S.C. § 515, announced that HDR GLOBAL TRADING LTD., a/k/a “BITMEX”, was sentenced today to a fine of $100 million for violating the Bank Secrecy Act by willfully failing to establish, implement, and maintain an adequate anti-money laundering (“AML”) and know-your-customer (“KYC”) program.

    Attorney for the United States Matthew Podolsky said:  “Anti-money laundering and know-your-customer rules protect Americans from fraud, combat money laundering, and prevent the financing of terrorist activity.  It is critical that all financial institutions, including cryptocurrency exchanges, comply with these rules to protect our country’s economy and national security.  Today’s sentence sends a clear message that companies that willfully violate these rules and refuse to implement AML/KYC programs will face consequences.”   

    According to the allegations in the Information and other filings and statements made in court:

    Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed founded BITMEX in or about 2014, and Gregory Dwyer became BITMEX’s first employee in 2015 and later its Head of Business Development.  BITMEX, which has long serviced and solicited business from U.S. traders and operated through U.S. offices, was required to register with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and to establish and maintain an adequate AML program.  AML programs ensure that financial institutions, such as BITMEX, are not exploited for illicit purposes and serve to protect the integrity of the U.S. financial system and national security more broadly.

    BITMEX and its executives knew that because BITMEX served U.S. customers, it was required to implement an AML program that included a KYC component but chose to flaunt those requirements, requiring only that customers provide an email address to use BITMEX’s services.  Indeed, senior executives each knew that customers residing in the U.S. continued to access BITMEX’s trading platform through at least in or about 2018, and that BITMEX policies nominally in place to prevent such trading were toothless or easily overridden to serve BITMEX’s bottom line goal of obtaining revenue through the U.S. market without regard to U.S. criminal laws.  Corporate executives took affirmative steps purportedly designed to exempt BITMEX from the application of U.S. laws like AML and KYC requirements, despite knowing of BITMEX’s obligation to implement such programs by operating in the U.S.  As part of BITMEX’s willful evasion of U.S. AML laws, the company lied to a bank about the purpose and nature of a subsidiary to allow BITMEX to pump millions of dollars through the U.S. financial system.

    Hayes, Delo, and Reed, BITMEX’s three founders and top executives, and Dwyer, another top executive, all previously entered guilty pleas for violating the Bank Secrecy Act and were sentenced in 2022.  The corporation entered a guilty plea on July 10, 2024, and was sentenced today.

    *                *                *

    In addition to the fine, BITMEX was sentenced to two years’ probation.       

    Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Money Laundering Investigation Squad.

    The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Illicit Finance & Money Laundering Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Greenwood and Thane Rehn are in charge of the prosecution. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Columbus Man Faces 20 to 23 Years in Prison as Part of Narcotics Guilty Plea Involving Killing of Another Columbus Resident

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to a drug crime and admitted to his role in the killing of a local man. The defendant is one of nearly two dozen individuals charged in a case involving a large-scale drug and human trafficking ring.

    Dustin A. Speakman, 34, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances within 1,000 of an elementary school. As part of his plea, Speakman admitted to his role in the death of one victim which occurred during the time he was operating a drug distribution house. His plea includes a sentencing recommendation of 20 to 23 years in prison.

    Speakman, who is also known as “Dawg,” is one of 23 defendants charged in a narcotics and human trafficking case that involves at least two deaths.

    According to court documents, from 2008 until June 2022, lead defendants Patrick Saultz and Cordell Washington ran a large-scale drug trafficking organization in Columbus that included sex trafficking, labor trafficking, and money laundering.

    Court documents detail that the drug trafficking organization brought large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, alprazolam and marijuana into Columbus. These drugs were sold or used to coerce individuals into sexual activity for some members of the drug ring and their profit.

    Speakman joined the drug trafficking organization after being released from jail in 2022, where he was housed with Saultz. Speakman was a mid-level drug distributor for the group out of residences on South Ogden and South Warren.

    As part of his guilty plea, Speakman admitted to severely beating one of his drug runners in May 2022 and then providing him with free drugs to make up for the attack. Witnesses said the male was beaten by Speakman and then given cocaine and fentanyl as compensation. Shortly after, the victim began to seize and foam at the mouth and did not respond to Narcan. The victim was driven to an alley near Grant Hospital where he was found unconscious by Columbus Fire Department personnel with severe trauma to the face and head. His cause of death was ultimately determined to be blunt force trauma caused by Speakman.

    “Any loss of life is significant,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Our office will continue to work to hold perpetrators of illegal drug trafficking accountable and secure justice for victims of violent and drug-related deaths.”

    As of today, 18 of the 23 defendants have pleaded guilty. One defendant, Carmela Brooks, has been sentenced and received a term of imprisonment of five years.

    U.S. Attorney Parker commended the investigation coordinated by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes Columbus Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant; Shawn Gibson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Other agencies that have assisted the task force with the investigation include the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, HIDTA Task Force, IRS-Criminal Investigation, FBI, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI), Ohio National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, Pickerington Police Department, New Albany Police Department, and the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Prichard and Emily Czerniejewski are representing the United States in this case.

    This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. More information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    # # #

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Canal Winchester Man Sentenced to Prison for Making Interstate Threats to Law Enforcement, Court Officials and Businesses, Calling in Bomb Threats to Local Schools

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Canal Winchester man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 60 months in prison for making interstate threats to local law enforcement, court officials, businesses and schools.

    Yousif Mubarak, 27, was convicted following a jury trial in August 2023 of seven counts of making interstate threats.

    “Threats are more than mere words, they have significant consequences, as illustrated by the sentence imposed today,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker.

    According to court documents and trial testimony, in September 2021, Mubarak made at least 87 threatening phone calls from the state of Washington, where he resided for a short time, to a Franklin County Municipal Court Judge who previously presided over his court case.

    Mubarak told the Judge that he would find her, that he had private investigators following her and that she should watch for cars following her. Mubarak said, “I will find you even if that means I die,” and threatened to kill the Judge himself. In many of the messages, Mubarak identified himself by name and left his callback number.

    Beginning on Sept. 12, 2021, and continuing until the early morning hours of Sept. 13, 2021, Mubarak also placed numerous threatening calls to businesses and schools in the Canal Winchester and Pickerington areas.

    He called to make threats to employees at the Brew Dog, Home Depot and Best Western businesses in Canal Winchester.

    On Sept. 12, 2021, at about 10pm, officers and agents with the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, Columbus Division of Police and FBI visited the last known address of Mubarak in Canal Winchester. Mubarak observed the officers in his Ring doorbell camera and taunted the officers throughout the interaction.

    Twenty minutes later, Mubarak called a dispatcher in Fairfield County and told her, in part, “you can die” and “she would get two bullets in the head.” The defendant called the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office more than 100 times in a 12-hour span.

    Around 7am on the morning of Sept. 13, 2021, Mubarak called in a bomb threat to Canal Winchester Middle School. He told a school employee: “I have placed several bombs in your building” and “I would get your women and children out now.”

    Approximately 20 minutes later, Mubarak called Pickerington North High School and said there were two suicide bombers inside the school.

    Mubarak was charged federally and arrested on Sept. 22, 2021. A federal grand jury indicted him in November 2021 and that indictment was superseded in June 2022.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Fairfield County Sheriff Alex Lape; and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica W. Knight and Jennifer M. Rausch are representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Pike County Deputy Sentenced to More Than Eight Years in Prison for Excessive Use of Force

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Pike County deputy was sentenced in federal court here today to 100 months in prison for committing civil rights violations while employed as a law enforcement officer.

    In August 2023, Jeremy C. Mooney, 49, was convicted by a federal jury of two counts of violating a victim’s constitutional rights by pepper spraying and punching the victim in the head, while the victim was in the custody of the Pike County Sheriff’s Office and posed no threat to himself or others. The jury found that Mooney’s offenses involved the use of a dangerous weapon and resulted in bodily injury.

    “This defendant is being sentenced for the violent assault of an inmate who was confined to a restraint chair and unable to protect himself or escape from the abuse,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “All people in our country have a right to be free from excessive force by law enforcement officers. The Justice Department will continue to aggressively prosecute any law enforcement officer who willfully violates the civil rights of the people they are sworn to protect and serve.”

    “Communities trust in law enforcement officers to uphold the rule of law and, as public servants, they must honor that responsibility, not deprive individuals of their civil rights,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Law enforcement officials who abuse their powers like Mooney did will be held accountable.”

    According to court documents and trial testimony, on Nov. 18, 2019, Mooney transported the victim from the jail to the Pike County Sheriff’s Office headquarters, where he placed the victim in a restraint chair. The restraint chair secured the victim’s hands behind his back and prevented him from being able to move most of his body. For more than an hour, Mooney unlawfully used force against the victim on several occasions.

    Mooney dragged the victim — who was in the restraint chair — outside and pepper sprayed him directly in the face. The victim writhed in pain and tipped the chair back off the curb, landing on his back. Mooney then stood over the victim and deployed the pepper spray directly into the victim’s face a second time. Mooney brought the victim back inside the building and walked away. Over the course of several minutes, Mooney returned to that part of the building, where the victim was still handcuffed and secured in the restraint chair and punched the victim in the head 11 times. Mooney punched the victim with enough force to break his own hand.

    A former Pike County Sheriff’s Office supervisor, William Stansberry Jr., 47, of Chillicothe, Ohio, was also charged. Stansberry violated the victim’s constitutional rights by willfully failing to intervene to prevent Mooney’s conduct. He pleaded guilty in July 2023 to deprivation of civil rights under color of law and was sentenced on March 5 to six months in prison. Stansberry was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release, with the first six months to be served under home detention.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and Trial Attorney Cameron A. Bell from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are representing the United States in this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Co-Leader of Large-Scale Narcotics and Human Trafficking Ring Pleads Guilty

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A leader in a case with 23 defendants involved in narcotics and human trafficking conspiracies pleaded guilty in federal court here today to drug, gun, human trafficking, and money laundering crimes.

    From 2008 until June 2022, Cordell Washington, 37, of Pickerington, ran a large-scale drug trafficking organization in Columbus with co-defendant Patrick Saultz. Their operations also included sex trafficking, labor trafficking, fraud and money laundering.

    A multi-agency law enforcement task force initially announced the case in July 2022 after a federal grand jury indicted 11 defendants for distributing bulk amounts of fentanyl, cocaine and crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a Columbus elementary school. In October 2022, the government added 12 defendants and 28 new charges. 

    Court documents detail that the drug trafficking organization brought large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, alprazolam and marijuana into Columbus. These drugs were sold or used to coerce individuals into sexual activity for some members of the drug ring and their profit.

    It is alleged that Saultz began distributing heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine from his residences on Vida Place and South Hague Street in Columbus as early as 2008. The drug trafficking organization sold drugs out of more than 20 Columbus residences to customers and distributed larger amounts to regional drug traffickers who then trafficked those narcotics to places such as West Virginia and the Northern District of Ohio.

    Most of the alleged drug dealing took place within 1000 feet of Burroughs Elementary School in Columbus at a residence on South Burgess. For example, one of Washington and Saultz’s numerous subordinates sold approximately $18,000 worth of narcotics per day from the location on South Burgess.

    The case also involves the overdose death of at least one individual and the violent death of a second victim.

    As part of his plea, Washington admitted to labor trafficking male drug addicts. The defendant provided the men with their drug of choice after the men completed construction or cleaning projects at residences owned by the drug trafficking organization. The men were recruited by Washington and some completed the work for him under serious threat of harm.

    Washington would provide the addicts with advances on small amounts of drugs so they were well enough to perform physical labor. If Washington was not pleased with their work product, he would not complete the final drug payment and would threaten violence against them.

    Washington used numerous methods to launder the group’s drug trafficking proceeds, including establishing front businesses that purported to be rental, repair and construction companies.

    Washington pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances within 1,000 feet of an elementary school, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, labor trafficking and concealment money laundering. He faces a mandatory minimum of at least 15 years and up to life in prison.

    As part of this case, local, state, and federal law enforcement officers have executed more than 20 search warrants at various locations throughout Central Ohio and seized more than $1.7 million in alleged drug proceeds. For example, while executing a search warrant at Car-Go storage units, law enforcement officials discovered approximately one million in bulk United States currency. Searches of additional residences yielded 47 firearms, diamonds, Rolex watches and additional bulk amounts of cash.

    As of today, 21 of the 23 defendants have pleaded guilty. One defendant, Carmella Brooks, has been sentenced and received a term of imprisonment of five years.

    U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker commended the investigation coordinated by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes Columbus Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant; Shawn Gibson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations; and Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Other agencies that have assisted the task force with the investigation include the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, HIDTA Task Force, IRS-Criminal Investigation, FBI, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI), Ohio National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, Pickerington Police Department, New Albany Police Department, and the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Prichard and Emily Czerniejewski are representing the United States in this case.

    This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. More information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Cleveland Seeking Victims in AEM Fraud Investigation

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND, OH—The FBI Cleveland Field Office is seeking to identify potential victims of Mark Dente doing business as AEM Services LLC. AEM Services LLC, purported to manage a portfolio of real estate investments. Dente, doing business as AEM Services LLC, sold investors securities in this portfolio in the form of promissory notes and LLC interests. The investments were issued from various entities owned or controlled by Mark Dente, originating in the Summit County and/or Akron, Ohio area including:

    • The AEM Services LLC
    • AEM Funding
    • AEM Wholesale LLC
    • AEM Investments LLC
    • AEM Capital Fund

    The division mailed letters via U.S. Mail over the past week from its Victim Services Division to presumed victims and seeks to find additional victims across Ohio and the United States. The FBI wishes to identify those not only victimized by Mark Dente but also other employees of AEM Services LLC (including but not limited to Jason Ramus, Brian Buckham, or Mark Gathagan).

    The FBI encourages the public to share any information relevant to this investigation by completing the case questionnaire https://forms.fbi.gov/aemfraudvictims/view and also asks the public if they know of any others possibly victimized by AEM Services LLC, to encourage them to also complete the form as everyone will have an individual victim and pin identification number.

    The FBI is legally mandated to identify victims of federal crimes it investigates. Victims may be eligible for certain services, restitution, and rights under federal and/or state law. Responses are voluntary but may be useful in the federal investigation and to identify you as a potential victim. Based on the responses provided, respondents may be contacted by the FBI and asked to provide additional information. All identities of victims will be kept confidential. It is important to note that the FBI does not provide updates on investigations and once the respondent has submitted information, they may not hear back from the FBI.

    If people have questions or comments about the case, they are encouraged to email: AEMVictims@fbi.gov. Inquiries about the status of the case will not be addressed; if there are questions about a letter they received, they can call FBI Youngstown Victim Services at (330) 965-2920 and reference file number 318B-CV-3606224.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Medina and Cleveland Men Charged with Fraudulently Obtaining $4.2 Million in COVID Relief Funds

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND – A federal grand jury in Cleveland returned a 13-count indictment charging two individuals for their alleged roles in a scheme to fraudulently obtain approximately $4.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Joseph Oloyede, 61, of Medina, Ohio and Edward Oluwasanmi, 61, of Willoughby, Ohio are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering offenses.

    According to the indictment, from in or around April 2020, and continuing through on or about February 28, 2022, Oloyede and Oluwasanmi devised a scheme to defraud the SBA and financial institutions by obtaining COVID-19 relief funds from the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under false pretenses. The indictment states that Oloyede and Oluwasanmi submitted PPP and EIDL loan applications containing false information for entities under their control and submitted falsified tax and wage documents to support these applications. The indictment alleges that they obtained approximately $1.2 million in SBA funds for Oluwasanmi’s entities and $1.7 million for Oloyede’s entities. Oloyede is also alleged to have submitted falsified PPP and EIDL loan applications in the names of other co-conspirators and confederate borrowers and their businesses, obtaining approximately $1.3 through those applications, for a total of at least $4.2 million obtained through the fraud.

    An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the Defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the Defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the Defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum, and in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

    This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation – OIG, as part of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee Fraud Task Force, Cleveland FBI, and IRS – Criminal Investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Brydle.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Muskogee Residents Sentenced for Child Neglect

    Source: US FBI

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Andrew Allen Maher, age 33, and Azalee Louellen Maher, age 28, both of Muskogee, Oklahoma, were sentenced to five years supervised release for child neglect in Indian country.

    The charges arose from an investigation by the Muskogee Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    On April 15, 2024, Andrew Maher and Azalee Maher each pleaded guilty to one count of Child Neglect in Indian Country.  According to investigators, on August 18, 2023, Muskogee officers responding to reports of an accidental firearm discharge at a Muskogee residence discovered a two-year old child with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the lower abdomen.  EMS workers successfully resuscitated and stabilized the child, who was transported for life-saving surgery.  As part of the plea, both defendants admitted failing to provide adequate supervision to the child in their care, resulting in the child accessing a firearm.

    The crime occurred in Muskogee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

    The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. Chief District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearings.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessie Pippin represented the United States.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Ardmore Resident Pleads Guilty to Felony Assault Charge

    Source: US FBI

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Richard Alan Chastain, age 52, of Ardmore, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea of one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to Do Bodily Harm in Indian Country.

    The Indictment alleged that on July 17, 2024, Chastain assaulted the victim with a dangerous weapon, with intent to do bodily harm. The crime occurred in Carter County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

    The charges arose from an investigation by the Ardmore Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea, and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.  Chastain will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: December Federal Grand Jury 2024-B Indictments Announced

    Source: US FBI

    United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the December Federal Grand Jury 2024-B Indictments.

    The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.

    Terrance Frank Buffalomeat. Second Degree Burglary in Indian Country; Simple Assault. Buffalomeat, 20, of Hominy and a member of the Osage Nation, is charged with breaking into Midwest Wraps with intent to steal. He is further charged with assaulting a victim. The FBI and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Goodrum is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-392

    Mark Verron Callshim, Jr. Robbery in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence (superseding). Callshim, 37, of Tulsa and a member of the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, is charged with taking something of value by force, violence, and intimidation. He is further charged with brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. The FBI and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Flesher is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-159

    Tony Deanglio Davis. Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Davis, 50, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Flesher is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-393

    Keith Edward Enyart; Jennifer Barger Enyart. Child Neglect in Indian Country (Counts 1 & 4); Child Abuse in Indian Country (Counts 2 & 5); Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to Do Bodily Harm in Indian Country (Count 3). Keith Enyart, 52, a member of the Wyandotte Nation, and Jennifer Enyart, 44, of Wyandotte, are charged with willfully failing to provide appropriate medical care and supervision to protect a child under their care. They both are charged with willfully harming the safety and welfare of the minor victim. Jennifer is additionally charged with intentionally assaulting the minor child by tasing his testicles. The FBI is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie N. Ihler is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-394

    Sarai Jamila Nyasha Freeman. Passing and Uttering Counterfeit Obligations and Securities (Counts 1 & 2); Aggravated Identity Theft (Counts 3 & 4); Failure to Appear (Count 5) (superseding). Freeman, 40, of Aurora, Colorado, is charged with forging and cashing counterfeit U.S. Treasury checks. She is further charged with using the victim’s last name and social security number without lawful authority. Additionally, Freeman failed to appear for trial, knowing she was required under the conditions of her pretrial release. The U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the Treasury Inspector General are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney David D. Whipple is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-220

    Grant Stephen Goers. Coercion and Enticement of a Minor (Counts 1, 3, & 4); Production of Child Pornography (Count 2). Goers, 23, of Greenwood, Arkansas, is charged with knowingly persuading and enticing three separate minor victims under 18 years old to engage in sexual activity. He is further charged with enticing a minor victim to produce sexually explicit material. Homeland Security Investigations, the Tulsa Police Department, the Sand Springs Police Department, and the Tahlequah Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Robert is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-395

    Diana May Harjo. Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country. Harjo, 39, of Tulsa and a member of the Sac and Fox Nation, is charged with assaulting the victim, which resulted in serious bodily injury. The FBI and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michele W. Hulgaard is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-403

    Ricky Troy Juarez. Second Degree Murder in Indian Country. Juarez, 32, of Tulsa and a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is charged with unlawfully killing Shane Thompson, Sr., with malice aforethought. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric O. Johnston is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-404

    Jose Jesus Lozano-Gonzalez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien; Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Alien Unlawfully in the United States in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Lozano-Gonzalez, 25, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Feb. 2022. Further, Lozano-Gonzalez unlawfully possessed a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies in Oklahoma. U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Harris is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-374

    Stuwart Raymon Owens. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Owens, 39, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Dowdell is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-405

    Rudi Reyes-Rosales. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Reyes-Rosales, 30, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in July 2021. U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-396

    Kyle Thomas Smith. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Smith, 33, of Claremore, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Brasher is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-406

    Ryan Blake Still. Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Still, 33, transient, is charged with knowingly failing to register
    as a sex offender from June 2024 through July 2024 after previously being convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in 
    Indian County in 2021. The U.S. Marshal Service is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michele Hulgaard is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-407

    Marcos Javier Suazo-Otero; Marcos Javier Suazo-Mancilla. Drug Conspiracy; Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises; Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien; Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Suazo-Otero, 46, and Suazo-Mancilla, 23, both Mexican nationals, are charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine from Jan. 2024 through Nov. 2024. They are further charged with maintaining a residence for drug distribution. Suazo-Otero knowingly possessed methamphetamine with intent to distribute and is additionally charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Aug. 2018. Lastly, Suazo-Mancilla knowingly possessed cocaine with intent to distribute and possessed firearms while drug trafficking. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Tulsa Police Department, and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Nasar is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-397

    Aristride Villatoro-Izaguirre. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Villatoro-Izaguirre, 32, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Feb. 2018. U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Goodrum is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-398

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  • MIL-OSI Security: $6 Million Worth of Oregon Properties Forfeited in Connection to Interstate Marijuana Trafficking Organization

    Source: US FBI

    PORTLAND, Ore.—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced today that it has forfeited on behalf of the United States 14 real properties located in Oregon—together worth more than $5.7 million—that were used by an interstate drug trafficking organization to illegally grow marijuana for redistribution and sale in other states. The owner of a 15th property agreed to pay the government $400,000 in lieu of having their property forfeited.

    Beginning at an unknown time, and continuing until September 2021, the properties, located in Clatsop, Columbia, Linn, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties, were used as illegal marijuana grow houses by an interstate drug trafficking organization led by Fayao “Paul” Rong, 53, of Houston, Texas. On July 19, 2023, after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, Rong was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.

    “This prosecution and yearslong effort to forfeit properties used by the Rong organization to grow and process thousands of pounds of marijuana demonstrate the long reach of our commitment to holding drug traffickers accountable and mitigating the damage these criminal organizations inflict on neighborhoods and communities,” said Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

    “The goal of drug traffickers is to generate profits through their crimes,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Seattle Field Division. “The DEA and our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon and the Oregon State Police worked hard in this case to investigate and forfeit the ill-gotten gains of this organization, benefiting our entire community.”

    “The Oregon State Police is committed to disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations operating within our state. Our priorities include safeguarding Oregon’s natural resources and mitigating the impact illicit marijuana has on them,” said Tyler Bechtel, Oregon State Police (OSP) Lieutenant. “This case is a great example of the results that can be achieved when all levels of law enforcement work together toward our common goals.”

    According to court documents, Rong purchased numerous residential houses in Oregon using several different identities and, with others in his organization, used them to grow and process marijuana and prepare it for transport to states where its use remains illegal. In a 12-month period beginning August 2020, Rong’s organization trafficked more than $13.2 million dollars in black market marijuana.

    In early September 2021, a coordinated law enforcement operation led by DEA and OSP targeted Rong’s organization. Federal, state, and local law enforcement partners executed search warrants on 25 Oregon residences and Rong’s home in Houston. During the precipitating investigation and ensuing search warrants, investigators seized nearly 33,000 marijuana plants, 1,800 pounds of packaged marijuana, 23 firearms, nine vehicles, $20,000 in money orders, and more than $591,000 in cash.

    The Rong organization takedown followed a 14-month investigation initiated by OSP after the agency learned of excessive electricity use at the various properties, which, in several instances, resulted in transformer explosions. Multiple citizen complaints corroborated law enforcement’s belief that Rong was leading a large black market marijuana operation. With the assistance of the Columbia and Polk County Sheriff’s Offices, OSP found associated marijuana grows in Clatsop, Columbia, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, and Polk Counties. On February 18, 2022, Rong was arrested by DEA agents in Houston.

    This case was investigated by DEA, OSP, and the U.S. Marshals Service with assistance from the FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; Oregon Department of Justice; Portland Police Bureau; the Yamhill, Clatsop, Marion, Multnomah, Columbia, and Polk County Sheriff’s Offices; Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team; and Linn Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon. Forfeiture proceedings were handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Division.

    The proceeds of forfeited assets are deposited in the Justice Department’s Assets Forfeiture Fund (AFF) and used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of other law enforcement purposes. To learn more about the AFF, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/afp/assets-forfeiture-fund-aff.

    This prosecution is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the U.S. 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.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures Guilty Plea From Gallup Man in Navajo Nation Shooting

    Source: US FBI

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Gallup man pleaded guilty today in federal court to shooting and seriously injuring another man during a confrontation on the Navajo reservation last year.

    According to court documents, on January 22, 2024, Arthur Chee Pat, 69, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, heard a commotion near his residence in Gallup and drove to investigate. Upon arriving at John Doe’s residence, where his son and three other men were gathered, Pat retrieved a firearm from his vehicle. He then fired three gunshots in the direction of one man and two more towards John Doe, striking Doe once in the knee.

    After the shooting, Pat fled the scene with his son. John Doe was initially transported to Gallup Indian Medical Center and later transferred to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque for treatment. Law enforcement apprehended Pat at his residence shortly after the incident and recovered the handgun from his vehicle.

    Pat will remain on condition of release pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. At sentencing, Pat faces up to 10 years in prison.

    U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Jones is prosecuting the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures Sentencing of Espanola Man for Federal Drug Trafficking Charges

    Source: US FBI

    ALBUQUERQUE – A repeat offender from Espanola was sentenced today to 33 months in federal prison for drug trafficking charges after being found in possession of multiple controlled substances.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    According to court documents, on April 19, 2023, Jeremy Isaac Lopez, 29, was apprehended at the Cities of Gold Casino by the Pueblo of Pojoaque Tribal Police Department on a bench warrant that had been issued, after Lopez removed his GPS ankle monitor in violation of the pretrial release conditions put in place for his State of New Mexico charges related to an armed robbery.

    As officers approached, Lopez attempted to flee, crashing into a parked vehicle. A search of the vehicle he was driving revealed Lopez was in possession of pure methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, suspected suboxone, , and dozens of small clear baggies.

    Upon his release from prison, Lopez will be subject to three years of supervised release.

    U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Pueblo of Pojoaque Tribal Police Department, Chief Freddie Trujillo of the Pojoaque Tribal Police Department, and the Espanola Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert James Booth II is prosecuting the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: DOJ Announces Coordinated Law Enforcement Action to Combat Health Care Fraud Related to COVID-19

    Source: US FBI

    Federal charges in the Western District of Arkansas involve wire fraud and money laundering related to the theft of federal healthcare funds

    FORT SMITH – The Department of Justice today announced criminal charges against 14 defendants, including 11 newly-charged defendants and three who were charged in superseding indictments, in seven federal districts across the United States for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes that exploited the COVID-19 pandemic and resulted in over $143 million in false billings.

    “The multiple health care fraud schemes charged today describe theft from American taxpayers through the exploitation of the national emergency,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “These medical professionals, corporate executives, and others allegedly took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to line their own pockets instead of providing needed health care services during this unprecedented time in our country. We are committed to protecting the American people and the critical health care benefits programs created to assist them during this national emergency, and we are determined to hold those who exploit such programs accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

    As part of the national takedown, Billy Joe Taylor, 42, of Lavaca, Arkansas, was charged by criminal complaint with health care fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud the United States of over $88 million, including over $42 million in false and fraudulent claims during the COVID-19 health emergency that were billed in combination with claims that were submitted for testing for COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses. Taylor, the owner and operator of Vitas Laboratories LLC and Beach Tox LLC, two testing laboratories, allegedly used access to beneficiary and medical provider information from prior laboratory testing orders to submit fraudulent claims for urine drug tests and other laboratory tests, including respiratory pathogen panel and COVID-19 tests, that were not actually ordered or performed. The complaint also alleges that hundreds of claims were submitted for beneficiaries after they had died or otherwise ceased providing samples.

    “While the COVID-19 pandemic was raging, and Americans were suffering from the economic and health crisis brought on by this pandemic, these defendants were allegedly scheming to steal millions of dollars set aside to help ailing Americans through COVID-19 testing and other federal health-care programs,” said Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes.  “This case demonstrates the importance of investigating and prosecuting those who would seek to line their own pockets by stealing funds set aside to help those struggling with the symptoms of COVID-19 and other health ailments.”  

    Additionally, the Center for Program Integrity, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CPI/CMS) separately announced today that it took adverse administrative actions against over 50 medical providers for their involvement in health care fraud schemes relating to COVID-19 or abuse of CMS programs that were designed to encourage access to medical care during the pandemic.

    “Medical providers have been the unsung heroes for the American public throughout the pandemic,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “It’s disheartening that some have abused their authorities and committed COVID-19 related fraud against trusting citizens. The FBI, along with our federal law enforcement and private sector partners, are committed to continuing to combat healthcare fraud and protect the American people.”

    The defendants in the cases announced today are alleged to have engaged in various health care fraud schemes designed to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, multiple defendants offered COVID-19 tests to Medicare beneficiaries at senior living facilities, drive-through COVID-19 testing sites, and medical offices to induce the beneficiaries to provide their personal identifying information and a saliva or blood sample. The defendants are alleged to have then misused the information and samples to submit claims to Medicare for unrelated, medically unnecessary, and far more expensive laboratory tests, including cancer genetic testing, allergy testing, and respiratory pathogen panel tests. In some cases, and as alleged, the COVID-19 test results were not provided to the beneficiaries in a timely fashion or were not reliable, risking the further spread of the disease, and the genetic, allergy, and respiratory pathogen testing was medically unnecessary, and, in many cases, the results were not provided to the patients or their actual primary care doctors.  The proceeds of the fraudulent schemes were allegedly laundered through shell corporations and used to purchase exotic automobiles and luxury real estate.

    “It’s clear fraudsters see the COVID-19 pandemic as a money-making opportunity — creating fraudulent schemes to victimize beneficiaries and steal from federal health care programs,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Gary L. Cantrell of  Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our agency and its law enforcement partners are aggressively and effectively investigating these egregious crimes, which is made equally clear given the results of this takedown. We will continue to support the unprecedented COVID-19 public health effort by holding accountable people who use deceptive tactics to profit from the pandemic.”

    In another type of COVID-19 health care fraud scheme announced today, defendants are alleged to have exploited policies that were put in place by CMS to enable increased access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, pursuant to the COVID-19 emergency declaration, telehealth regulations and rules were broadened so that Medicare beneficiaries could receive a wider range of services from their doctors without having to travel to a medical facility. The cases announced today include first in the nation charges for allegedly exploiting these expanded policies by submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for sham telemedicine encounters that did not occur. As part of these cases, medical professionals are alleged to have offered and paid bribes in exchange for the medical professionals’ referral of medically unnecessary testing.

    The law enforcement action today also includes the third set of criminal charges related to the misuse of Provider Relief Fund monies. The Provider Relief Fund is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a federal law enacted March 2020 designed to provide needed medical care to Americans suffering from COVID-19.

    The Fraud Section is prosecuting the cases in the following districts: Western District of Arkansas, Northern District of California, Middle District of Louisiana, Central District of California, Southern District of Florida, District of New Jersey, and the Eastern District of New York.

    Today’s enforcement actions were led and coordinated by Assistant Chief Jacob Foster and Trial Attorneys Rebecca Yuan and Gary A. Winters of the National Rapid Response Strike Force of the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, in conjunction with the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Medicare Fraud Strike Forces (MFSF) in Miami, Los Angeles, the Gulf Coast, and Brooklyn, as well as the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of California, Western District of Arkansas, and Middle District of Louisiana.

    The case here in the Western District of Arkansas is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel James Hayes and Trial Attorney D. Keith Clouser of the National Rapid Response Strike Force, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elser of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas.

    The MFSF is a partnership among the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the FBI and HHS-OIG. In addition, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Louisiana Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and other federal and state law enforcement agencies participated in the law enforcement action.

    The law enforcement action was brought in coordination with the Health Care Fraud Unit’s COVID-19 Interagency Working Group, which is chaired by the National Rapid Response Strike Force and organizes efforts to address illegal activity involving health care programs during the pandemic.

    The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 federal districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for nearly $19 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

    The Department of Justice needs the public’s assistance in remaining vigilant and reporting suspected fraudulent activity. To report suspected fraud, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) at (866) 720-5721 or file an online complaint at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. Complaints filed will be reviewed at the NCDF and referred to federal, state, local, or international law enforcement or regulatory agencies for investigation.

    To learn more about the department’s COVID response, visit: https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. For further information on the Criminal Division’s enforcement efforts on PPP fraud, including court documents from significant cases, visit the following website: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/ppp-fraud.

    Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov

    An indictment, complaint, or information is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Arkansas Physicians Sentenced to a Total of 150 Months in Federal Prison for Prescription Fraud

    Source: US FBI

    FORT SMITH – Fort Smith physician and Rogers physician were sentenced today on one count each of Distribution of a Controlled Substance without an Effective Prescription. The Honorable Judge P. K. Holmes III presided over the sentencing hearings in the U.S. District Court in Fort Smith.

    According to court documents, Cecil W. Gaby, 71, of Fort Smith,  a licensed physician in the State of Arkansas, pleaded guilty on December 18, 2019 to acting and intending to act outside the usual course of professional practice without a legitimate medical purpose in dispensing a Schedule II controlled substance namely, oxycodone, to an individual, thereby causing the death of the individual. Between January 2016 and July 2018, Gaby was an owner and operator of the Hinderliter Pain Clinic in Barling, Arkansas and from July 2018 through November 2018, was owner and operator of the Gaby Medical Clinic in Fort Smith, Arkansas. From January 2016 through November 2018, Gaby issued more than 11,000 prescriptions for opioids and/or benzodiazepines. Gaby prescribed approximately 1,156,044 dosage units of Schedule II controlled substances to 347 patients (3,332 pills per patient over the course of 2 years); 98% of Gaby’s patients were prescribed at least one opioid (hydrocodone, oxycodone, methadone, etc.); 94% of Gaby’s patients received either multiple narcotics or a combination of narcotics and sedatives; and 27% of Gaby’s patients were age 40 or younger. Evidence in the case revealed that Gaby issued a large number of prescriptions without a legitimate medical purpose and not in the usual course of professional practice. From 2016 through 2018, several of Gaby’s patients died of drug overdose or related causes. As part of his plea, Gaby admitted that prescriptions he issued directly resulted in the death of one of his patients.  Gaby was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.

    Robin Ann Cox, 64, of Rogers, was employed by the Arkansas Medical Clinic (AMC) in Rogers, Arkansas. Cox and the owner of AMC contacted the DEA by telephone to report that prescriptions from Cox‘s previous employment had been fraudulently written and filled. Cox specifically identified a prescription for a patient written and filled on May 17, 2019, and a prescription for a patient dated May 19, 2019 and filled on May 20, 2019. During the investigation into these prescriptions, the DEA discovered that the prescriptions were for Schedule II opioid medications, and that Cox had written one of the prescriptions while meeting with the patient in the parking lot of a restaurant in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in the Western District of Arkansas, Fort Smith Division. The prescription was not written in conjunction with an appropriate medical examination and therefore was issued outside the course of a legitimate medical practice. Cox was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release

    “The abuse of opioids and other pain medications is an epidemic that is destroying the lives of many people across the Western District of Arkansas.  We will continue to use all the investigation and prosecution tools available to us to identify and prosecute those who are responsible for the over-prescription of these dangerous drugs.  It is my sincere hope that these cases today send a strong message to all of those in our District who would consider operating a “pill mill” or otherwise seeking to profit from the over-prescribing of opioid drugs and other pain-killers,” said Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes.

    “The abuse of prescription drugs remains a significant problem in our communities.  This abuse often leads to addiction, shattered lives, and even death.  For the health and safety of our citizens, DEA and our law enforcement partners in Arkansas and beyond will continue to target those who illegally distribute these potentially dangerous drugs.  It is particularly disappointing when trusted medical professionals are engaged in the diversion of controlled substances.  We hope that the convictions and sentencings of these Physicians will serve as a reminder to anyone who might illegally divert pharmaceuticals that they will be held accountable for the harm they cause,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley.

    The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), DEA Diversion Little Rock, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS), Arkansas State Medical Board, the Fort Smith Police Department, the Springdale Police Department, and the Rogers Police Department investigated the case.

    Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Gardner prosecuted the case for the United States.

    Cox’s prosecution is part of the Western District of Arkansas’ Operation Pillusional, which is part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program.  The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy.  OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.  Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement.  The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illicit drug supply.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: St. Lawrence County Man Sentenced for Sexual Exploitation of a Child

    Source: US FBI

    Skyler Keleher to Serve 30 Years in Federal Prison for Livestreaming his Abuse of a 2-Year-Old Victim

    SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Skyler Keleher, age 23, of St. Lawrence County, was sentenced today to serve 30 years in federal prison for his conviction on two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement.

    In his prior guilty plea, Keleher admitted that on at least two separate occasions in 2017 he sexually abused a two-year-old child and livestreamed the abuse to others over the Internet, using Facebook Messenger and Facebook Live.  Since then, video recordings of the abuse have been widely circulated over the Internet, and recovered by law enforcement in at least 26 separate investigations across the United States and abroad.  While the videos were first documented by law enforcement in 2018, Keleher’s identity was not confirmed until 2022, at which time he was arrested by authorities. 

    Following his term of imprisonment, Keleher will be placed on a term of supervised release for life, and will be required to register as a sex offender.

    This case was investigated by FBI Operation Rescue Me, the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, and the New York State Police, Troop B.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa M. Fletcher, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the Northern District of New York, prosecuted the case.

    Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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