NewzIntel.com

Category: United States of America

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney Easley Announces Appointment of District Election Officer

    Source: US FBI

    RALEIGH, N.C. – United States Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr., announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Karen Haughton will lead the efforts of his office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election.  AUSA Haughton has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Eastern District of North Carolina, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the district’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with the Justice Department in Washington.

    The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combating discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.

    Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying, and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).

    In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, the DEO will be on duty in this district while the polls are open. The DEO can be reached by the public at the following telephone number, 919-856-4530 or 919-856-4808, or by email at Karen.Haughton@usdoj.gov.

    In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public by calling 704-672-6100 or 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or by email at tips.fbi.gov.

    Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.

    Please note, however, that in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Defendant Who Admitted to Filing Thousands of COVID-Relief Applications Sentenced to Six Years in Prison

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man who estimated he filed more than 3,000 fraudulent COVID-relief applications was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 72 months in prison.

    The fraud scheme perpetuated by Ousmane Diane, 24, caused a loss of more than $908,000. He submitted applications for more than $2 million in funding.

    Diane pleaded guilty in October 2023 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

    According to court documents, Diane used the identities of willing participants and stole identities to submit fraudulent federal fund applications. He submitted the fraudulent applications for both Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.

    Diane organized the scheme for more than a year and recruited his six co-defendants in this case and others into the scheme. The defendant referred to the pandemic as the “bandemic” in reference to the stacks of federal cash he received.

    Diane even advertised his fraudulent filing service through social media by posting: “Hey My Name is Ous And I Sell Methods To Help You Get Approved For Funds!!!”

    Diane and six others were indicted in February 2023. All have pleaded guilty.

    “Mr. Diane stole critical taxpayer money intended to help families during an unprecedented national pandemic,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Shawn Rice with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General. “HUD OIG remains steadfast in its commitment to working with Federal prosecutors and law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who engage in activities that threaten the integrity of HUD programs.”

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Shawn Rice, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG); and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorney David J. Twombly is representing the United States in this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Cincinnati Woman Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Crimes Related to COVID-19 Relief Fraud

    Source: US FBI

    CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati woman convicted at trial last summer of fraud crimes was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 84 months in prison.

    Kelli Prather, 52, fraudulently requested more than $1.2 million in pandemic relief loans. She was convicted on all 14 counts following a trial in July 2023 before U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland.

    According to testimony and evidence presented during the trial, Prather applied for six Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans as part of the CARES Act COVID-19 pandemic relief. She claimed to own six businesses – Enhanced Healthcare Solutions, Life Skills Enhancement, Prather Property Management, Reliable Ambulette Services, Rich Glo Management Services and Tots R Us.

    Separately, Prather also applied for eight Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL).  In three of the EIDL applications she filed in November 2020, she represented that the businesses were majority owned by her disabled nephew.

    Prather sought more than $1.2 million in fraud relief and fraudulently received approximately $19,700. As part of her sentence, she will pay $19,682 in restitution.

    The jury convicted her of bank fraud, making false statements in connection to credit or loan applications, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, and other members of the Financial Crimes Working Group Pandemic Fraud Committee announced the sentence imposed today by Judge McFarland. Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony Springer and Ebunoluwa A. Taiwo are representing the United States in this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Local Nail Salon Owner Sentenced to Prison for Placing Arson Device in Competing Salon

    Source: US FBI

    CINCINNATI – A local nail salon owner was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 46 months in prison for attempting to set a competing nail salon in Monroe, Ohio, on fire.

    Kim Lien Vu, 46, of Liberty Township, Ohio, admitted in her guilty plea in September 2023 that she conspired to commit malicious destruction via fire.

    Vu, who owns her own nail salon, developed animosity towards individuals at a competing nail salon and, beginning in December 2022, approached her employee about a plot to exact revenge on the competing salon.

    Vu and her employee, co-defendant Cierra Marie Bishop, 30, of Hamilton, Ohio, eventually discussed the idea of setting the other salon on fire. Bishop began work to design a remote-controlled incendiary device that could start a fire within a small box. The two women frequently texted about the plan, which they referred to as Job 1.

    On Feb. 5, surveillance camera footage shows Bishop and a friend, co-defendant Makahla Ann Rennick, 19, of Hamilton, Ohio, entering the competitor salon. Rennick had made an appointment for a pedicure under the name “Katelynn,” at the direction of Vu for Rennick to get the latest nail appointment she can and to “Just use another name. Sound white.” Rennick is shown receiving her nail services.

    Vu was traveling to or already at a property she owned in Virginia to have a ready alibi.

    During Rennick’s appointment, Bishop entered and exited the salon, looking for a place to plant the device. Eventually, Bishop walked to the restroom area in the rear of the salon and tucked the device under a salon desk before leaving.

    A salon employee then found the suspected device, which smelled like gasoline. The employee opened the package, seeing that it looked like an explosive device, and took it outside near the salon’s dumpsters. The employee later went back outside to check on the device and noticed that box had begun to catch on fire.

    Monroe police officers and fire department responded to a call reporting a dumpster fire near the salon.

    Vu was in constant contact with Bishop throughout the planning of the device.

    The three women were indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2023. Bishop has pleaded guilty and is currently awaiting sentencing.

    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; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); Shawn Gibson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Monroe Police Chief Bob Buchanan announced the sentence imposed on April 24 by U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Knox County Man Pleads Guilty to Committing Child Pornography Crimes While on Federal Supervised Release

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A repeat sex offender pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to committing new child pornography crimes while on federal supervised release.

    Lee Allen Goudy, 30, of Howard, Ohio, admitted to distributing and possessing child pornography. He was sentenced in U.S. District Court in April 2018 to 78 months in prison for distributing pornography of pre-school-aged children.

    As a previous offender, Goudy will face a prison sentence of at least 15 years and up to 40 years in prison for his current offense.

    According to court documents, in August 2023, the FBI received a tip that Goudy was a Tier II registered sex offender and was believed to have uploaded child pornography online.

    At least four cyber tipline reports related to Goudy were generated from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

    The investigation revealed that Goudy had distributed child pornography from a Reddit account via Kik messenger and on Twitter. Goudy used the same email address to trade child pornography that he used in his prior federal conviction.

    Approximately 650 videos and 100 images of child sexual abuse material were recovered from Goudy’s iPhone. His collection included sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, and the sexual torture of babies. For example, one video depicted a newborn infant being smacked in the face, grabbed by the throat and shaken back and forth.

    Goudy’s iPhone search history also included web searches like “supervised release monitoring iPhone” and “does federal monitoring work on iPhone.”

    A second cell phone of Goudy’s also revealed searches for content related to violence, rape and sex acts against infants and toddlers. That phone included 150 images of child sexual abuse material that Goudy had traded on Discord.

    Goudy was arrested in September 2023 for violating his federal supervised release warrant.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea offered before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Jury Convicts Self-Described Civil Rights Activist from Toledo of Wire Fraud and Money Laundering

    Source: US FBI

    TOLEDO – Sir Maejor Page, 35, of Toledo, was found guilty of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering by a jury after a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Helmick.

    According to court documents and testimony, in 2016, Page created a Facebook page for “Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta” (“BLMGA”) and registered this organization as a domestic non-profit with the Georgia Secretary of State Corporation’s Division. In 2017, the IRS approved Page’s request granting BLMGA tax-exempt status under Section 503(c)(3) of the tax code, but dissolved this status in 2019. Page nonetheless accepted donations after falsely portraying BLMGA to the public as a legitimate charity engaged in social justice work, when in fact, it was not. Instead, Page used the money that individual donors gave to BLMGA not for social justice causes, but rather to buy items for his own personal use, such as a house and furniture. Page also committed money-laundering crimes when he bought these items with the donations that he fraudulently obtained.

    “The United States Attorney’s Office prioritizes the prosecution of white-collar criminal conduct, particularly conduct involving deceptive schemes that selfishly exploit a charitable donor’s goodwill for personal gain,” said United States Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko, for the Northern District of Ohio. “The donors to BLMGA thought they were giving their hard-earned money to a cause they believed in. But instead of using it to support that cause, Page used it for himself. The jury’s verdict is a warning to every fraudster that when you misrepresent how donations or other money given to you in trust will be used, you will be prosecuted and punished.”

    “Preying on the generosity of the public for personal gain is cold and calculated,” said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen. “The FBI and it’s white-collar crime division along with our federal, state, and local partners will continue to aggressively find and investigate criminals who believe they can deceive others through shady business practices.”

    No sentencing date has been set.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gene Crawford and Rob Melching.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Fifteen Gang Members Indicted for Drug Trafficking and Firearms Possession

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND – Federal, state, and local law enforcement officials announce the unsealing of a superseding indictment charging 15 members of the Fully Blooded Felons, a criminal street gang that was active in Northeast Ohio and in the Ohio prison system. The gang members were charged for their roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving their importing and distributing fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and buprenorphine in Northeast Ohio, and their illegal possession of firearms. Three defendants have been in federal custody since December 2023. Authorities have arrested several newly charged defendants. They transported several of them to federal court in Cleveland, while the others are in custody elsewhere.

    This announcement is made by United States Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko, FBI Special Agent in Charge Gregory Nelsen, and Cleveland Division of Police Chief Dorothy Todd.

    “The indictment alleges that Raven Mullins and other members of the Fully Blooded Felons operated an open-air drug market, distributing the deadliest types of drugs sold on Cleveland’s streets. This organization is charged not only with peddling such poisons in Cleveland’s Cedar Estates neighborhood, but also with actively plotting to recruit persons to infiltrate the Ohio prison system to distribute drugs there so gang members could reap the profits,” said United States Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko. “This indictment and these arrests are a product of the dedication, cooperation, and tireless efforts of Northern District of Ohio federal, state, and local law enforcement partners who, working together, identified and disrupted this criminal organization. Because of these efforts, the many law-abiding members of the Cedar Estates neighborhood have a real opportunity to come together and make positive changes.”

    “This operation and subsequent arrests underscore the FBIs mission to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle gangs not only in the larger cities across America, but also right here in northern Ohio,” said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen. “Identifying criminal networks takes careful coordination and collaboration. We are proud to partner with the agencies that make up the FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which includes the Cleveland Division of Police, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, and the Ohio Investigative Unit. In addition, the United States Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Cleveland’s Third District played a major role in this operation. We thank them as well as our other federal, state, and local partners who work seamlessly together to protect our communities and keep offenders off the streets.”

    The following defendants are charged in the 33-count superseding indictment:

    Raven Mullins, aka Dunny, aka Dun, 34, Cleveland, Ohio
    Henry Burchett, aka Noodles, aka Noo, 39, Cleveland, Ohio
    Cortez Tyree, aka Seed, 34, Cleveland, Ohio
    Rodney Linson, aka Scrap, 37, Willoughby Hills, Ohio
    Elijah Johnson, aka Loon, 36, Unknown
    Demarcus Elliott, aka Moo, 37, Westlake, Ohio
    Dontez Hammond, aka Donny, 35, Cleveland, Ohio
    Jeffrey Lee, aka Fatty, 23, Cleveland, Ohio
    Jerrell Jones-Ferrell, aka Ruga, 25, Cleveland, Ohio
    Jerry Mullins, aka B. Money, 32, Cleveland, Ohio
    Devonte Johnson, aka D Nut, aka Nut, 31, Cleveland, Ohio
    Jerome Williams, aka Jay, 29, Cleveland, Ohio
    Christepher Horton, aka Cam, aka Killa, 40, Erie, Pennsylvania
    Deeundra Perkins, aka Drizzy, 32, Unknown
    Deon Blackwell, aka White Boy, 37, Cleveland, Ohio

    The defendants were all charged in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Additionally, six defendants were charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances offenses, five defendants were charged with illegal possession of firearms, and five defendants were charged with possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes. One defendant was charged with interstate travel in aid of racketeering, and 11 defendants were charged with using a communications facility to facilitate a felony drug offense.

    The superseding indictment alleges that between as early as January 2022, and continuing through April 2, 2024, the defendants did knowingly and intentionally conspire with each other to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute mixtures and substances containing fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance, cocaine base (“crack”), a Schedule II controlled substance, and buprenorphine, a Schedule III controlled substance.

    According to court documents, Raven Mullins and other defendants operated an organized gang hierarchy that committed violent acts, possessed and transferred firearms, and distributed controlled substances in Northeast Ohio. The Fully Blooded Felons used two apartments at the Cedar Estates in Cleveland, Ohio, to store controlled substances and firearms and to distribute different controlled substances to customers. Subordinate gang members used a grassy area immediately adjacent to the Cedar Estates, and the area surrounding the 28th Street Liquor Store, to distribute controlled substances to customers at the direction of Raven Mullins and other high-ranking members. The superseding indictment alleges that Elijah Johnson travelled to Texas and Arizona to obtain kilogram quantities of pills containing fentanyl, which he then supplied to Fully Blooded Felon members for distribution in Northeast Ohio. Additionally, the superseding indictment alleges that the Fully Blooded Felons operated a drug smuggling and distribution ring inside numerous Ohio state prisons and federal detention centers.

    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, each 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 prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.

    The specific mission of the OCDETF Cleveland Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle major criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations, including criminal gangs, transnational drug cartels, racketeering organizations, and other groups engaged in illicit activities that present a threat to public safety and national security and are related to the illegal smuggling and trafficking of narcotics or other controlled substances, weapons, humans, or the illegal concealment or transfer of proceeds derived from such illicit activities in the Northern District of Ohio. The OCDETF Cleveland Strike Force consists of agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the Cleveland Division of Police. The prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

    The investigation preceding the superseding indictment was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Safe Streets Task Force, the Cleveland Division of Police’s Third District and Gang Impact Unit, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Ohio Adult Parole Authority, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, and the Ohio Investigative Unit. The United States Marshals Service coordinated the arrests of those defendants apprehended.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert J. Kolansky and Paul E. Hanna, with assistance from Trial Attorneys Brian W. Lynch and Alyssa Levey-Weinstein of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Woman Sentenced for Violation of Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act Violation for Damaging Pregnancy Center

    Source: US FBI

    TOLEDO – Whitney Durant, AKA Soren Monroe, age 20, of Worthington, Ohio, was sentenced to two years of probation and a $2,000 dollar fine by Magistrate Judge Darrell A. Clay, after pleading guilty to one count of intentionally damaging a reproductive health care center, a violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (the “FACE Act”). Durant vandalized HerChoice, a reproductive health services clinic located in Bowling Green, Ohio, because the clinic offers pregnancy counseling, free pregnancy testing and ultrasounds, but not abortion services.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 15, 2023, Durant defaced the clinic’s building, spray painting the words, “LIARS,” “FAKE CLINIC,” “Fund Abortion,” “Abort God,” and “Jane’s Revenge.” Durant was a Bowling Green State University student at the time of this conduct.

    “The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to neutrally enforcing federal laws that protect uninterrupted access to all clinics providing reproductive health services, whether those clinics provide women with options that include abortion care or whether they solely encourage women to consider non-abortion alternatives,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “This prosecution and sentence demonstrate that we will not tolerate efforts to impede patient access to the reproductive health care of their choice by someone who intentionally defaces or otherwise damages a clinic providing such services. The First Amendment protects peaceful protests, not blatant vandalism.”

    “Today’s sentencing serves as a reminder that intentionally damaging or destroying the property of a facility because it provides reproductive health services is a federal violation of the FACE Act,” said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen. “The FBI and its local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement partners will protect access to reproductive healthcare services for every American, thoroughly investigate FACE Act violators, and continue to aggressively pursue all violations of the statute.”

    The FBI Cleveland Field Office, Toledo Resident Agency and Bowling Green Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angelita Cruz Bridges and Wood County Prosecutor and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Dobson for the Northern District of Ohio prosecuted the case.

    Anyone who has information about incidents of violence, threats and obstruction that target a patient or provider of reproductive health services or damage and destruction of reproductive health care facilities, should report that information to the FBI at https://tips.fbi.gov/.

    For more information about clinic violence, and the Justice Department’s efforts to enforce FACE Act violations, please visit www.justice.gov/crt/national-task-force-violence-againstreproductive-health-care-providers.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Attention High School Juniors & Seniors: FBI Las Vegas is Hosting a Teen Academy

    Source: US FBI

    LAS VEGAS—The FBI Las Vegas Division and the Las Vegas Chapter FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association invite all interested Las Vegas high school upcoming juniors and seniors to apply to the FBI Las Vegas Teen Academy. Class will be held on June 20, 2023, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

    The FBI Teen Academy provides an opportunity for high school students to catch a behind-the-scenes look at the FBI.

    The FBI’s Teen Academy gives high school students a comprehensive look into the FBI during a full day of demonstrations and instruction provided by FBI agents and professional staff. Students are provided with multiple presentations delving into topics such as terrorism, cybercrime, forensic evidence collection, FBI SWAT capabilities, and a rare view into the day-to-day operations of an FBI office.

    Students will meet FBI agents and other FBI personnel who support our overall mission—to protect the people of the United States and defend our constitution.

    This program is NOT exclusive to students only interested in careers in law enforcement. Any student who is at least a junior in high school but has not yet started college is encouraged to apply, regardless of anticipated major or academic discipline.

    This is a competitive program, and not all applicants will be selected. Student selection for the Teen Academy will be based on a quality application and written assignment. The application, release form, and supporting assignment must be received by the FBI Las Vegas office by June 7, 2023. Incomplete and/or late applications will not be accepted.

    To apply and for more information on the FBI Teen Academy, visit: https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/las-vegas-teen-academy-2022-04182023.pdf/view

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Repeat Sex Offender Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: US FBI

    LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas man was sentenced today by United States District Judge Richard F. Boulware II to 10 years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for possession of images depicting child sexual abuse material.

    Russell Hamblin (63) pleaded guilty in November 2022, to one count of possession of child pornography.

    According to court documents, on January 14, 2008, Hamblin was convicted of receipt of child pornography in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas. As a result of his conviction, he was sentenced to prison and a lifetime term of supervised release. On April 12, 2022, during a home visit, U.S. Probation Officers observed printed papers on the floor depicting nude or partially dressed young females. They seized multiple flash drives and cell phones belonging to Hamblin. He admitted that he possessed between 10 and 150 items of child pornography on the seized devices.

    United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI made the announcement.

    The FBI investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Supriya Prasad prosecuted the case.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Passaic County Man Sentenced to 82 Months in Prison for Fentanyl, Cocaine, and Ammunition Charges

    Source: US FBI

    CAMDEN, N.J. – A Passaic County, New Jersey, man was sentenced to 82 months in prison for possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and possessing ammunition by a convicted felon, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.

    Kadeem Coleman, 31, of Paterson, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Renée M. Bumb to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, and was sentenced to 70 months in prison on those counts. At the time Coleman committed these offenses, he was on federal supervised release; for violating the terms of his supervised release, Judge Bumb sentenced Coleman to an additional 12 months in prison to run consecutively. Judge Bumb imposed the sentence on Nov. 7, 2024, in Camden federal court.

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

    On October 15, 2021, law enforcement arrested Coleman and searched his residence pursuant a search warrant. Law enforcement recovered fentanyl and cocaine, which was subsequently confirmed through laboratory testing, and over 120 rounds of ammunition.  Coleman had previously been federally convicted in the District of New Jersey for unlawful possession of a firearm.

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Bumb sentenced Coleman to five years of supervised release.

    U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado, Newark Field Division; the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Acting Sheriff Gary Giardina; and the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Officer in Charge Isa Abbassi with the investigation leading to the sentencing.

    This case is part of the Paterson Violent Crime Initiative (VCI), which was formed in 2020 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, and the City of Paterson’s Department of Public Safety for the purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Paterson. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the DEA, the U.S. Marshals, the Paterson Department of Public Safety, the Paterson Police Department, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, N.J. State Parole, Bergen County Jail, N.J. State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, and N.J. Department of Corrections.

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

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Farhana C. Melo of the OCDETF/Narcotics Unit in Newark.

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  • 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.

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  • 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.

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  • 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.

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  • 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.

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  • 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.

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  • 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)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • 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: DOJ Establishes Local Contacts for November 2024 Election

    Source: US FBI

    GREENSBORO, NC – United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston for the Middle District of North Carolina announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) JoAnna McFadden will lead the efforts of her Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election.  AUSA McFadden has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Middle District of North Carolina, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the district’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

    “Free and fair elections require that every eligible citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination, and election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence,” said United States Attorney Hairston. “The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to vote can do so if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt the voting franchise –the cornerstone of American democracy – are brought to justice.”

    The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud.  The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.

    Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.  It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice.  The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).   

    In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO McFadden will be on duty in this District while the polls are open.  She can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 336-332-6362.

    In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day.  The local FBI office can be reached by the public at (704) 672-6100 and callers should ask to speak with the Election Crimes Coordinator.

    Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.

    United States Attorney Hairston said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate.  It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”

    Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities.  State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.

    ###

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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.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • 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: FBI Cleveland to Host Diversity Agent Recruiting Information Session

    Source: US FBI

    Event to Focus on Mid-Career Professionals Seeking Opportunities for Growth and Advancement

    CLEVELAND, OH—FBI Cleveland is hosting a Diversity Agent Recruiting (DAR) information session for mid-career professionals ready to explore career paths with the FBI.

    There is no cost to attend, and attendees will not be required to submit a formal employment application following the event.

    Interested folks must pre-register online for the event:

    Visit FBIjobs.gov and search for Job ID 53849 or enter “Cleveland DAR or Cleveland Talent Network” in the keyword search.

    1. Navigate: FBIJOBS.GOV
    2. Click: Apply to Jobs
    3. Search: Cleveland DAR or Cleveland Talent Network or Job ID 53849
    4. Click: Cleveland DAR Talent Network
    5. Click: “Start” in the upper right corner of the screen (this begins the registration process)

    2024 Cleveland Diversity Agent Recruiting Information Session

    • May 22, 2024
    • 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
    • FBI Cleveland | 1501 Lakeside Ave., E.
    • Cleveland, Ohio 44114

    As the FBI strives to promote a culture of diversity and inclusion, the FBI is actively seeking qualified candidates with different backgrounds and experiences to connect with the communities we serve. To bridge the ethnic, racial, and gender gaps between the FBI and the community, the FBI implemented a national Diversity Agent Recruitment (DAR) initiative.

    The DAR recruiting information session is a two-hour long event designed to provide information about the multitude of career opportunities for prospective special agents with diverse backgrounds and expertise, including accounting, IT, foreign languages, education, communications, military, management, engineering, cyber, and legal, to name a few.

    There is a misconception that the FBI only hires people with law enforcement experience or criminal justice education. That is simply not true. FBI special agents have a range of backgrounds, education, and skill sets that collectively allow the Bureau to stay ahead of threats. Special agents have the drive and leadership skills to take on new challenges and protect their communities.

    It takes people from all industries and cultures to accomplish the FBI mission of protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution of the United States. The Diversity Recruiting information session will allow the FBI to share more about their work, provide detailed information about the application process, and answer any questions prospective candidates may have. Additionally, attendees will be able to meet one-on-one with special agents, physical fitness advisors, and the applicant coordinator.

    Anyone interested in attending the DAR information session should register as soon as possible to secure a spot. Qualified candidates will receive further instructions prior to the event. For those requiring accommodations regarding the DAR event, e-mail jahaymond@FBI.GOV.

    Please note that the DAR event is only an information session. Candidates who wish to apply directly for a Special Agent position can do so through the same website (FBIJOBS.GOV) by creating a profile, submitting their resume, and completing an application for a special agent position listing.

    The FBI Office of Diversity and Inclusion was created in 2013. In 2015, “Building a High-Performing, Diverse and Inclusive Workforce” was established as a Director’s Priority Initiative (DPI), leading to the implementation of various Diversity and Inclusion programs across the country.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Forum Provides Best Practices and Resources to Prevent and Respond to Hate Crimes that Target Religious Institutions

    Source: US FBI

    In an effort to prevent hate crimes that target religious institutions, and to prepare faith-based leaders and congregation members with strategies for responding when faced with such security issues, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relation Services (“CRS”) Midwest Regional Office, and the Cleveland Field Office of the FBI is facilitating a free event, “Protecting Places of Worship,” held on Wednesday, May 29, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, 3290 E. 126th St., Cleveland, OH 44120. Registration is open to the public by calling the Public Affairs Officer of the United States Attorney’s Office at 216-622-3807.

    “Protecting Places of Worship” is a half-day forum that will provide information about religion-focused hate crimes; how to best report such incidents; federal and state hate crimes laws; law enforcement threat assessments; ways to protect places of worship from potential hate crimes and other threats of violence; and other strategies for combatting hate and extremism. This program brings together federal and local law enforcement, federal and local prosecuting attorneys, civil rights organizations, and community organizations to discuss these issues. The forum’s goal is to share strategies and other information to help communities of faith effectively address and respond to bias incidents and hate crimes that affect their places of worship.

    Discussion topics include:

    • Existing federal and state hate crime statutes, and increasing public awareness of hate crimes reporting procedures and prosecutions.
    • Analysis of hate crime data and trends, including recent examples of hate crimes targeting places of worship.
    • Strategies for responding to active-shooter incidents.
    • Best practices for assessing the physical security of places of worship and identifying potential security concerns, along with competitive grant opportunities and other strategies to address those concerns. 
    • Interfaith panel discussion to foster dialogue and collaboration among diverse religious communities, and to share strategies these organizations have used to address bias incidents.

    All sessions will be followed by Q & A.

    Featured speakers include those from the following organizations: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio; FBI, Cleveland Field Office; Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office; Anti-Defamation League Cleveland; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

    Panelists include leaders from Cleveland’s Islamic, Sikh, and Hindu communities, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, and the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. The Mount Pleasant Ministerial Alliance is hosting this event.

    This event is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s United Against Hate initiative. For questions or more details about the event, contact Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Feran at 216-622-3709 or Edward.Feran@usdoj.gov.

    About CRS
    Established by Title X of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, CRS’ expanded its services under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. As a component of the United States Department of Justice, CRS serves as “America’s Peacemaker,” offering support to communities experiencing tension or conflict due to differences of race, color, natural origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and disability. Through its services, CRS enhances the ability of community members to independently and collaboratively prevent and resolve future conflicts by fostering knowledge, understanding and communication.

    CRS Programs
    The primary objectives of all CRS programs are to assist parties in conflict by fostering understanding of various perspectives, facilitating the exchange of information regarding resources and best practices, and aiding communities as they identify and implement solutions. CRS conciliation specialists maintain impartiality and refrain from taking sides among disputing parties. Instead, they facilitate the process, empowering those involved to develop their own mutually agreeable solutions.

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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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