ANCHORAGE, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder for the District of Alaska announced that more than $65 million in Department of Justice grants is available to help communities combat human trafficking and serve adults and children who are victimized in trafficking operations.

 

“Our nation is facing difficult challenges, none more pressing than the scourge of human trafficking. Human traffickers pose a dire threat to public safety and countering this threat remains one of the Administration’s top domestic priorities,” said Katharine T. Sullivan, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs. “The Department of Justice is front and center in the fight against this insidious crime. OJP is making historic amounts of grant funding available to ensure that our communities have access to innovative and diverse solutions.”

 

 The funding is available through OJP, the federal government’s leading source of public safety funding and crime victim assistance in state, local and tribal jurisdictions. OJP’s programs support a wide array of activities and services, including programs that support human trafficking task forces and services for human trafficking survivors. 

A number of funding opportunities are currently open, with several more opening in the near future. 

Missing and Exploited Children Training and Technical Assistance Program

https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/ojjdp-2020-17351

Total Available $1.8 million               

Deadline 4/6/2020 (Extended)

 

Multidisciplinary Task Force Program to Combat Human Trafficking

Total Available $22 million                                      

Opens week of 3/16/2020

 

Preventing Trafficking of Girls

Total Available $1.7 million               

Opens week of 3/16/2020

 

Research and Evaluation on Trafficking in Persons

https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/nij-2020-17324

Total Available $2.5 million                             

Deadline 4/20/2020    

 

Services for Victims of Human Trafficking

Total Available $16.5 million             

Opens week of 3/16/2020

 

Specialized Training and Technical Assistance on Housing for Victims of Human Trafficking                       

Total Available $2 million                                          

Opens week of 3/16/2020

 

Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Program

Total Available $5 million                                          

Opens week of 3/16/2020

 

Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking      

Total Available $6 million                  

 Opens week of 3/16/2020

 

Integrated Services for Minor Victims of Labor Trafficking

Total Available $8 million                  

Opens week of 3/16/2020

 

For more information regarding all OJP funding opportunities, visit https://www.ojp.gov/funding/explore/current-funding-opportunities

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Indiana man was sentenced today to 30 years in prison and life on supervised release for his role in a conspiracy to produce child sexual abuse materials.

According to court documents, Darin Schilmiller, 26, and his co-conspirator Denali Brehmer, 24, conspired to murder Cynthia Hoffman in June 2019 while Schilmiller was residing in Indiana. While they were conspiring to commit Hoffman’s murder, they also conspired to exploit a minor victim to produce sexually explicit images, which Brehmer took and sent to Schilmiller via text message at his direction.  

Schilmiller and Brehmer pleaded guilty to production of child pornography in the U.S. District Court in July 2023. Brehmer was sentenced to serve a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and the rest of her life on supervised release. Both defendants were also sentenced by the State of Alaska to 99 years in prison for their roles in Hoffman’s murder.

In imposing the sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Ralph R. Beistline cited public safety as a paramount consideration, describing the defendant’s actions as predatory, perverted and sophisticated. Judge Beistline stated, "I can't think of anything worse than what that I've seen here,” and that, “the defendant can't be permitted to hurt anyone else."

“This sentence marks the conclusion of a years-long effort to hold the defendants accountable for the tragic consequences of their actions,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “I want to thank the FBI Anchorage Field Office and the Anchorage Police Department for their commitment to protecting Alaska’s children, and to the Alaska Department of Law for diligently prosecuting the homicide. We remain committed to keeping our state safe and pursuing justice.”

“Mr. Schilmiller committed some of the darkest crimes imaginable, causing immeasurable harm to the victims and their families,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day. “This sentencing underscores the unrelenting efforts by the investigative and prosecution teams to ensure that none of his sadistic crimes went unpunished. The FBI, the Anchorage Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to prioritize holding dangerous offenders accountable and protecting our most vulnerable.” 

“This heinous crime had a profound life-long effect on the victim’s family and on this community as well,” stated Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case. “It is important that those responsible are held accountable for their actions.  Our department is grateful for the assistance we received from the local FBI Office in bringing this case to its conclusion.”

The FBI Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Police Department investigated the case as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that additional bank fraud charges have been filed against an Alaska woman who allegedly defrauded an Anchorage medical practice of at least $550,000. 

Jill Diane Applebury, aka: “Jill Wetzsteon,” 53, d/b/a Applebury Accounting Services, and her husband Darin Wade Applebury, 53, both of Anchorage, have been named in a 53-count superseding indictment charging them with bank fraud, wire fraud, fraudulent transactions with an access device, and aggravated identity theft.  The superseding indictment includes an additional 14 counts of bank fraud against Jill Applebury, which arose from a related scheme.

From the mid-1990’s until March 2013, Jill Applebury was the independent contractor bookkeeper for an Anchorage medical practice, which was owned and operated by an Anchorage physician.  The superseding indictment alleges that from at least 2004 until March 22, 2013, Jill Applebury and Darin Applebury defrauded the Anchorage medical practice in several ways. 

According to the superseding indictment, the additional bank fraud charges stem from May 2008 to January 2010, when Jill Applebury used the medical practice’s funds to pay her independent contractor Federal Income Tax Withholding on her nonemployee compensation without authority.  Therein, Jill Applebury executed unauthorized and fraudulent transactions from the medical practice’s business bank account to the IRS, wherein the medical practice paid her IRS individual income tax without any reduction in her nonemployee compensation without the knowledge or consent of the medical practice. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Anchorage Police Department (APD) conducted the investigation leading to the charges in this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Retta-Rae Randall and Andrea W. Hattan.  

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage woman was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for her role in a conspiracy to produce child sexual abuse materials.

According to court documents, Denali Brehmer, 22, and her co-conspirator Darin Schilmiller, 25, conspired to murder Cynthia Hoffman in June 2019 while Schilmiller was residing in Indiana. While they were conspiring to commit Hoffman’s murder, they also conspired to coerce a minor victim to produce sexually explicit images, which Brehmer took and sent to Schilmiller via text message.

Brehmer and Schilmiller pleaded guilty to production of child pornography in front of the U.S. District Court in July 2023. Schilmiller is awaiting sentencing. Both defendants were sentenced by the State of Alaska to 99 years in prison for their roles in Hoffman’s murder.

In delivering the sentence, the court ordered Brehmer to serve a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and the rest of her life on supervised release.

“The harm Ms. Brehmer has caused to the victims and their families through the course of her conduct is unfathomable,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “My office will continue our unwavering commitment to work with our law enforcement partners to protect Alaska’s children and seek justice against perpetrators who choose to commit these reprehensible crimes.”

“This sentencing underscores the unrelenting efforts by law enforcement and prosecutors, at every level, to ensure that none of Brehmer’s ruthless crimes went unanswered or unpunished,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Kevin Vorndran of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to use every tool available to identify, investigate, and hold accountable those who exploit and harm our most vulnerable.”

“Denali Brehmer’s actions are beyond heinous,” said Anchorage Police Chief Michael Kerle.  “Overcoming the trauma the victim suffered due to Brehmer’s actions will be a life-long journey.  This case is an excellent example of why various law enforcement entities working together through the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force is so vitally important.  Hopefully today’s sentencing will aid the victim in their healing process.”

The FBI Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Police Department investigated the case as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that a North Pole man has been charged in a 32 count Information alleging violations of the Lacey Act and other federal laws stemming from a 16 year span of submitting fraudulent Federal Subsistence Permit Applications and subsequent illegal hunting and transporting of wildlife in a Federal Subsistence Area located south of Delta Junction, Alaska.   

According to the charging document, between 2002-2018, Robert John Albaugh, 58, and his wife applied for and received a combined 63 Federal Subsistence Hunt permits for Game Management Unit 13 and took 23 caribou and 1 moose pursuant to those permits by falsely claiming to be rural residents of Delta Junction, AK, in order to take unfair advantage of federal regulations that seek to support the long-standing subsistence traditions of rural Alaska.

In 1980, Congress passed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), which protects the subsistence needs of rural Alaskans. Subsistence is defined by federal law as “the customary and traditional uses by rural Alaska residents of wild, renewable resources for direct personal or family consumption as food, shelter, fuel, clothing, tools or transportation; for the making and selling of handicraft articles out of nonedible by-products of fish and wildlife resources taken for personal or family consumption; and for the customary trade, barter or sharing for personal or family consumption.”

The Federal Subsistence Management Program is a multi-agency effort to provide the opportunity for a subsistence way of life by rural Alaskans on Federal public lands and waters while maintaining healthy populations of fish and wildlife. Subsistence fishing and hunting provide a large share of the food consumed in rural Alaska. Nowhere else in the United States is there such a heavy reliance upon wild foods. This dependence on wild resources is cultural, social and economic. Alaska's indigenous inhabitants have relied upon the traditional harvest of wild foods for thousands of years and have passed this way of life, its culture, and values down through generations. Subsistence has also become important to many non-Native Alaskans, particularly in rural Alaska.   

Robert Albaugh is currently awaiting his first court appearance on the charges. If convicted, Albaugh faces up to one year in federal prison and a $100,000 fine on each count. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

The Bureau of Land Management Office of Law Enforcement and Security conducted the investigation following a separate investigation of the Albaughs by the Alaska Wildlife Troopers for Taking of Wildlife Closed Season.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan D. Tansey for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Alaska.

These charges are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced that, yesterday, a federal jury in Anchorage convicted Tyler Chance Bateman, 28, of Anchorage, of eight counts of threatening interstate communications, for using the internet to threaten people in Anchorage.  The victims included Bateman’s parents, two Anchorage Police Department officers and their families, and shoppers at a local business.

Within one hour of deliberation, the jury found Bateman guilty on all eight counts after a three-day trial before Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy M. Burgess.  As a result of his convictions, Bateman faces a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000.  The sentencing hearing has been set for Feb. 4, 2019.

According to evidence presented at trial, on Feb. 4, 2018, Bateman left his home in Anchorage on a one-way airline ticket to New York City.  On Feb. 26, 2018, while in New York, Bateman created a text message thread to three people – two family members and a former employer, writing about why he left Alaska, his plans for making a living in New York, how those plans failed, and asked that someone buy him a ticket back to Alaska.  After none of the text message recipients offered to buy him a ticket, Bateman responded with a series of messages threatening to shoot, poison, and cut the victims.  One of the threats suggested that Bateman would commit a mass shooting.

Later that same day, Bateman threatened, via social media, to shoot and poison an Anchorage Police Officer and “several other people.”  Bateman also sent threats to the Police Officer’s personal social media account.  Further, Bateman sent threats to APD’s public Facebook page saying, among other things, “I am going to walk into a building with an AR15. I am going to hurt a lot of people.” Approximately seven minutes later, Bateman sent a message to the same APD account alleging that a specific address is where the Chief of Police lived.

On the morning of March 2, 2018, FBI Special Agents in New York City arrested Bateman on charges alleging that he made threatening statements against an Anchorage business and an Anchorage Police Officer.  Shortly after his arrest, Bateman was transported back to Anchorage to face the charges.     

“Even in the modern digital world, all Alaskans deserve to live their lives safely and securely, without being the victims of frightening — and seemingly anonymous — threats,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder.  “What this case clearly illustrates is that those threats do not remain anonymous.  Our law enforcement partners will find the perpetrators, and we will prosecute them.”

“It may have taken Mr. Bateman just a few minutes to write his threats, but now he’s facing a lifetime of consequences,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Anchorage Field Office, Jeffery Peterson.  “This case is a stark example of how the FBI and our partners respond to threats seriously.  It also illustrates the anonymity of the keyboard will not prevent law enforcement from finding a perpetrator and bringing that person to justice.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with assistance from the Anchorage Police Department (APD), conducted the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of this case. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonas M. Walker.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage Police Department officer was convicted of 24 criminal counts today for his participation in a scheme to defraud a corporation of millions of dollars.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Nathan Michael Keays, 44, was friends with a ConocoPhillips employee, Forrest Wright, 44. The two conspired to use Keays’s foam insulation business, Eco Edge Armoring LLC, to defraud ConocoPhillips by approving contracts for goods and services that were never provided. Over the course of the scheme, Keays and Wright obtained more than $3 million from fraudulent bills. Wright pleaded guilty in March 2021 and is scheduled to be sentenced in May 2024.

The scheme started in 2019 when Wright was a Senior Drilling and Wells Planner with ConocoPhillips, where he was responsible for ordering materials and labor for drilling and wells projects. Wright had the authority to approve material and labor orders for up to $1 million and was trusted to recommend vendors for supplies.

Keays conspired with Wright to craft fraudulent emails and alter the Eco Edge Armoring LLC website to present the company as a major oil and gas services enterprise, when in fact, it had no employees and no ability to provide goods or services in the oil industry. Wright sent emails from his personal account to Keays’s personal account with instructions to send technical emails to Wright’s business account to establish Eco Edge Armoring LLC as an approved vendor. Wright would then forward these emails to other personnel within ConocoPhillips to ensure Keays’s company was approved as a frequently used vendor.

After achieving the approved vendor status, Keays submitted fraudulent invoices totaling over $3.2 million for materials that did not exist and labor that was never performed. Keays also submitted fraudulent timesheets in the name of nonexistent employees to make it appear that work had actually been performed. Wright used his position in the company to direct personnel to approve the payment of invoices by falsely representing that the nonexistent materials were delivered and accounted for and that the work outlined in the invoices was performed.

Keays received $3,087,720 in electronic payments from ConocoPhillips for the fraudulent material and labor through a bank account for Eco Edge Armoring LLC and split the proceeds with Wright by issuing checks to Spectrum Consulting, a shell entity created by Wright. In total, Keays personally received more than $1.4 million. Keays used his proceeds of the scheme for personal expenses, including paying off loans, purchasing real estate and buying cryptocurrency.  

Keays was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 11 counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 11 counts of money laundering.

“This successful conviction represents closure in a complex white-collar crime case and demonstrates that no one is above the law,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “To anyone thinking of committing a financial crime, know that my office, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners across the state, will work vigorously to find you and prosecute you to the furthest extent of the law.”

“This verdict demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to investigate and hold accountable those who engage in fraudulent schemes for personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “With special agents, forensic accountants, and prosecutors who specialize in unraveling complex financial crimes, the FBI and our partners will continue to disrupt fraudsters and bring them to justice.”

The FBI Anchorage Field Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Heyman and James Klugman are prosecuting the case.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Eagle River man was sentenced yesterday to two and a half years in prison and is required to serve three years on supervised release and 120 hours of community service for legally purchasing firearms in Alaska and trafficking them to Sacramento, California, where they ended up in the hands of gang members and felons. According to court documents, between February 2021 and April 2022, Cornelius Smith, 34, purchased 28 firearms from private parties and federally licensed firearms dealers (FFLs) in Alaska.For any purchase from an FFL, federal law requires the purchaser fill out a Form 4473 generated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). This form explains what it means to be the “actual transferee/buyer” of a firearm.In June 2021 alone, Smith purchased 17 firearms from FFLs in Alaska. Each time, Smith affirmed he was the actual transferee/buyer, meaning he was not purchasing the firearms on someone else’s behalf.Smith then travelled to Sacramento, declaring that he was carrying “shooting equipment.” Ten days later, one of the firearms Smith purchased in June was recovered near Sacramento. In total, 14 of the 28 firearms Smith purchased have been recovered in California, nearly all during criminal investigations in the Sacramento area, including investigations of attempted homicides, robberies and gang-affiliated shootings. Many of the recovered firearms were modified with large capacity magazines and/or automatic firing capabilities. The remaining 14 have yet to be located.During the conduct period, Smith received around $9,000 total in payments from various Sacramento-based family members and associates. The payments often corresponded to the price Smith paid for the firearms.In April 2022, law enforcement searched Smith’s home in Alaska and located dozens of empty gun boxes with serial numbers correlating to the firearms Smith purchased in 2021, but none of those firearms were located in Smith’s home.Smith was indicted on Feb. 23, 2024, and convicted on Nov. 1, 2024, on 11 of 12 counts of firearms trafficking following a five-day trial by jury in Anchorage.“Mr. Smith deliberately purchased firearms in Alaska for the sole purpose of illegally trafficking them to prohibited individuals in California, and those firearms directly contributed to gun and gang violence in and around the Sacramento area,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Let this conviction and sentence highlight that the straw purchase of firearms in Alaska - especially for the purpose of supplying the firearms to violent criminals - will be prosecuted. I want to thank the ATF and our law enforcement partners in California for their work on investigating this complex case.”“This investigation exemplifies ATF’s commitment to aggressively pursue and disrupt the flow of firearms to criminals.  To date, 14 of the 28 firearms trafficked by Mr. Smith have been recovered in violent crimes ranging from attempted murder, armed robbery, and gang-related retaliatory shootings, with many in the possession of federally prohibited persons at the time of recovery. Sadly, Mr. Smith’s reckless actions may be felt for years to come as many of the firearms he trafficked have yet to be recovered,” said ATF Seattle Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. “His callous disregard for laws and lack of moral conduct earned him this sentence.  This should send a message that if you traffic in firearms, you will be investigated, caught, and charged.”The ATF Anchorage Field Office, with assistance from the California Highway Patrol, Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, Sacramento Police Department, San Francisco Police Department, Folsom Police Department, Pittsburg Police Department, Daly City Police Department, Vacaville Police Department and Citrus Heights Police Department, investigated the case.Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ainsley McNerney and Jennifer Ivers prosecuted the case.###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A federal jury convicted an Eagle River man late last week for trafficking firearms from Alaska to California after a five-day trial.According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from February 2021 to April 2022, Cornelius Smith, 33, bought 28 firearms from gun stores and private parties in Alaska. During that same time period, Smith received around $9,000 total in payments from various Sacramento-based family members and associates. The payments often corresponded to the price Smith paid for the guns.After five of those firearms were recovered in the Sacramento area, Smith’s frequent firearm purchases were reported to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and an investigation commenced.In April 2022, ATF agents searched Smith’s home and found empty gun boxes in his room for many of the firearms he purchased in 2021. None of the recently purchased firearms were found in the boxes or in his home.Through the investigation, law enforcement learned that on June 24, 2021, Smith flew from Anchorage to Sacramento and declared that he was carrying “shooting equipment.” After that flight, the firearms that Smith bought in the days prior began turning up in California, as early as July 4, 2021. Smith made multiple other flights to and from Sacramento thereafter.Law enforcement recovered 13 of Smith’s 28 firearms in California. Two of the firearms were possessed by Smith’s Sacramento-based relatives, Andrew and Adam Williams. Adam Williams, now deceased, was a felon and therefore prohibited from possessing firearms. None of the firearms have been recovered in Alaska, and 15 are still unaccounted for.Smith was found guilty on Nov. 1 of one count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license and 10 counts of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. Smith was found not guilty of one count of transferring a firearm to an out-of-state-resident.“Straw purchasing firearms – buying a gun with the intent to transfer it to another person illegally – poses a serious risk to our communities,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “We thank our law enforcement partners in Alaska and California for their assistance in this successful investigation and prosecution. We remain committed to combatting firearms trafficking from source states, like Alaska, to areas with higher demand and profit margins.”“Straw purchasing and trafficking firearms is extremely irresponsible, dangerous and illegal,” said ATF Seattle Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. “The firearms Mr. Smith purchased were recovered by law enforcement agencies in California, and with 15 still unaccounted for, they still pose a danger to whichever communities they are in right now.  This is not a victimless crime.”The ATF Seattle Field Division and Anchorage Field Office, with assistance from the California Highway Patrol, Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, Sacramento Police Department, San Francisco Police Department, Folsom Police Department, Pittsburg Police Department, Daly City Police Department, Vacaville Police Department and Citrus Heights Police Department, investigated the case.Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Ivers and Ainsley McNerney are prosecuting the case.###

ANCHORAGE – A correctional officer at Goose Creek Correctional Center (GCCC) pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bribery charges for smuggling contraband into the prison in Wasilla, Alaska.  

According to court documents, Angela Lincoln, 43, was a correctional officer at the Alaska Department of Corrections (DOC) facility from 2014 through mid-2020. Beginning in about 2019 she began smuggling contraband into GCCC including Suboxone strips and cell phones for an inmate who is serving a 100-year sentence. The inmate distributed the drugs within the prison and paid tens of thousands of dollars in bribe payments to Lincoln. 

With support from his family members and non-inmate associates, who he called “grinders,” this inmate secretly arranged to deliver the contraband and cash payments to Lincoln. His associates would secretly visit Lincoln’s home and drop the contraband and bribe payments near her fence while no one was looking. They would hide the controlled substances inside books, plastic bottles or candy wrappers to avoid suspicion when dropping the package at the fence. Lincoln would then smuggle the contraband into Goose Creek using her official position to evade security screening, knowing that doing so was in violation of her official duties and knowing that she would be paid in exchange for delivering the contraband and drugs inside GCCC. To deliver the bribe payments to Lincoln, the “grinders” would launder the funds and hide cash in phony trinkets, greeting cards and stuffed animals. Lincoln continued to conceal the conspiracy when initially questioned by FBI agents, falsely reporting that the money was payments for old DVDs, video games and an old meat grinder. None of that was true, and the payments were really bribes paid in exchange for her smuggling efforts.

As a correctional officer she was required to protect inmates and staff by, among other things, ensuring that contraband – including drugs and cell phones – did not enter or remain in the facility where inmates could access them. 

Goose Creek Correctional Center is an Alaska DOC-run medium-security prison for men located in Wasilla, Alaska. The facility houses up to approximately 1,300 inmates and employs approximately 333 staff members. 

Lincoln’s sentencing hearing has not yet been set.  She faces a maximum penalty of fifteen years in prison for the bribery and conspiracy charges. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Wilson of the District of Alaska made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case with valuable assistance provided by the Alaska Department of Corrections.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Allen, Kelly Cavanaugh and Ryan Tansey are prosecuting the case.

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